Helen's Fried Cheese Balls with Chili Mayo

Helen's Fried Cheese Balls with Chili Mayonnaise

For Cheese Balls

1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/2 cup find bread crumbs

5 drops Worcestershire sauce

1 egg, beaten

vegetable oil, for frying

For Chili Mayo

1 cup mayo

6 tblsp chili sauce (I would reduce this...very hot!)

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (go slow...very spicy mayo)

1. To make cheese balls: cover a cooling rack with three layers of paper toweling. In a bowl, combine cheese, bread crumbs, Worcestershire sauce, and beaten egg. Roll dough into balls about 1 inch in diameter. Set aside.

2. To make the chili mayo: Combine mayonnaise, chili sauce, lemon juice, salt, and cayenne pepper in a bowl and mix well. Cover and chill until ready to use.

3. Heat 1 1/2 inches of oil to 375 F in a heavy, deep, flat-bottomed pan or electric fryer. Use a slotted spoon to transfer balls, one at a time, into hot oil. Fry balls in batches of four (to keep oil temperature from dropping), turing once, until both sides are golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Remove with slotted spoon to prepared rack. Cover with additional paper towels and allow to drain. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 F oven until ready to eat. Serve with Chili Mayonnaise.

Portuguese Red Kidney Bean Soup

1 lb dried kidney beans, rinsed (I used canned pinto and black beans)

4 tblsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided

2 cups coarsely chopped onion

1 cup coarsely chopped celery

2 tblsp tomato paste

7 cups low-sodium chicken stock

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 cup loosely packed chopped parsley

1 1/2 cups canned tomato puree

8 oz. (1 link) chorizo sauce (suggest 6 links and using 1/2 andouille sausage)

1 1/2 cups elbow macaroni (use 2+)

1 tblsp red wine vinegar

Place beans in bowl, add cold water to cover, and let soak overnight. The next day, drain beans and rinse under cold running water. Set aside.

Heat 3 tblsp of the olive oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion and celery and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Whisk tomato paste with chicken stock and add to pot. Add salt, pepper, paprika, parsley, tomato puree, and drained beans (if using canned I suggest waiting until you add chorizo to add beans) and stir with wooden spoon to mix. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 1 hour.

Heat remaining tablespoon oil in a frying pan over high heat. Add chopped chorizo and cook about 15 minutes, or until slightly crispy.

Add cooked chorizo and browned bits from the bottom of the pan (and canned beans), to soup pot. Cover and continue cooking another 30 minutes. Add macaroni and vinegar. Simmer, covered, another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beans are tender. If beans are still a little firm, continue cooking 15 minutes more. Store leftover soup in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Garden Fresh Tomato Soup submitted by Anya

4 c. chopped fresh tomatoes

1 slice onion

4 whole cloves

2 c. chicken broth

2 T. butter

2 T all-purpose flour

1 t. salt

2 t. white sugar, or to taste

1. In a stockpot, over medium heat, combine the tomatoes, onion, cloves and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, and gently boil for about 20 minutes to blend all of the flavors. Remove from heat and run the mixture through a food mill into a large bowl, or pan. Discard any stuff left over in the food mill.

2. In the now empty stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour to make a roux, cooking until the roux is a medium brown. Gradually whisk in a bit of the tomato mixture, so that no lumps form, then stir in the rest. Season with sugar and salt and adjust to taste.

(Anya used canned tomatoes and added celery, carrots and oregano into the stockpot.)

Serves 6

Steak and Chimichurri Toasts

1 c packed fresh parsley

3/4 c olive oil, plus additional

for brushing the toasts

3 T. red wine vinegar

2 T. dried oregano

2 t. ground cumin

salt

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 t. dried crushed red pepper

Two 1-lb pieces flank steak

Freshly ground black pepper

16-0z thin French bread baguette, cut into 40 slices

To make the chimichurri sauce, in a food processor combine the parsley, 3/4 c. olive oil, vinegar, oregano, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, garlic and crushed red pepper. Process until smooth, then set aside.

Place the steaks in a large glass baking dish, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Brush about 2 tablespoons chimichurri sauce over the steaks, then refrigerate the remaining sauce. Cover the steaks with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour (or up to a day.)

Preheat oven to 450 F. Place the bread slices on a large baking sheet, then brush them lightly with olive oil. Bake the bread until just firm, about 5 minutes. Transfer to large plantter.

Prehead the broiler.

Tansfer the steaks to a rimmed baking sheet. Broil until cooked to desired doneness, about 4 minutes per side for medium.

Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let stand 5 minutes. Cut each steak in half along the grain. Cut each half crosswise against the grain into 10 slices. Top each bread slive with 1 piece of meat and a bit of chimichurri sauce.

