Galactica Watercooler Cook Book

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#101

Since I’ve been making deezy salivate it’s only fair I share the recipe:

Frijoles negros estilo cubano

Ingredients:

1 lb. black beans
Broth (or bouillon, or water and ham bone)
1 large green pepper

2/3 cup olive oil
1 large onion
4 cloves of garlic
1 large green pepper (can reuse soaking pepper)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons of sugar

2 tablespoons of vinegar (I use 1 tbsp apple cider and 1tbsp red wine)
2 tablespoons of dry wine (sherry)
2 tablespoons olive oil

This recipe requires the use of a slow cooker.

Wash the beans. Place them and the green pepper (chopped up) in the slow cooker and fill with water/broth until beans are covered, submerged about an inch. Cook on High for one hour, and then on low for the remainder of the cooking time.

After a total cooking time of five to seven hours, heat the oil in a skillet. Saute the finely minced onion, garlic, and green pepper. When the onion and green pepper begin to change color, add about 1 cup of the beans to the skillet and mash them well. Add the contents of the skillet to the cookerwhere the rest of the beans are. Add salt, black pepper, oregano, bay leaf and sugar. Let them cook for about another hour. Then add the vinegar, wine and simmer them for another hour until they are thick. If they are still too watery let them simmer uncovered for a while until they become thick. When you are about to serve them add the 2 tablespoons of oil. Makes about 8 servings.

#102

It’s not a podcast!!..it’s a COOK BOOK!!!

AAAAHHHHHHH:eek:

#103

Trying to come up with what I’ll make first in my new ice cream maker.
The winner so far: Dark & Stormy ice cream
Based on the cocktail made with strong ginger beer, dark rum and a squeeze of lime, I’m thinking I’d steep fresh ginger and lime zest in hot cream and raw sugar for the base, and add the rum at the end.
The alcohol will keep the no yoke Philly style base soft.
(and make it delicious)
Should combine elements of 2 of my favs, Ginger ice cream and Rum Raisin.

Not done brainstorming other ideas though.

#104

Do a Root Beer Ice Cream. It’d be its own float.

#105

Think I’d do a root beer gelato or granita/vanilla swirl, but yes!

#106

I won’t lie. This recipe has a long prep-time. (It took me about 2 hours before I even got the enchiladas in the oven and I wasn’t dawdling.) The work is well worth it, though. You’ll have savory, yummy enchiladas that you’ll gladly stuff yourself silly with.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS

3 lb. check parts (bone in)
1 (24 oz.) jar chunky salsa
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
12 corn or flour tortillas (6 in. dia.)
2 c. shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Place chicken in single layer in skillet. Cover with salsa; add garlic, cumin, and salt. Add chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered 1 hour or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken from skillet. Let stand to cool. Skim fat from skillet and boil broth over medium-high heat until reduced to about 2 cups. Pour broth into 13x9 inch baking pan. Remove chicken from bones. Discard skin and bones. Pull chicken into coarse shreds with fingers. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Heat cream to just below boiling; remove from heat. Dip 1 tortilla in cream until limp (a few secs). Remove, draining excess. Spread 3 tbl. of chicken in center of tortilla. Roll up and place in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas, cream and chicken. Pour remaining cream over assembled enchiladas. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 25-30 minutes, until sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.

A couple notes:
–You could make these spicier w/ a med. or hot salsa or by adding cayenne pepper with cumin, garlic, etc. to taste.
–For best results, I recommend a mix of white and dark meat chicken parts. I used breasts and thighs.
–I used a bag of shredded mixed cheeses: Monterrey jack, cheddar and “quesadilla.” It was dubbed Mexican cheese, but not “taco” cheese that has the spices in it. It was a store brand and was still excellent.
–I used the corn tortillas this time and liked them better than the flour for their flexibility once they were in the cream. They seem to absorb the cream better than the flour ones.

#107

Keara, my aunt used to make a quick version of this using canned chicken and cream of chicken soup. But I think your version would definitely be worth the effort.

I was thinking, though: how could we cut out some of the time and still end up with something 90% as good? A couple of quick questions if you don’t mind:

You’re reducing the chix stock, then adding cream to it in the form of the soaked tortillas? So this ends up being a thickened cream sauce in the end, right?

What would happen if we tried this:

Pick up two or so rotisserie chickens from the grocery store. Strip the meat from the bones and set it aside. Add the chix broth and cream to a pan, plus any of the spices you enjoy tasting in the sauce except for salt. Reduce to near the final consistency. Pour into baking dish.

Dip your tortillas in cream, roll in your chicken, and place in baking dish. Spoon some sauce over the top. Bake until bubbly, correct consistency, or browned (or however you like it).

