Creamy Almond-Rice Cooler (Horchata)

Tried out this recipe from Rick Bayless. Yum! Although if anyone comes up with a better way of straining it, please share! This was rather tedious and messy. "Dregs" doesn't do justice to the stuff you strain off, which was closer to a rice clay.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups rice
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• water
• 1 cup milk or canned evaporated milk
• 2/3 to 3/4 cup sugar
• ice

Directions:

1. Soak the rice and cinnamon stick in 2 1/2 cups of water overnight.
2. Remove the cinnamon stick and put the mixture into a blender. Blend several minutes, until a drop rubbed between your fingers no longer feels very gritty. Add two more cups of water (if it'll fit - mine couldn't do it all at this point, so I just added it later on) and blend another minute. Strain the mixture through dampened cheesecloth over a colander set inside of a bowl. Stir it to help it through, or let it gravity feed about 20 minutes. Squeeze the dregs to get out all the liquid.
3. Add 1 1/2 cups of water and the cup of milk. Stir in enough sugar to sweeten to your taste. Refrigerate to chill and add ice.

Variation - in step three, cut the water down to 1/2 cup and add a 14 ounce can of coconut milk. (Rick Bayless recommends using 3 cups of the coconut style horchata mixed with 2 cups of pineapple, 2 cups rum, and 2 cups of ice cubes for a new style of pina colada. Wow.) He also says you can also use a bit of lime zest in place of the cinnamon.

Tomato-Basil Parmesan Soup

What can I say about this recipe? It's absolutely delicious - real veggies, parmesan cheese, dairy all mixed together. Fantastically easy - mostly cooks all day in a crockpot. It's my new winter favorite! You've GOT to try it! (This recipe comes from "365 Days of Slow Cooking")

Ingredients:
2 (14 oz) cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1 cup finely diced celery
1 cup finely diced carrots
1 cup finely diced onions
1 tsp dried oregano or 1 T fresh oregano
1 T dried basil or 1/4 cup fresh basil
4 cups chicken broth
½ bay leaf
½ cup flour
1 cup Parmesan cheese
½ cup butter
2 cups half and half, warmed
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Directions:
Add tomatoes, celery, carrots, chicken broth, onions, oregano, basil (if using fresh oregano and basil, if using dried oregano and basil add it in the last hour of cooktime), and bay leaf to a large slow cooker. Cover and cook on LOW for 5-7 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft. About an hour before serving prepare a roux. Melt butter over low heat in a skillet and add flour. Stir constantly with a whisk for 5-7 minutes. Slowly stir in 1 cup hot soup. Add another 3 cups and stir until smooth. Add all back into the slow cooker. Stir and add the Parmesan cheese, warmed half and half, salt and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for another hour until ready to serve.

*Note - used the pregrated powdery parmesan the first time. Not bad, just kind of a grainy texture. Used the real stuff the second time - wow!
** I like to use my stick blender and puree the veggies before adding it to the roux. Just makes a velvety soup. Then Jeremiah will eat it. :)

Stovetop Granola

This recipe is for Jenny! I'm pretty sure this is the one I used to make your birthday jar...pretty sure. Umm, at least it looks like it. :) I know I added more oats than it calls for, 'cause I like my granola that way. And I like pecans over almonds if I have the choice. (This comes from allrecipes.com)

Ingredients
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oats then cook and stir until starting to brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and spread out on a cookie sheet to cool.

2. Melt the butter in the same pan over medium heat. Stir in the honey and brown sugar; cook, stirring constantly, until bubbly. Return the oats to the pan. Cook and stir for another 5 minutes or so. Pour out onto the cookie sheet and spread to cool.

3. Once cool, transfer to an airtight container and stir in the almonds and dried cranberries. Any additional nuts and fruit can be stirred in at this time also.

White Chicken Chili with Lime

I saw Kim's post on her wonderful White Chicken Chili and wanted to add this Betty Crocker's white chili recipe. We do frequently because it is so good!

1 tbs vegetable oil

2 medium onions, chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 cups chicken broth

2 tbs chopped fresh cilantro or 1/2 tsp ground coriander

2 tbs lime juice (I usually use a lot more if I do not use fresh limes)

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp red pepper sauce

1/4 tsp salt

1 11 oz can corn (the recipe calls for white but I have always used golden and it works fine)

1 can great northern beans

1 can butter beans

2 cups chopped cooked chicken breast

1. cook onions and garlic in oil.

2. Stir in remaining ingredients except chicken. Simmer uncovered 20 minutes. Stir in chicken.

3. Top with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, chopped green onions, diced tomatoes, chopped fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, or sour cream!

