Do you have a recipe that is just SO good, and SO much better than any other that you'd cry if you lost it?

[Lilaclady]

The milo has this logo http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Milo%27s_Main_Logo.jpg and it is available in most Asian, Jamaican or Mexican stores. The texture is a bit crunchier than ovaltine.

[Julie in CA]

You know, this has been the thread that just keeps on giving! Thank you all so much!

Now I have an arsenal of new recipes to try. I'd love it if anyone who tries recipes from this thread would let us know how it turned out.  :bigear:

[UnionJack]

I've copied a bunch of recipes and thought I'd share some too!

 

 

Strawberry Spinach Salad

16 oz spinach leaves

1 qt fresh strawberries, washed and hulled, sliced or quartered to make bite-sized

 

Dressing

1/4 - 1/2 cup sugar (to taste)

1 1/2 tsp minced red onion

1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 canola or vegetable oil

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

1 Tbsp poppy seeds

salt and pepper to taste

 

Chill spinach and strawberries

 

For dressing, mix sugar, onion, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, and vinegar in blender. With blender running, slowly add oil. Stir in (don't blend) sesame and poppy seeds and salt and paper to taste. Chill dressing in a jar with a tight lid and shake before pouring on berries and spinach. Add slowly while tossing to get desired amount. Toss and serve.

 

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Hummus

 

2 c. cooked garbanzo beans (you can use canned, but I think the flavor and consistency is better if you cook your own)

3 T. tahini

1 heaping t. salt (to taste)

1/4 c. fresh squeezed lemon juice (or a little less )

2 t. minced garlic

2 T. olive oil

1/4 c. water, as needed to achieve the consistency you desire

 

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The Best Guacamole!!

 

Ingredients:

3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled

1 lime, juiced

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

1/2 medium onion, diced

1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro

1 clove garlic, minced

 

Directions:

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Drain, and reserve the lime juice, after all of the avocados have been coated. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, jalapeno, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of the reserved lime juice. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

 

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Kale Soup..... amazing

Serves Eight

 

1 lb kale, thoroughly washed (I just use two bunches, whatever that weighs…maybe ½ lb?)

1 lb linguica

3T butter

2T olive oil…or no butter; and enough olive oil to sauté vegetables

½ c celery, chopped

1 c onions, chopped

½ c carrots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

4 medium potatoes, diced

8 c chicken stock

4 c beef broth

2 lbs tomatoes

1-19 oz can garbanzo beans (chickpeas)

1 tsp basil

1 tsp thyme

salt, fresh pepper, to taste

 

Directions

Use tender part of kale only – leaves only, no stems. Chop into fairly small pieces – set aside. If using fresh tomatoes, peel, seed and chop them and set aside. Prick linguica with fork and drop into boiling water for 10 min. to get rid of the fat. Cut into 1/2†slices and quarter them. (If using Italian sausage, frit it; drain fat; reserve.) Melt the butter and oil in a large heavy soup pot; add celery, onions, carrots and garlic. Cook slowly till soft – add potatoes, chicken stock and beef broth. Bring to boil; reduce to simmer and cook, partially covered for 15 minutes until potatoes are cooked through. Stir in tomatoes and garbanzo beans. Simmer 15 minutes more. Add kale, linguica, basil, thyme and salt & pepper to taste. Simmer about 7 minutes more.

 

-------

 

Ingredients

 

 

 

* Cooking spray

 

* 1 pound extra-lean ground beef

 

* 1 large egg, lightly beaten

 

* 1/2 cup ketchup

 

* 1/4 cup grated onion

 

* 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

 

* 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

 

* 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley

 

* 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

 

* Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

 

* 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

 

* Mayonnaise, for serving

 

* 24 slider-size hamburger buns, split

 

 

 

Directions

 

 

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and place a cooling rack on top. Mist the rack lightly with cooking spray.

 

 

 

Combine the beef, egg, 1/4 cup ketchup, the onion, breadcrumbs, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper, and the garlic powder in a large bowl. Use your hands to mix everything together.