I’d suggest ditching the cayenne and using jalipenos intstead. In fact you might even consider sauteeing some onions and jalipeno in the pan first before you add the chix stock and cream. Start with one med yellow onion, then add fine diced jalipenos to taste. Try one or two of 'em to start, more later.

Anyway, just thoughts. Haven’t tried it, but it seems to me the result would be very similar, and you’re looking at more like 30-40 minutes (or less depending on how fast you can prep <grin>).

#108

I’m slow – can you tell I haven’t had enough sleep? No need for onions or jalipeno. Just add the salsa with the broth and cream. For hotter sauce, buy hotter salsa. :slight_smile:

And hold the salt 'till the end and add it if needed after reduction.

If you really want more of the chicken spices in the sauce, you could throw the meat in with the broth for 5 min or so of reduction then add the cream. But either way, the real time saver here is not having to boil chicken fron scratch. Might be worth a try.

#109

Chuck:
Thank you for the suggestions. I will definitely try that. In fact, my hubby and I have a tetrazzini recipe that we’ve bastardized quite a bit over the years and one of the things we do, which has made it quite delicious, is use rotisserie chicken in it (or leftover baked chicken or turkey if we’ve had it recently).

#110

This is by special request, a chicken enchilada casserole slow cooker recipe.

Slow Cooker Enchiladas from the Fix it and Forget it big cookbook

1 lb lean ground beef - I subbed in chicken
1c onions chopped
1/c green bell pepper, chopped
16oz pinto or kidney beans rinsed and drained
10 oz can diced tomatoes and green chilies
1C water
1tsp chili powder
16oz black beans rinsed and drained
1/2tsp ground cumin
1/2tsp salt
1/4tsp black pepper
dash of dried red pepper flakes and/or several drops Tobasco sauce if you like

1c shredded low fat sharp cheddar
1c shredded low fat monteray jack
6 flour tortillas (6 or 7 inches)

  1. In a nonstick skillet, brown beef, onions and green pepper.

  2. Add remaining ingredients, except cheeses and tortillas and bring to a boil

  3. reduce heat and cover, simmer for 10 minutes

  4. combine cheeses in a bowl

  5. in slow cooker layer about 3/4 cup beef mixture, one tortilla and about 1/4 cup cheese. Repeat until all ingredients are used up.

  6. Cover and cook on low 5-7 hours

I bought chicken cube steak so that it would cook up easily and break up easily when cut up after cooking. I also bought my onions and peppers pre chopped as wel as preshredded and mixed cheese. That is a big time saver and actually cuts down just bit on the clean up. I for one almost never measure spices because I have a good eye and I do like things spicy. My slow cooker is oblong rather than round so I tore the tortillas in half to make them fit better.

#111

I’m inspired by all the action in this thread lately and thot I’d post another of our favorites:

Chicken & Roasted Potatoes w/Sherried Mushroom Cream Sauce

Ingredients
[ul]
[li]1 boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded to 1/4" to 1/8" thickness and sliced into four slices lengthwise[/li][li]16 oz medium-sized white button mushrooms, thickly sliced[/li][li]6 medium red potatoes, cut in half and quartered[/li][li]1 tablespoon dried thyme[/li][li]1 cup chicken stock[/li][li]1 cup heavy cream[/li][li]2 tablespoons chicken demi-glace concentrate[/li][li]1/2 cup sherry (doesn’t have to be expensive, but if you won’t drink it don’t cook with it. No cooking sherry!)[/li][li]1 tablespoon butter[/li][li]2-4 tablespoons olive oil[/li][li]pinch freshly-grated nutmeg[/li][li]Salt and freshly-ground white and black pepper to taste[/li][/ul]
Directions

[ol]
[li]Boil water for potatoes.[/li][li]Pre-heat over to 475 degrees F.[/li][li]Add demi-glace concentrate to chicken stock and warm in microwave for about one minute. Mix well with whisk.[/li][li]Add large pinch salt to boiling water.[/li][li]Par-boil potatoes for 8 minutes.[/li][li]Drain potatoes and add to a large mixing bowl. Add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil, cracked white pepper, and dried thyme. Toss to coat.[/li][li]Spray 1/2 sheet (jelly roll) with non-stick spray and dump potatoes onto sheet.[/li][li]Roast potatoes at 475 for 18 minutes or until browned.[/li][li]Add butter to a large pan over medium-high heat. When the butter melts, tilt pan to spread it. Once the butter is brown and fragrant, add olive oil and tilt pan again to mix.[/li][li]Lightly salt and pepper (black) one side of the chicken breast and place this side down in the pan. Lightly salt/pepper the top side of chicken. Saute chicken until thoroughly cooked and browned.[/li][li]Remove chicken to a cooling rack to drain.[/li][li]Add mushrooms to pan. Saute until mushrooms begin to give up their moisture.[/li][li]Deglaze pan with sherry. Raise heat to medium-high and reduce sherry by about half.[/li][li]Add stock/demi-glace mixture and cream. Stir.[/li][li]Raise heat to high and reduce to desired thickness.[/li][li]Remove from heat and let stand about five minutes. Add salt, white pepper, and small dash of nutmeg to taste.[/li][/ol]
Serving Suggestions

I like to serve this in a wide-rimmed bowl with the chicken strips crossed over the roasted potatoes. I usually add a little sauce underneath the chicken then the rest over the top. I garnish with a little add’l thyme sprinkled on top.

