Candy Cane Meringues

4 egg whites
1/2 t cream of tartar
4 oz (by weight) candy canes ground fine
4 oz (by weight) powdered sugar

Sift the cream of tartar over the egg whites in mixing bowl.
Beat until soft peaks form.
Add a tablespoon or two of ground candy cane.
Beat until medium peaks form.
Gradually add the powdered sugar and the rest of the ground candy canes.
Continue beating until stiff and glossy.
Put the meringue into a pastry bag with a large star tip.
Pipe into "kisses" onto cookie sheets covered with silicone liners or parchment paper.
Let rest an hour or so.
Preheat the oven to 200F.
Bake for an hour, turn off the oven, and leave them inside for a few hours or over night.

Slow Cooker Pork Chops with Mushrooms

1 onion
4 pork chops
salt and pepper
1 lb mushrooms (white, crimini, etc.)
1/4 c butter (1/2 of a stick)
1 T arrow root powder
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 c cream
1 1/2 c milk
1 t dry sage
1/4 t dry thyme
1 t xanthan gum
salt and pepper

Slice the onion into rings or half-rings, and put it into the bottom of the slow cooker.
Season the pork chops with salt and pepper, and put them on top of the onion.
Slice the mushrooms, and put them on top of the pork chops.
Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Saute the garlic briefly.  Add the arrowroot powder and stir it until it is thick and bubbly.  Add the cream, milk and spices and cook, stirring occasionally until it comes to a boil.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the xanthan gum, being careful to break up any lumps.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
Pour the sauce over the mushrooms.
Set the slow cooker on high for 6 hours.

(I'll try to remember to take a picture when it's done.)

Pumpkin Pie Cookies

I used this dough recipe (but chopped the nuts pretty fine) and a pretty normal pumpkin pie filling recipe. (I didn't have evaporated milk, and I didn't want the filling to be very runny, so I used 1/3 cup powdered milk mixed with enough milk to make 3/4 cup instead of the 12 oz can of evaporated milk.)

Chill the dough in the bowl for just a little while (maybe 10-15 minutes) so it firms up a bit, but not too much.

Scoop the dough by tablespoons, 

 roll the blobs into balls,

 and use the back of a round teaspoon to make an indent.  Use your fingers to smooth out the cracks and make them round.  

(These round measuring spoons make the whole process easier.)

 Fill the indentation with a heaping 1/2 teaspoon of pie filling.

 Bake at 350F for about 15 minutes, until they start to brown around the edges and the filling is set.

Bake the rest of the pie filling in custard cups in a water bath.  (I had enough for 3 custard cups, which baked at 375F for 35 minutes.)

Asian-inspired Chicken and Vegetables

2 T coconut oil
1 lb chicken, cut in chunks
1/2 lb mushrooms, in thick slices
1/4 c water
3/4 lb broccoli, in bite-sized pieces
3/4 lb bok choy, in bite-sized pieces
3 big cloves of garlic, minced (or 4 medium ones)
1 T fresh grated ginger
1 T lemon grass paste
2 T soy sauce

Heat oil in a large skillet (or dutch oven).  Add the chicken, and saute about 2 minutes, until the outsides just start to brown.  Add the mushrooms, and cook until the liquid starts to come out (another few minutes).  Add the water, broccoli, and bok choy.  Cover the pan and reduce the heat to medium, and cook 5-10 minutes, or until the broccoli turns bright green.
Add the garlic, ginger, lemon grass, and soy sauce.  Stir it all around, so they are evenly distributed, and cook another minute or so.  Remove the chicken and veggies to a serving dish, and reduce the sauce.  Pour the sauce over the chicken and veggies, and serve.