 

 

 

Shape tablespoonfuls of the meat into small, thin patties, about 2 inches in diameter. Place on the prepared rack on the baking sheet. Brush the patties with the remaining 1/4 cup ketchup and bake about 20 minutes.

 

 

 

Meanwhile, spread mayonnaise on one side of each bun. Serve each meatloaf slider on a prepared bun.

[UnionJack]

Oops, I forgot to give that last recipe a name--it's for meatloaf sliders. Really really good!!

[trinchick]

I don't usually cook anything with mixes or cream of whatever soup, but this vegetable casserole is the one exception. It is amazing, and I am asked to bring it to every family function - on BOTH sides of my family who don't typically agree on anything. There's so much butter and sour cream that it should hardly count as a veggie dish. You can make it with fresh vegetables (I list frozen in the recipe below), but it's so easy to just use the thawed frozen veggies instead of par-boiling things. This feeds a bunch of people and is great for a holiday buffet.

 

Vegetable Casserole

1 8 oz package of Pepperidge Farm herb stuffing

3 sticks butter or margarine

1 cup sour cream

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 bag frozen, chopped squash (not whipped – in chunks), thawed

1 bag frozen broccoli florets, thawed

1 onion, chopped

 

Melt butter and mix with stuffing. In a separate bowl mix sour cream and soup. Place half of stuffing mixture on bottom of 9 X 13 baking dish. Layer the following ingredients IN THIS EXACT ORDER: squash, onion, soup/sour cream mixture, broccoli, rest of stuffing mixture.

 

Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 1 hour.

 

 

[lovinmomma]

I'll share Bow Tie Pasta with Sausage which originally came from Bon Appetit magazine in the late eighties or early nineties. I've shared it with several friends and put it in the church cookbook. I would be very interested in the chocolate/peanut butter dessert!

 

Bow Ties with Sausage

1 lb Italian sausage

1/2 t. red pepper flakes

1/2 c. diced onion

3 garlic cloves, minced

28 oz can chopped tomatoes

1 1/2 c. whipping cream (I use 1 cup)

1/2 tsp. salt

12 oz bow tie pasta

3 Tbs. parsley (opional--I omit)

Parmesan

 

Crumble sausage and brown with pepper flakes, onion, and garlic. Drain off fat. Add tomatoes, cream, and salt. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 4 minutes. Add cooked pasta and heat through, about 2 minutes. Top with grated parmesan when serving.

 

THIS was fabulous. Our whole family loved it and it was simple to make. Thank you!

[La Texican]

best bbq sauce evah! makes 4 water bottles full.

Tastes gr8 on anything -beef, chicken, even just veggies. It's Rachel Rays recipe, only she used Rum and I used Beer.

bbq sauce

 

INGREDIENTS

 

1/2 cup vegetable oil

5 garlic cloves, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1.5 cup beer

3 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. black pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground clove

1 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup water

2 cups ketchup

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup yellow mustard

1/2 cup cider vinegar

4 teaspoons hot sauce

Makes about 6 1/2 cups.

.

[La Texican]

now some one come back with that south texas brisket that doesn't require mesquite (but still tastes like texas brisket, not corned beef ihope)

[Vida Winter]

Thanks for reviving this thread!

[Lisa in Jax]

This cake makes people beg and curse. ;)

 

Death by Chocolate (Gluten-Free)  

 

INGREDIENTS

Bottom Layer:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus extra for greasing pan

6 ounces Semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 oz. GF Bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces

3/4 teaspoon ground espresso 

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

4 large eggs, separated

pinch salt

1/3 cup packed (about 2 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar, then  crumbled with fingers to remove lumps

 

 

Middle Layer:

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

5 tablespoons hot water

7 ounces semi-sweet GF chocolate chips

1 ½ cups cold heavy cream

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon table salt

 

Top Layer:

1c heavy whipping cream

2 TBS sugar

pinch salt

¼ c raspberry preserves

 

 

 INSTRUCTIONS

 

FOR THE BOTTOM LAYER:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of 91/2-inch spring form pan. Melt butter, chocolate, and espresso powder in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool mixture slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in vanilla and egg yolks; set aside.