#112

here’s a really nice dip that my friends & I adore!

Hot Chicken Dip

1 cup cooked chicken shredded
1pkg Cream Cheese
1/2 cup Sour Cream
1 tbs milk
1 4oz can mild green chilies diced
1/2 tsp cumin
Salt & pepper

Heat oven to 350
Whip cream cheese & sou cream together add milk once smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients, save some of the chilies for garnish.

Pour mixture into cassrole dish & heat through, around 15 minutes.

Serve with tortilla chips.

I’ve been thinking about trying to make a pasta sauce based on this, but I haven’t quite figured out how to do it. Any suggestions would be FABULOUS!

#113

As requested on Twitter:

Chipotle Mac 'n Cheese w/Mushrooms, Peppers, and Chicken

Ingredients

[ul]
[li]1 boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded to 1/4" thichness[/li][li]8-12 oz medium-sized white button mushrooms, thickly sliced[/li][li]1 red bell pepper, diced[/li][li]1 medium yellow onion, diced[/li][li]1-1/2 cups skim milk[/li][li]1 cup heavy cream[/li][li]3 tablespoons butter[/li][li]2 tablespoons olive oil[/li][li]4-8 medium chipotle chilis (packed in adobo sauce), seeded and finely chopped[/li][li]2-4 tablespoons adobo sauce (from the chipotle chili can)[/li][li]12 oz dried tri-color rotini[/li][li]2 tablespoons all-purpose flour[/li][li]3/4 cup coarsely-grated fresh Parmesan cheese[/li][li]2 cups coarsely-grated sharp cheddar cheese[/li][li]Salt and freshly-ground white and black pepper to taste[/li][/ul]
Directions

[ol]
[li]Boil water for pasta.[/li][li]Add 1 tablespoon butter to a large pan over medium-high heat. When the butter melts, tilt pan to spread it. Once the butter is brown and fragrant, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and tilt pan again to mix. Lightly salt/pepper one side of the chicken breast and place this side down in the pan. Lightly salt/pepper the top side of the chicken. Saute chicken until cooked through and browned.[/li][li]Remove chicken to cutting board. Cut into large dice.[/li][li]Add pasta to water and boil recommended time (usually 8-9 minutes). Drain and set aside.[/li][li]Add remaining olive oil to a second large pan and saute mushrooms over medium-high heat until they begin to give up their moisture. Remove from heat and set aside.[/li][li]Add bell pepper and onion to the chicken pan and reduce heat to medium. Saute until onion begins to caramelize and peppers are soft.[/li][li]Add remaining butter and melt.[/li][li]Add flour and mix to form a roux.[/li][li]Cook roux over medium to medium-low heat for two minutes.[/li][li]Add milk and 1/4 cup cream while whisking. Continue to whisk and increase heat to medium-high until sauce thickens.[/li][li]Add cheese and stir with spoon until melted.[/li][li]Add remaining cream as needed to thin sauce to desired consistency.[/li][li]Add chipotle chilis, adobo sauce, mushrooms, and chicken. Stir to incorporate.[/li][li]Add pasta. Stir to incorporate.[/li][/ol]
Tips

[ul]
[li]Don’t worry about gratng the cheese fine – it’ll melt anyway.[/li][li]Adjust chipotle chili and adobo sauce to your tastes. More will give it more smoky flavor and make it hotter. I use up to 8 large chilis and four tablespoons of adobo sauce, but it’s nuclear at that point.[/li][li]I like to garnish with freshly (fine) grated parmesan before serving.[/li][/ul]

#114

OMG so very delicious. Now mind you mine isn’t perfect. First I don’t use mushrooms because I hate fungus. I doubled the recipe which generally worked perfectly except that I couldn’t get my sauce to thicken up very much. Okay, not at all. But on the upside it didn’t need any thinning either. It is so very very NOM!