Asian Noodle Salad

Salad:
2 packages of tofu shirataki noodles
leaf lettuce (6 or 7 big leaves)
1 red bell pepper
3 carrots
3 celery stalks
several radishes
2 green onion tops
about 1/2 of a grocery store bunch of cilantro

Dressing:
2 T coconut oil
4 T ponzu dressing
1 T sesame oil
about 1/2-1 t chili oil
1 T lemon grass paste
1- 1 1/2" ginger root, peeled and grated
2 garlic cloves, minced

Meat:
8 oz of pork
2 T coconut oil
about 1/2 t chili oil
about 1 t sesame oil

Garnish:
about 3 T sesame seeds

Wash all the vegetables.
Rinse the noodles.  Microwave them 2 minutes.  Rinse again with cool water.  Use kitchen scissors to cut them into reasonable-sized pieces.
Cut the lettuce into shreds/strips.  Core and slice the pepper.
 Slice the celery and radishes.  Shred the carrots.  Cut the green onion tops with scissors.  Remove the cilantro leaves from the stalks.
Combine all of the salad ingredients in a good-sized bowl.

Combine dressing ingredients.

Cut the pork into thin bite-sized pieces.  Heat the oils in a wok, and stir-fry the pork until done.  Turn off the heat, and pour the dressing over the pork, stir it around, scoop the pork onto the top of the salad, and pour the dressing over the salad, scraping any that sticks out of the wok.

Top with sesame seeds.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (no wheat)

Pre-heat oven to 350F.

Cream:
3/4 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar

Add, and mix well, scraping the sides of the bowl at least once:
3 eggs
1 t vanilla

Add, and mix well:
1/2 c (about 50 g) almond meal or flour
6 T (about 45 g) coconut flour
1/4 t xantan gum
1/2 t baking soda

Add, and mix well:
3 c rolled oats

Add, and mix well:
1 1/2 c chocolate chips

Drop by spoonfuls onto cookie sheets.
Bake about 12-15 minutes (most of mine were 13-14), until they start to brown.
Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies.

Cilantro Chicken

Cilantro Chicken

3 cloves garlic 

about 4 T cilantro leaves

about 2 ½ lb chicken, cut into serving pieces (I used 3 breasts, and cut two of them into thinner pieces)
Salt and pepper
¼ c olive oil
¼ c dry white wine (or sherry)

Mince the garlic and chop the cilantro, then mix them together and mince them as fine as you can.  Set aside.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Sauté the chicken in the oil over med-hi heat about 25 minutes. (If you have breasts, put them in for only the last 10 minutes—they cook faster.)

Add the wine and scrape the pan with a wooden spoon until the browned bits dissolve. 

Add the cilantro/garlic mixture, turn the chicken around and over so the herbs are all over them, and serve.

Enchilada-style stuffed peppers with ground beef

4 red bell peppers

Filling:
about 1 T lard (or olive oil, or your fat of choice)
1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef
1/2-1 t basil
1/2-1 t oregano
about 1/2 t cumin
a dash of chipotle chili powder
salt to taste
about 5 oz queso fresco, crumbled
about 4 oz colby cheese, shredded

Sauce:
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 (4 oz) can mild diced green chiles
1 sweet onion, peeled and chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic, peeled
a pinch of cinnamon
a dash of ground cumin
salt to taste

Topping:
about 5 oz queso fresco, crumbled
about 4 oz colby cheese, shredded

Method:
Wash the bell peppers.  Cut them in half vertically (through the stem).  Lay them on their sides, and use the knife to cut through the core, just below the stem, without piercing the wall of the pepper.  Remove any stray seeds, and any soft membrane that will get in the way of the stuffing.

 Warm the lard in a large skillet.  Add the onion and garlic, and saute for a minute or so.  Add the beef, and brown it, and break it up.  Add the spices, and make sure it is cooked through.  Remove from the heat, and let it start to cool down.

Put the tomatoes, chiles, onion, and garlic into a blender, and blend until smooth.  Add the spices, and blend to combine.

Crumble and shred the cheeses.  Set aside the cheese for the topping.  Stir the rest into the filling.

Stuff the filling into the pepper halves, and arrange them in a 9x13" pan.  Scrape out the skillet as well as you can.

Pour the sauce into the skillet, and cook over medium heat, stirring it enough that it won't splash all over the kitchen, until it doesn't taste like raw onion, and it isn't quite as watery.

Spoon the sauce over the stuffed peppers.

