- Ricotta Puffs - 

Maria made these for Christmas Day -- they're doughnut-like fried puffs with more protein
Recipe from Sunset Favorite Recipes II

1/2 pint (1 C) ricotta cheese 
3 eggs
1/4 C granulated sugar
1 C all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
cooking oil
powdered sugar

In large mixing bowl, beat ricotta with eggs and sugar until well-blended and smooth. In another bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add dry ingredients to the ricotta mixture and beat until the batter is smooth.

Pour vegetable oil into a deep pan to a depth of about 1 1/2", and heat to 360 degrees F on a deep fat frying thermometer. For each puff, drop a rounded teaspoon into the hot oil, cooking several at a time.  Cook, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 1 1/2 minutes.  Remove and drain well, frying several more at a time until all batter is used.

If the puffs are to be served immediate, dust with sifted or strained powdered sugar while still hot and serve.

 If storing until later, do not dust with powdered sugar -- instead, let cool, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Reheat in a single layer on a baking sheet in a 350 degree F oven for about 10 minutes, then dust with the powdered sugar and serve hot.

Sprained MCL: Part 2 - More About Cookie's Sad Left Knee Injury

At the beginning of this year, I had a slip and fall in the kitchen with enough time to choose between hitting my head or hitting my head. I hit my leg badly, and realized that I couldn;t bear any weight on it.  It was both painful and didn't feel stable or solid.  Connie had Harry bring me an ice pack, which I put on it immediately..

I went to the doctor, who ordered an MRI and sent me to an orthopedist.  The MRI showed medial (inside of the knee) ligament tears, diagnosed as a Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) rupture. That doctor had me go to an orthopedic supply place where I was fitted for and placed in a knee immobilizer. The first week, I found myself in a lot of pain, and went back to the doctor, who re-fitted the immobilizer so that it was aligned better. That brace required me to keep the leg straight at all times, and I was admonished from putting weight on it, using one or two crutches when going out of the house.

Anyway, the tear didn't heal as quickly as the orthopedist had expected, and during my physical therapy for the leg, Kathy was worried about the degree of laxity of the knee -- so I arranged for an appointment with Dr. Dragoo at Stanford Hospital and Clinics.  The appointment in Dr. Dragoo's clinic was fascinating, and it seemed very high tech.  They did some x-rays and did a LOT of tests moving my leg and putting pressure on the joint when bending it at different angles.  They determined that there is another ligament, the Posterolateral Corner or "PLC", which was ruptured also (completely torn through). Unlike simple tears, as this had originally been treated as,  PLC tears generally do not generally heal without surgery.   I'm to return later this month for re-evaluation, but the expectation is that I will probably be facing knee surgery in May. The other thing I got from the visit was a new brace, which allows the knee to bend, but provides serious support and lets me do more than the immobilizer did.

After surgery, I am expected to be on crutches for 2 weeks, and then hoping to be able to switch to one crutch or a cane for an additional 10 to 12 weeks. Physical therapy starts the day after surgery, and patients typically do very well regaining use of the knee.  Since the knee gives me pain and feels really unstable, I am trying to see the likely need for surgery as a step toward healing and having better function.  I really miss dancing, and look forward to when I will be able to get back to it.

Roasting & Peeling Chile Peppers

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Today's Caper - Roasting Chile Peppers

July 13, 2006, 10:34 am

Posted by cookie in General
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I got a large bag of green chiles at the little neighborhood produce store for a song; with travel plans coming up, it seemed like today would be a good day for me to roast and peel the peppers and use some (freezing the leftovers). Since it's early in the day, I'm hoping to get this done before the temperature outside gets too warm.

Corey taught me that you roast peppers by charring them under the broiler, then you put them into a paper bag to steam for 5 - 10 min. then peel and seed (use gloves!)

You are here: cooking capers > Entrees - Casseroles, Stews, One Dish Meals

White Bean and Hot Italian Sausage Stew

March 14, 2012, 4:40 pm

Posted by cookie in Entrees - Casseroles, Stews, One Dish Meals
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I got the initial recipe from Fresh 15 Minute Meals by the esteemed Emalee Chapman. I've made substantial changes, but the flavor notes remain similar. The changes I made included increasing the beans to 3 cans of any type of white beans and using hot Italian sausage rather than mild or sweet. I adjusted the other ingredients accordingly.

This takes more like 45 minutes to 1 hour from start to finish, but it's quite easy, well-received and we never have any leftovers! Serves 3; salad is a good accompaniment.

White Bean and Hot Italian Sausage Stew with Canned Beans

- 3 Cans white beans (seasoned or unseasoned - both work fine)
- ~ 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- ~ 3 - 4 Tbsp fresh parsley (flat or curly, doesn't matter), chopped fine
- 1 1/2 C dry white wine, divided use (may need a little more to thin stew a bit after cooking)
- 5 HOT Italian Sausages, cut into thirds
- 3 - 4 medium tomatoes (or 1 - 2 large)
For balancing flavor, I may also use:
- tomato paste
- balsamic or red wine vinegar
- honey
- pepper

Open beans and drain off liquid in cans. Place beans in a bowl and stir in the parsley and thyme. Set aside allowing the flavors to meld.