#115

A couple of thoughts about the sauce not thickening for you:

[ul]
[li]You have to whisk to the milk and the roux together very well, and you’ll need to bring it back to near boiling for it to thicken. It won’t thicken until you see it start to bubble a bit, and it’ll continue to thicken for a minute or two.[/li][li]If it doesn’t thicken, you can always make a beurre manie by smashing equal parts of butter and flour together on a plate until paste-like. Add that and whisk it thoroughly then heat again. Sometimes that’ll thicken it up.[/li][/ul]
:slight_smile:

#116

I think my problem was in the doubling and I didn’t do it quite right. I did whisk tons, but I may also not have reheated it enough. No matter. It is so damn good I don’t care. I’m sure there will be no complaints from the diners. :stuck_out_tongue:

#117

I found this while looking for recipes to use for a family member with Type 1 Diabetes. It was a big hit with the rest of the family, too!

Here’s the link: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Alaskan-Salmon-Chowder/Detail.aspx

I like how you can set the serving size on this website!

This pic is 14 servings size in my 5 or 6 qt crockpot (I forget)

I serve it over rice when I don’t add potatoes!
This can make a difference- thinner, not so thick from the potatoes.
Depends on your mood! lol!

I just sub whatever veg I have on hand to give it color, and today I used tiny shrimp and scallops instead of the salmon.

I also added long beans, and used whole kernel corn when I found I didn’t have creamed corn.

I sometime add a bit of crushed pepper or powdered cayenne to give it kick. The condensed milk is key, and today I used 2%.

I sauteed the long beans (cut short, about 1") with the garlic and shrimp.

Always tasty!

#118

And now for a dessert.

Pecan Shortbread Cookie-bars!

Ingredients:
1/2 lb butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg, separated
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 cups of flour
2-3 cups of pecans

Preheat oven to 350. Butter a jellyroll pan (9x15 is ideal, but pans or casserole dishes of comparable size work too). Cream butter and sugar, beat in egg yolk and vanilla. Add flour, mixing lightly until moistened. Pat down into pan evenly. Beat egg white slightly and brush over dough in pan. Sprinkle nuts over the top evenly, then press them into dough slightly. If you feel so inclined, beat up the pecans a bit before spreading them on the surface. that way when you cut the bars they won’t be as messy.

Bake about 20 minutes, until cookie is golden brown and nuts roasted dark. Cool in pan then cut into bars. A pizza cutter works well for this too.

#119

I love Shepherd’s Pie. Here is my recipe. Enjoy, Enjoy !

NBTR’s Shepherd’s Pie

1 onion, chopped
1-1.5 lbs ground beef
1 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 10oz pkg of frozen peas (or corn)
2 zucchini, sliced
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
10 potatoes
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp salt
butter, 1 stick
milk
extra sharp cheddar

1- Make Mashed Potatoes:
Peel potatoes and cut in half or thirds and boli until cooked through. Mash potatoes, add milk, salt, pepper, butter to taste.

2- Make Meat Sauce:
In a skillet, brown the meat for about 2-3 mins and remove oil. In a pot at medium heat, cook the onions and garlic in the oil. When the onions are clearish, add the meat and diced tomatoes. Also add the Worchestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Cook for about 15 mins, then add the zucchini. Cook for another 5mins, then add the frozen peas (or corn). Cook another 5 mins.

3- Bake
In a pyrex casserole, spoon in the meat sauce. Add the mashed potatoes to the top (about 2 inches thick). Grate extra sharp cheddar cheese over the mashed potatoes. Cover and bake at 350 F for 40-45 mins.
Makes 1 medium casserole (2 qt / 1.9 liter)

#120

A recipe I promised to Tanu long ago…

Flank Steak with Shiitake Mushroom Sauce

Steak:
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 (1-pound) flank steak, trimmed

Sauce:
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps (about 1/2 lb mushrooms)
1 cup beef-broth (go for the less-sodium kind :slight_smile: )
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup minced green onions

  1. Preheat broiler.

  2. To prepare steak, sprinkle salt and pepper evenly over both sides of steak. Place steak on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; broil for 5 minuteds on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from oven; loosely cover with foil.

  3. To prepare sauce, heat a large non-stick skillet oer medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add 1/2 cup onion and garlic; saute 2 minutes. Add mushrooms; saute 4 minutes. Add broth, wine and vinegar. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, and cook until reduced to 1 1/4 cups (about 6 minutes). Add green onions, and cook 1 minute.

  4. Cut steak diagonally across grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve steak with mushroom sauce.

Deezy notes:
*This recipe is from Cooking Light 2007 cookbook. (can also be found in the September 2007 issue of the magazine)
*Don’t forget to let the steak rest for several minutes before slicing. Don’t want all those yummy juices running out! :stuck_out_tongue:
*Once you prep your ingredients, this shouldn’t take any more than 20 minutes to cook.

Enjoy!!