Top them with the reserved cheese.

I was making this ahead of time, so I put it in the refrigerator, and baked it later.

I baked it at 325 in a convection oven (equivalent of 350 in a regular oven) for 45 minutes, then reduced the heat to 200, and continued for another 15 minutes.
I think it would be better to start lower, and broil the top if it doesn't brown.

Cheesy Spaghetti Squash and Ground Meat Casserole

This recipe is my own invention.  (Using what I had on hand, including what needed to be used up.)

My husband and parents approved.  :)

1/2 of a large spaghetti squash, baked
1/2 lb sausage
1 lb ground beef
1/2 an onion, chopped
sage, parsley, rosemary, savory, salt, and seasoned pepper to taste
a little fat (about a tablespoon or two--oil, butter, lard--whatever you want)
about 1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped
a lot of garlic, minced
a few stalks of celery, chopped
about 1/2 lb mozzarella, shredded
about 1/2 lb medium cheddar, shredded, in two parts

Shred the spaghetti squash into a large mixing bowl.
Brown the sausage and ground beef over medium heat.  Add the onion and spices when the meat is about half browned, and cook until the meat is browned and the onions are soft.
Add the meat to the squash.
Return the pan to the heat, and melt the fat.  Cook the mushrooms, garlic, and celery until they are softened, and any liquid cooks off.
Add the mushroom mixture to the squash, along with the mozzarella, and about half of the cheddar.  Mix it well.
Grease a 9x13" pan or casserole dish (I sprayed with olive oil).  Spread the mixture evenly in the dish, and cover with the rest of the cheddar.
Bake at 350F (or 325 in a convection oven) for about an hour.

Broccoli and Quinoa Casserole

Here's the inspiration.  I didn't change much.
I took it to a church potluck, and it was devoured, so it turned out ok.  But no picture.


1 1/2 cups dry quinoa
3 cups water
1/2 an onion
8 oz (or so) mushrooms
2-4 cloves of garlic
1 T (or so) olive oil
4 cups broccoli florets (and stems)
2 cups (or more) shredded cheese (sharp cheddar, guyere, and colby-jack)
2 eggs
1 t paprika
salt and pepper
extra shredded cheese for topping (colby-jack)

Rinse the quinoa.  Boil the water (add a little salt).  Add the quinoa, bring back to a boil, cover and reduce the heat, and cook for 15 minutes.  (Or follow directions on the package.)
Meanwhile, dice the onion and mushrooms, and mince the garlic.  Saute them in the olive oil with a little salt, over medium-high heat until softened, and any liquid cooks off.
Microwave the broccoli with a little water until it's bright green, about 2-3 minutes, and drain the water off.
In a very large bowl, lightly beat the eggs.  Add the mushroom mixture, the quinoa, the broccoli, cheese, paprika, and salt and pepper to taste.
Spray a 9x13" pan with olive oil.  Pour the mixture into it, and spread and pat it down so it's even.  Top with the additional cheese.
Bake at about 350-375 for 15-20 minutes if you just made it, or 30 minutes or more if you refrigerate before baking it.

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

The first recipe on this page was my inspiration for today.

1/2 of a large spaghetti squash, cooked and shredded
4 T butter
1 onion, chopped small-ish
4 cloves garlic, minced
about 12 oz crimini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
about 8 oz fresh spinach, roughly chopped
salt, pepper, and dry parsley to taste
2-3 cups shredded mozzarella

Melt the butter in a large skillet.
Saute the onion for a couple minutes (long enough to mince garlic), and add the garlic.
Continue to saute (long enough to slice the mushrooms) and add the mushrooms.
Continue to cook (long enough to chop the spinach, and let the mushrooms cook down to make some room) and add the spinach.

Add salt, pepper, dry parsley, and spaghetti squash.

 Add half of the mozzarella, and stir it in.
Put it all in a casserole dish (mine was between 8x8" and 9x13", and I sprayed it with olive oil first).
Put the rest of the mozzarella on top.
Bake it for about 15 minutes (or more if the spaghetti squash was cold) at around 350F.