| Moroccan Beef with Okra |
I’ve made it with and without the okra; it’s better with.
Also added olives, prunes, and raisins. Great over couscous! My good friend is a world traveler. The neat thing for me is that when she returns from a trip, there is a picture party and a chance to showcase the foods from her travels. Over the years, I have re-created dishes from Egypt, Israel, Vietnam, Argentina, Namimbia, and Lithuania. The Moroccan was my favorite. This dish is traditionally made in a Tagine (a dish and the cookware). This one is in a crockpot. |
| Chopped Liver |
I was going to this party and a friend suggested I make
chopped liver. Without admitting it was not in my repertoire, I said “sure.”
Then I solicited recipes from all my friends and relatives. This is from my sister-in-law, Marcia. Everything I read says “the more eggs, the fluffier” |
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Spanish Potato Omelet “Tortilla Español” |
We were at a few tapas restaurants and had this fantastic potato omelet that is served cold. I don’t think mine came out as well, but I will work on it some more. At least my friends enjoy the experiments. {I noticed that the recipe is not complete, I'll work on it.} |
| Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto | We had a little party and decided to have a pasta bar. We went to a wonderful, old time Italian grocery and found 4 shapes of pasta. 4 of us each made a sauce or topping. I saw recipes for pesto but they had things I could not eat. |
| Corn Casserole | Almost embarrassed to post this one. When I finally needed a quick covered-dish I pulled it out; and found he left off sizes. And my regular dish is 10X15 not 9X13! Got this one from my youngest brother, Philip. Hear that it is a Thanksgiving treat in Chicago. |
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I saw something similar in a cookbook and figured on
improving. My friends devoured the thing in no time. Yes, the idea seems silly but I
actually liked it better than a large hunk of steak in pastry. Hey, guys! No bad jokes about me and meatloaf. My friends think I’m nuts because if I see meatloaf on the menu, I have to try it out. |
| Sweet & Sour Meatballs | Took this to a New Year’s Eve party and the crowd went crazy. It is tasty, cheap, easy, and fast. |
| Spinach Pie | Needed something easy to make for a covered dish party. Did not have much time nor want to spend much on those guys. The most expensive ingredient is the cheese; most everything else is always around the house. |
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I am from Alabama. I like slaw on everything, especially
piled high on a BBQ sandwich. I prefer a vinegar slaw but will tolerate a good creamy
slaw, as that is most of what you find in Missouri. I was going to a party and needed to take something. I looked all over for a slaw that sounded good and finally made up my own based on what I had in the cabinet. |
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My friend Karen was looking at my site and suggested her own slaw. If your head is stopped up, remember to get a big whiff of the sauce while boiling! |
| Thai Macaroni Salad |
For our Halloween food day at the office this year, Karen C.
suggested that I make “Brains,” or at least a salad that looked like brains. The result is this quick and easy macaroni salad. I think I actually got a corkscrew looking pasta. |
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Talking about Tapas |
We were at my favorite, La Tasca in Arlington Heights, IL and had this
thing that was bacon wrapped around dates with pepper sauce. Had an idea to take to a party. Wrapped bacon around a chunk of pineapple, added a slice of pickled ginger, dipped in sesamé oil and baked. Had also done bacon-wrapped smokies that the crowd said was just “OK.” |
| Paella - Vegetable | This is not a vegetarian version but one that traveled well with people that are “half-Kosher,” (no shellfish, love cheeseburgers). Anyway, as always I improvised from the vegetables that were in the store and found that I love okra. The saffron is very expensive but remember, you only need a speck. |
| Egg Rolls | It is easier than it sounds. Yes, I always say that! But I mean it. Made this when the “Funny Foods Group” was coming to my house. Used the peanut sauce that is part of the Thai Macaroni Salad. |
| Stuffed Cabbage |
Well, at work this week there was a “Food Day” and
I was not given a choice what to bring. Even though I protested that I had never made
cabbage rolls, only grape leaves. I studied several cookbooks and eventually mashed together the recipes for Jewish, Polish and Lebanese versions. At least everybody thought it was great! |
| Spring Rolls | My friends lost out. The first time I made them, NOBODY showed up for the party. This time, they were gone in no time. Don’t tell anybody about the secret ingredient! |
| Blintz Casserole | I got the recipe from my Mom. As I was making it, she mentioned that she put other stuff in it but could not remember what. This is the “improved” version. |