White Chicken Chili

2 cups great northern dry beans
1 quart chicken stock, or bouillon and water equivalent
1 can of cannery chicken or turkey, with broth
2 TB dried onion
2 cloves minced garlic
1 7 oz. can diced green chili
1-2 TB jalapeno (optional)
2 tsp ground cumin seed
1 tsp dried oregano
additional dairy ingredients below

Rinse and sort the dry beans. Soak beans overnight in a generous amount of water.
The next morning, drain and rinse the beans. Return them to the pot and cook them in the chicken stock on low heat until the beans are tender. Add more water as needed to prevent scorching; stir occasionally. (This will take about 2-4 hours, depending on the freshness of the beans.)
Break up canned chicken or turkey and add it with its liquid to the pot. Add all remaining ingredients and cook until the onions are tender.
Just before serving, remove from heat and add:
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
Stir to incorporate and enjoy.

Terrific Options:
A faster edition will use canned great northern beans.
We also prefer to use the gorgeous, frozen chilies that Kali and Bobby have sent from New Mexico!
Be sure to grate your own cheese for this recipe; don't use prepared cheese that may contain cellulose (to prevent clumping).
This is a good way to use left-over, cooked poultry.
One chopped, sauteed onion is good for the dried onion.
The crock pot produces a soupier version and perfect for busy days.

Ratatouille

This recipe is a requirement of late summer, when the zucchini and tomatoes are at their peak. It was first introduced to us by a dear friend, Hailey Liechty, and has since become a delicious summer tradition. This is the only reason that I plant eggplants in the garden.

1/2 cup olive oil
2 large onions, peeled and sliced
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1 medium eggplant, unpeeled and sliced
6 medium zucchini, unpeeled and sliced thick
2 bell peppers, seeded and chunked
2 tsp salt
1/2 cup minced parsley
4 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 celery stalks, sliced
10+ tomatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp dried thyme (I prefer fresh)
1/2 cup fresh, torn basil leaves
black pepper
sliced tomatoes (optional topping)

Heat 1/4 cup of the oil in a large fry pan over high heat. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until onions are soft but not browned. Stir in eggplant, zucchini, peppers, salt, basil, and parsley; add a little more oil as needed to prevent sticking. Cover pan and cook over medium heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. With a large spatula, turn the vegetables to help preserve their shape.
Add the tomatoes and stir to blend. Add more oil if veggies are sticking. Cover and cook for 15 minutes; stir occasionally. If mixture becomes soupy, remove cover. Garnish with tomato and parsley.
That's the end of the original recipe; however, we prefer to add Hailey's "very yummy topping" and bake the mixture in the oven. Simply layer the partially cooked vegetable mixture in a large, oven-proof casserole dish and spread the following mixture over the top:
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
2 large eggs
Bake in a 350* oven for about 40 minutes, or until top is bubbly and golden.

Note: I love to double or even triple this recipe and freeze some for later in the season. If you choose this option,do not add the cheese topping; just freeze the vegetable mixture and add the cheese topping when it is thawed and served at a later date.

Lemon Cream Pie

Thanksgiving 2010 was wonderful! The Scott Stewart family was in complete attendance! The Jordans trekked in from New Mexico. Ben and Annie came "over the river and through the woods" from Logan. Jenny was on break from BYU. Joe and Scott had a long weekend off. And the Tessems drove over from Provo. The shop was furiously heated with the wood stove and the total guest count was 22 (if you count the dog, Tristan).

The pie to guest ratio was very high this year. There were 16 different pies or desserts to choose from. Needless to say, we ate pie for several days! It was delicious feasting.

Rhonda Marsh brought a new favorite this year: Lemon cream pie. Delicious! This is the only pie that did not make it to Friday; it was gone on Thanksgiving Day. In fact, it was so good that Jenny made it for my birthday just two weeks later. This recipe will definitely be included in years to come.

1 cup sugar

3 Tbsp cornstarch

1/4 cup butter

1 tsp freshly grated lemon peel

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (Rhonda adds an extra 1-2 Tbsp)

3 large egg yolks, beaten

1 cup whole milk

1 cup sour cream

*cream for whipping

*prepared, baked crust



In a medium saucepan stir sugar, starch, lemon juice, peel, butter, and milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for two minutes; remove from heat. Pour part of the mixture into egg yolks. Mix and return all to saucepan and bring back to a boil and cook for two more minutes. Let cool slightly and stir in sour cream. Fill pie crust and top with sweetened whipped cream.



I'd like to add another incredible pie recipe here for Joe's chocolate pie. However, the secret ingredients are being held very secret! Maybe next year...