 

In stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt at medium speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Add half of brown sugar and beat until combined, about 15 seconds. Add remaining brown sugar and beat at high speed until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, about 1 minute longer, scraping down sides halfway through. Using whisk, fold one-third of beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain. Carefully transfer batter to prepared spring form pan, gently smoothing top with offset spatula.

Bake until cake has risen, is firm around edges, and center has just set but is still soft (center of cake will spring back after pressing gently with finger), 13 to 18 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. (Cake will collapse as it cools.) Do not remove cake from pan.

 

FOR THE MIDDLE LAYER:

Combine cocoa powder and hot water in small bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly, 2 to 5 minutes.

 

In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream, granulated sugar, and salt at medium speed until mixture begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 seconds.

 

Whisk cocoa powder mixture into melted chocolate until smooth. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Spoon mousse into springform pan over cooled cake and gently tap pan on counter 3 times to remove any large air bubbles; gently smooth top with offset spatula. Wipe inside edge of pan with damp cloth to remove any drips. Refrigerate cake at least 15 minutes while preparing top layer.

 

FOR THE TOP LAYER:

In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream, salt and sugar at medium speed until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 seconds. Using rubber spatula, fold in raspberry preserves. Spoon white raspberry mousse into pan over middle layer. Smooth top with offset spatula. Return cake to refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2½ hours. Overnight is better.

 

 

[Amber in SJ]

These are hands down the best carnitas ever.  I live in San Jose and there are plenty of authentic taquerias and I try the carnitas at every one.  There is only one that comes close.

 

Carnitas

Adapted from The Sweet Life in Paris by David Lebovitz

• 4-5-pounds boneless pork shoulder, cut into 5-inch chunks, trimmed of excess fat
• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
• 2 tablespoons canola or neutral vegetable oil
• water
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon chile powder
• 1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
• 2 bay leaves
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• 6-12 cloves of garlic, peeled and thinly-sliced

1. Rub the pieces of pork shoulder all over with salt. Refrigerate for 1- to 3-days. (You can skip this step if you want. Just be sure to salt the pork before searing the meat in the next step.)

2. Heat the oil in a roasting pan set on the stovetop. Cook the pieces of pork shoulder in a single layer until very well-browned, turning them as little as possible so they get nice and dark before flipping them around. If your cooking vessel is too small to cook them in a single-layer, cook them in two batches.

3. Once all the pork is browned, remove them from the pot and blot away any excess fat with a paper towel, then pour in about a cup of water, scraping the bottom of the pan with a flat-edged utensil to release all the tasty brown bits.

4. Heat the oven to 350F (180C) degrees.

5. Add the pork back to the pan and add enough water so the pork pieces are 2/3rd’s submerged in liquid. Add the cinnamon stick and stir in the chile powders, bay leaves, cumin and garlic.

7. Braise in the oven uncovered for 3½ hours, turning the pork a few times during cooking, until much of the liquid is evaporated and the pork is falling apart. Remove the pan from the oven and lift the pork pieces out of the liquid and set them on a platter.

8. Once the pork pieces are cool enough to handle, shred them into bite-sized pieces, about 2-inches (7 cm), discarding any obvious big chunks of fat if you wish.

9. Return the pork pieces back to the roasting pan and cook in the oven, turning occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the pork is crispy and caramelized. It will depend on how much liquid the pork gave off, and how crackly you want them.

I like mine deeply, darkly, crispy brown on the outside.

Carnitas make me happy.  Now I have to go take some out of the freezer and eat.

