Old World Spice Blend (great on chicken, meats)

Old World Spice Blend
5 tsp. Hungarian paprika
3 tsp. turmeric
1 1/2 tsp. caraway seed, pounded
2 tsp. dill seed, pounded
3 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. roasted garlic powder
4 bay leaves, broken
2 tsp. marjoram
2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. rosemary
1 tsp. thyme
25 grinds of black pepper

Easy Oatmeal Scones

Oatmeal scones
1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
Mix flour, salt, sugar, and baking powder together, and then mix in the oatmeal.
Rub in the butter.
Mix into a soft dough with the milk.
Turn out onto a floured board and knead lightly.
Knead into a round cake and cut into quarters.
Bake at 425 F for 15 minutes.

Digestive Biscuits (from Nigella Lawson)

Digestive Biscuits
1/2 cup oats
1 1/2 cuts spelt flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp demerara sugar
1/4 cup white regular shortening cold and cut in 1/2-inch dice
2 tbsp. unsalted butter also cold and diced
1/3 cup milk
Put oats in blender to make finer. Put first 5 ingredients together and mix. Rub in shortening and then butter. Add cold milk by the tablespoon until you have a firm dough. Cut, bake on parchment 10-15 minutes at 400 F.

Tomato Cheese Batter Bread (from the co-op)

Tomato Cheese Batter Bread
2 tbsp. butter
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. dried yeast
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup crushed tomatoes with their juice
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cut parmesan cheese
1/4-1/2 cup cheddar cheese
2 tbsp. chopped parsley (or fresh basil)
Grease a 8x8x2 square baking pan. Cut the 2 tbsp. butter into small pieces, and put on wax paper in the freezer. Put your flour into a large bowl and set aside.
In another bowl, combine your tomatoes and melted butter. Sprinkle yeast on top and allow to bloom 3-4 minutes. Add the sugar and stir to combine. Add this to the flour. Then add the salt and the beaten egg. Stir to combine. Add the cheeses and parsley.
Pour batter into the pan. Allow to rise for 1 hour and preheat the oven to 375 F. Just before baking, dot the top of the bread with the chilled butter. Bake for 20 minutes, until the top is golden and toasty. Delicious right out of the oven, and great with soup.

Delectables from Desiree

Lebanese Bread Salad

2 stale 7 inch pitas, split open
1 cucumber, quartered and thinly sliced
14 cherry tomatoes
3 scallions, thinly sliced
1 small fennel bulb, cored and diced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 Tsp roughly chopped fresh mint
½ bunch roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Juice of one lemon
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Store bought hummus, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place the pita rounds on a baking sheet and toast in oven until crisp and light brown, about 10 minutes. Break into bite-size pieces and set aside. Toss together cucumber, tomatoes, scallions, fennel, celery, mint, and parsley. Cover and chill. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Combine the vegetables and dressing, and fold in the pita pieces. Serve with hummus if desired.

Thanksgiving Potluck—Some of the Many Treats

We celebrated the fourth annual Friends' Thanksgiving Potluck this year, incorporating some family and a few new friends. Here are some of the treats that were had—and enjoyed—by all:

A Starter from Candle...which I enjoyed throughout the night...
HOT ARTICHOKE DIP 2 lg. cans quartered artichokes (in water, not marinated) 15 oz jar Hellmann's mayonnaise 12 oz. whipped cream cheese5 oz Parmesan cheese3-4 handfuls Shredded Italian 6 cheese blend (some for in the dip and some for on top) Garlic powder or Granulated Garlic (to taste) Rinse quartered artichokes well and pat dry. Mix artichokes, mayo, whipped cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, 1-2 handfuls of shredded cheese, and garlic power or granulated garlic in a bowl. Pour into casserole dish (or pie plate) and top with shredded cheese. Bake 350 degrees 20-30 minutes. Dip will turn golden brown and bubble. If not golden brown and bubbly after 30 minutes, switch oven to broil (low if your oven has the setting) for a couple of minutes. Serve hot with crackers.

Desiree's Lovely Salad
Pomegranate, Orange, Papaya, and Kiwi Green Salad

1 ½ teaspoons white wine vinegar
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup oil
1 ½ quarts mixed greens
2 oranges, peeled and sliced
2 medium papaya, peeled and sliced
4 kiwis, peeled and sliced
1 medium pomegranate
To make dressing, combine first 4 ingredients. Whisk in oil. Toss greens with 2 ½ tablespoons dressing. Alternate oranges, papaya, kiwi. Drizzle with remaining dressing. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. Serves 6


Jen's Amazing Sweet Potatoes
SCALLOPED SWEET POTATOES WITH APPLES 3 large sweet potatoes3 Granny Smith Apples3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar1 tablespoon grated orange rind1 teaspoon salt1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/4 cup butter or margarine, cut up Cook sweet potatoes in boiling water to cover 45 minutes; drain and cool slightly.Peel sweet potatoes, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Core and slice apples.Combine brown sugar, orange rind, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl.Arrange half of potato slices and half of apple slices in a lightly greased 13x9 inch baking dish.Sprinkle with half of brown sugar mixture, and dot evenly with half of butter. Repeat procedure with remaining ingredients.Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Serve warm.

My mom's cranberries...recipe courtesy of my grandma
Fruity Cranberry Relish

1 # cranberries raw (pkg is 12 oz usually)
1cup of sugar (or more if too tart)
1-2 oranges, (peeled) plus some orange zest from rind.
2 apples (peeled)

In food processor grind the cranberries, (freeze first, then grind; less messy) and the oranges, and apples. Mix with sugar, and refrigerate. Will keep for a week or longer in refrigerator.

A bit more to come...

Desiree's Famous Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup

I was honored to eat this soup that Desiree made around the campfire by New Harmony, Indiana. And I was even more honored to eat the leftovers that Desiree kindly let me take home. I love this soup! It's warming and substantial, even though it's only made with veggies!

(I was trying for my best Martha Stewart description at the beginning of this paragraph, but failed miserably. Too bad I don't have pictures of our sophisticated---though slightly ragged---bunch eating soup, drinking beer, and granging on all kinds of goodies sprawled on the picnic table...until the massive skunk in the woods scared us into tucking some of our goodies away! Eat your heart out, Martha!)


Roasted Carrot Ginger Soup

1½ pound carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise
1 pound parsnips, peeled and quartered lengthwise
1 large onion, sliced
3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
8 cups rich chicken broth (more if necessary)
Salt, to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper
¼ cup crème fresh, for garnish
Snipped fresh chives, for garnish


1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2) Combine carrots, parsnips, and ginger in shallow roasting pan. Dot with butter and sprinkle with brown sugar.
3) Pour 2 cups of broth into pan, cover well with foil and bake until vegetables are very tender, about 2 hours
4) Transfer the vegetables and broth to a large pot. Add remaining 6 cups of broth, the salt and the cayenne pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer partially covered for about 10 minutes.
5) Puree the soup in batches in blender or food processor, adding more broth if necessary. Return the soup to the pot. Adjust the seasonings and heat through. Serve each portion dolloped with a teaspoon of crème fresh and sprinkled with chives.
Serves 10. Per serving: 150 calories, 20 g carbohydrates, 2g protein, 8g fat, 20 mg cholesterol