| Apple Crescents | I was scheduled to take an appetizer to a party but when I tasted the filling for my second batch of empanadas (guess you want that too!), I was not pleased. The first batch was OK since they devoured them in no time. This one was improvised on the moment from things I had around the house. It uses Grands™ Buttermilk Biscuits. Several people asked for the recipe. |
| Empanadas | As noted above, I do have a recipe for empanadas. Probably not authentic but still gets rave reviews. Included are instructions for both a vegetarian and carnivore. If you are an olive lover, this is for you. |
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Chicken stuffed with |
My singles group was having a cookoff to prove who was the better cook, guys or girls. I hate to lose so made this one up for the occasion. Turned out that the guys baked and the girls brought potato salad from the grocery. |
| Mushroom Strudel | Very rich. Very popular. I made some improvements in the recipe. I had a kitchen “accident;” I thought the allspice had a shaker but the top flipped up. I was in the dish scooping out the extra 3 tablespoons. |
| Cabbage Strudel | I was in an Indian restaurant where the lunch special was this delightful cabbage. I think I added some things to the mix, but decided it would make a nice finger-food in phyllo. Added onions and made little appetizers with puffed pastry. |
| This one is meat-less. The rice is wonderful by itself with a strong citrus aroma. | |
| Mushroom Paté | Another 25 minute recipe. Looks just like chopped liver. |
| Phyllo | Never worked with phyllo? Here are some tips. It is a lot easier than you think.. |
| Balsamic Onions |
I made this for our club picnic and was besieged with requests for the
recipe. Don't do what I did, I panicked that I did not have enough and went to cut up a whole big onion to add. Never get in a hurry, it necessitated a trip to the emergency room. |
| Thai Coconut Soup |
After my friend and I had been to Thai restaurants for lunch many times, I decided I should make the soup at home.
I leave out fish sauce because I'm allergic to fish. I put peanut butter in almost everything.
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| Mom's Sweet Potatoes | My mom did not want to bring a hot dish so we made it at my house. I carefully noted the ingredients. (Had to improvise a little, forgot to buy pineapple and used mandarin oranges). |
| Bourbon Pecan Pie |
At Thanksgiving this year, I was talking to someone who said that Pecan
Pie is what says Thanksgiving for her. Since the other pie makers bailed, I decided to try
my hand. I started with the recipe on the KARO® bottle and improvised. The family ravished the pie in minutes. I cannot show up at the barber shop in November without one of these in my hand. Updated: |
| Cranberry Salad | I only make it once a year, at Thanksgiving so I have to put the recipe somewhere so I do not re-invent the wheel each time. This is a 15 minute prep salad. Do you like haroshes at Pesach? The family thought it was a good alternative. |
| Cranberry Chutney | I looked at a bunch of recipes online but none had the zing I was looking for. |
| Cranberry Surprise | My family expects some new Cranberry concoction every year. I love cranberries and enjoy thinking up new ways to use them. |
Desserts & PastryHave you ever noticed that free food at the office goes away fast; no matter how badly it turned out? I've noticed that nobody bakes for office parties anymore; the cakes all arrive in grocery store boxes. I prefer to show off. |
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| Baklava | I learned to make Baklava from Clarita who called it “Ba-lay-wa”. Clarita was of Lebanese descent, grew up in Ecuador, but lived in Alabama for half a century. I have been experimenting for years and even made a chocolate version for Barb’s birthday. The lower filling was Ghiradelli Dark and the upper was almonds. Call it pan-Mediterranean! |
Coffee Cake
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The world’s easiest recipe for any cake. At our department BBQ it disappeared in a flash! |
| Apple Strudel | Came out better than I ever imagined. The bread crumbs make the layers separate and incredibly flaky. My office tore into it at 7am instead of waiting for the lunchtime event. |
| Fruit Strudel | This makes one large strudel with interesting fruits. Try different combinations until you find the one you like. |
| Poppyseed Strudel | Made this for 2 stamp club holiday parties and there were no leftovers. In this example, I include a diagram of how I slice and braid the strudel. |
| Peanut Butter Pie | Back in the 1970s, a friend worked the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Birmingham. Her specialty was Peanut Butter pie. For some time, I had the recipe but managed to lose it. This is what my brother and I have cobbled together from what we remembered. |
| Puffed Pastry |
Here is my recipe for Apricot filling. It got rave reviews. |
| Cheese Danish | I admit that I am a better baker than photographer. Changed the recipe to use ricotta and mozarella cheeses. The finished product has a silkier texture. There is a picture before and after baking. |