Arrange the toasts on a platter and spoon remaining sauce into small bowl and place in a center of the platter. Serve warm or let stand up to 2 hours at room temperature.

Vegetable Pot Pie from Stacey

Winter Vegetable Ragout

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 cups chopped leeks, white and pale green portions only

1 cup thinly sliced fennel

2 teaspoons minced or pressed garlic

12 ounces carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 2 cups)

12 ounces rutabagas or turnips, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 2 cups)

12 ounces sweet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into matchsticks (about 2 cups)

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley or tarragon (I did tarragon…yum)

½ cup dry white wine

About 2 cups homemade vegetable stock or chicken stock, reconstituted vegetable bouillon, or canned chicken broth, low-sodium type

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ cup half and half

salt, pepper, nutmeg to taste

1 egg white beaten for moistening

1 egg yolk beaten with 1 tablespoon cream for glaze.

Prepare pastry and chill.

To make ragout, melt 3 tblsp of the butter with the oil in a heavy stew pot such as a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the leeks and fennel and sauté until soft but not browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, carrots, rutabagas or turnips, parsnips, potatoes, and about half of the herbs and sauté for about 3 minutes. Add the wine and stock, bouillon, or broth and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Strain the cooking liquid into a bowl and transfer the vegetables to a separate bowl. Melt the remaining 3 tables of butter in the cooking pot. Add the flour and cook, whisking or stirring, for 3 minutes. Gradually whisk or stir in the cooking liquid and half and half. Simmer until the liquid is thickened to sauce consistency about 5 minutes. Combine the sauce, vegetables, and the remaining herbs and spoon the mixture into a shallow 2-quart casserole or into 6 shallow baking dishes such as quiche dishes, measuring 5 to 6 inches in diameter. Cool slightly, then cover and refrigerate until quite cold.

On a lightly floured board, roll out the dough about ¼ inch thick. Using a ruler as a straight edge and a sharp knife or rolling pastry cutter, cut into long strips about ½ inch wide. Surround the edge of the dish with a strip of dough and pinch the edges to form a decorative pattern. Cut the dough strips to a length that will fit across the top of the casserole. Crisscross the dough strips to form a lattice design over the filling. Moisten the ends of each dough strip with beaten egg white and press together with the strip surrounding the dish edges. Pinch off any excess dough and smooth the edges with your fingers. Brush the top of the pastry with the egg glaze. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cooking.

Alternatively, roll out the dough to fit the top of the baking dish, allowing for an overlap of 1-½ inches. Place the dough over the top of the dish and press with fingers to secure the edges to the baking dish. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cooking.

Preheat an oven to 450 F. Bake the pie for 0 minutes, ten reduce the heat to 350 F and continue baking until the crust is golden and crisp, 20 to 25 minutes.

Spicy Cream Cheese Pastry (I used store bought which was great)

2 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper

1 cup unsalted butter, chilled

6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

In a bowl combine the flour, salt, and cayenne pepper and stir together. Using a pastry blender or two knives, but in the butter and cream cheese to form a soft dough. Alternatively, combine the dry ingredients in a food processor. Add the butter and cream cheese and process with short pulses until the dough just sticks together.

Gather the dough into a ball, enclose in plastic wrap or waxed paper, and chill for at least 30 minutes or for up to several hours.

Makes top crust for 1 large pot pie, or 3 individual pies.

Granola

3 c. oatmeal

1/2 c. walnuts, chopped

1/2 c. almonds, chopped

1/2 c. pecans, chopped

1/4 t. salt

1/4 t. cinnamon

1/2 c. real maple syrup

Mix together. Spray baking sheet.

Bake 40 minutes @ 300 degrees, stirring occasionally

Toasted Pound Cake with Citrus Cream

Pound Cake:

Vegetable cooking spray

1 (10.75-ounce)frozen pound cake, thawed and cut into 9 (1-inch)slices

2 T. butter, melted

1/3 c. honey, for drizzling

Citrus Cream:

8 ounces mascarpone cheese

1/2 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 T. fresh orange juice

1 lemon, zested and juiced

1 lime, zested and juiced

1 t. orange zest

1 t. vanilla extract

2 large oranges, segmented

Directions:

For the pound cake:  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a baking pan with cooking spray.  Arrange the pound cake in a single layer on the prepared pan.  Brush with the melted butter and drizzle with honey.  Bake for 7 to 8 minutes or until lightly golden.  Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

For the citrus cream:  In a medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat all the ingredients together until stiff peaks form, about 1 minutes.

To assemble:  spoon the citrus-cream filling on the cooled pound cake slices.  Top with orange  segments and serve.