Amber in SJ

 

[lovinmomma]

 

This cake makes people beg and curse. ;)

 

Death by Chocolate (Gluten-Free)  

 

INGREDIENTS

Bottom Layer:

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus extra for greasing pan

6 ounces Semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 oz. GF Bittersweet chocolate, cut into small pieces

3/4 teaspoon ground espresso 

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

4 large eggs, separated

pinch salt

1/3 cup packed (about 2 1/2 ounces) light brown sugar, then  crumbled with fingers to remove lumps

 

 

Middle Layer:

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

5 tablespoons hot water

7 ounces semi-sweet GF chocolate chips

1 ½ cups cold heavy cream

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/8 teaspoon table salt

 

Top Layer:

1c heavy whipping cream

2 TBS sugar

pinch salt

¼ c raspberry preserves

 

 

 INSTRUCTIONS

 

FOR THE BOTTOM LAYER:

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of 91/2-inch spring form pan. Melt butter, chocolate, and espresso powder in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool mixture slightly, about 5 minutes. Whisk in vanilla and egg yolks; set aside.

 

In stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat egg whites and salt at medium speed until frothy, about 30 seconds. Add half of brown sugar and beat until combined, about 15 seconds. Add remaining brown sugar and beat at high speed until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, about 1 minute longer, scraping down sides halfway through. Using whisk, fold one-third of beaten egg whites into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining egg whites until no white streaks remain. Carefully transfer batter to prepared spring form pan, gently smoothing top with offset spatula.

Bake until cake has risen, is firm around edges, and center has just set but is still soft (center of cake will spring back after pressing gently with finger), 13 to 18 minutes. Transfer cake to wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. (Cake will collapse as it cools.) Do not remove cake from pan.

 

FOR THE MIDDLE LAYER:

Combine cocoa powder and hot water in small bowl; set aside. Melt chocolate in large heatproof bowl set over saucepan filled with 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly, 2 to 5 minutes.

 

In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream, granulated sugar, and salt at medium speed until mixture begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 seconds.

 

Whisk cocoa powder mixture into melted chocolate until smooth. Using whisk, fold one-third of whipped cream into chocolate mixture to lighten. Using rubber spatula, fold in remaining whipped cream until no white streaks remain. Spoon mousse into springform pan over cooled cake and gently tap pan on counter 3 times to remove any large air bubbles; gently smooth top with offset spatula. Wipe inside edge of pan with damp cloth to remove any drips. Refrigerate cake at least 15 minutes while preparing top layer.

 

FOR THE TOP LAYER:

In clean bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, whip cream, salt and sugar at medium speed until it begins to thicken, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to high and whip until soft peaks form when whisk is lifted, 15 to 60 seconds. Using rubber spatula, fold in raspberry preserves. Spoon white raspberry mousse into pan over middle layer. Smooth top with offset spatula. Return cake to refrigerator and chill until set, at least 2½ hours. Overnight is better.

 

 

 

Oh my good lawd! I think I just died and went to heaven. Sigh. This sounds a-mazing.

[mlktwins]

The comment about the rolls makes me lol! For family gatherings I was always the one to bring scalloped potatoes. Got rave reviews each time. One year one of my sisters-in-law asked me how I make them and if I'd be willing to share my recipe. I told her that, of course, I'd be glad to share how I made them. I proceeded to tell her that I use boxed scalloped potatoes, but add about 4 oz. of cream cheese per box, add extra garlic & minced onions (dried), and sub cream for the milk called for on the box.

 

 

Do you mind sharing whether you bake your scalloped potatoes or use the stove top?  I would love to try this for Christmas dinner.

 

Great thread! I will come back later and add my crab cake recipe.

[Julie in CA]

I bake them, but if I'm in a huge hurry I nuke them in the microwave first and then bake them for a shorter amount of time.

[mlktwins]

I bake them, but if I'm in a huge hurry I nuke them in the microwave first and then bake them for a shorter amount of time.

 

Julie, thank you so much for this recipe.  It was a HUGE hit here.  Very rich for everyday, but what a great special occasion side dish.