Place about 3/4 C of the white wine into a very large covered skillet. Place on medium-high heat, and add the sausage pieces. Cover and simmer for about 5 - 10 minutes (making sure the pan doesn't dry out -- adding more wine or water if needed). Turn sausage pieces at least once during cooking. Uncover, and drain off fat and wines

Brown sausages in skillet (you may need to add a little olive oil if your pan is not non-stick) - this is done uncovered on medium-high heat, turning the sausage pieces frequently so that they don't burn.

Once the sausage is browned, slice the tomatoes into the pan, and add 3/4 to 1 C wine. Cover pan and cook over medium heat for 7 - 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in bean mixture and cook, uncovered for 3 - 5 minutes longer. Taste for seasoning -- adjust as needed with small amounts of: tomato paste, balsamic vinegar (or wine vinegar), honey, and pepper. Sometimes it needs no adjusting, but during winter when tomatoes are less full-flavored, I find it helps to use one or more of these ingredients.

Sprained MCL: Part 1

I sprained my knee on 1 January 2014, and it was almost comical -- I was trying to fix a plate of nachos and stepped into the dog's water bowl, which sent me skidding across the kitchen with enough time to decide whether I'd rather hit my head or my leg on the floor.  I picked my leg, which seemed the right choice.  However, I really damaged the knee.  I knew it hurt and felt unstable, but wasn't sure exactly what I'd injured.

The MRI in early January showed a complete tear / rupture of the MCL (medial collateral ligament) and a tear in the semimembranosus tendon, with a possible tear (or at least strain) of the LCL and other assorted ligaments and tendons.  Ouch!

I was told that the treatment would be complete immobilization of the knee in a brace (knee immobilizer) with ice and medication for the pain and swelling.  The first immobilizer I was given was the wrong size, and the second one wasn't adjusted right initially.  A follow-up visit to the orthopedic surgeon had it adjusted and not twisting as much.

My follow-up appointment (1 month post injury) had the orthopedist unhappy with the lack of healing as exhibited by the knee "opening up" when taken out of the brace.  He said we'll keep it immobilized for 4 more weeks, and then if it isn't healing, we need to look at surgery or using a brace on a permanent basis.  Since hobbling around (with one crutch if going any distance) has been a real drag, and it has meant no square dancing, I have a hard time imagining wearing this brace indefinitely.

After my appointment, I had my first physical therapy session for the knee this past Tuesday at Stanford Outpatient Ortho & Sports Physical Therapy.  Kathy (the amazing PT whom I have been seeing for abdominal pain) is now treating my knee.  She evaluated it and said she was thinking that it might not repair itself and might very well need surgery.  Not the news I wanted, but I am trying to get my head around this.  She also said that if I do end up needing surgery, she thought I should get a second opinion (and possibly the surgery) from _THE_ knee specialist at Stanford.  I got his name and will likely look to get a second opinion if the other orthopod says it's looking like surgery is needed (at my next appointment).

Chicken Pot Pie - from Blonde Sagacity

Last Night's Dinner - ALa's Chicken Pot Pie

November 18, 2005, 6:30 pm

Posted by cookie in Entrees - Pasta, Rice, Egg, Cheese, Other

Modified from Chicken Pot Pie, from Carnival of the Recipes #12

Ingredients:

2 medium to large boneless, skinless breasts of chicken (or "half breasts" depending on what your grocer calls them)

Chicken or Vegetable Soup Base or Bouillon or Dry Onion Soup Mix (I usually use some combination of "Better than Bouillon" and Onion Soup mix in the water I'm going to use for boiling the chicken breasts. I taste the broth before using -- if it tastes like soup but is a tadbit weak, that's about what I use. The base/bouillon/onion soup mix impart some flavor and don't strip the chicken of its own flavor.)

1 Package Pillsbury pie crusts (1 pkg.=2 crusts) (find this in the refrigerated dough section of the market - where they have dough for biscuit and dinner rolls)

1-2 Bunches Broccoli (I get one to two bunches -- this is hard to quantify, but I'd say a medium-to-large bunch would suffice. Cut it into florets and cut the center clump into sizes similar to the rest of the pieces)

1/8 - 1/4 Pound Baby Carrots (I use peeled baby carrots -- no additional chopping is needed then, and they're easy for me to avoid, since carrots are one of those foods I can't eat. :-(

3 - 4 Tbsp Prepared Horseradish (may sound strange, but this is the key ingredient! NOT creamed horseradish nor horseradish 'sauce'; I buy mine in the fridge section near the Claussen pickles, but a shelf-stable variety may work fine)

1 Can Cream of Mushroom soup (Don't skimp here -- buy Campbells! -- store brands are too salty. You can use a different cream soup here if your audience doesn't like cream of mushroom -- I didn't like cream of chicken quite as well, and I haven't tried others yet)

 Light cream or Half and Half (enough to fill soup can) Pie dish - preferably glass 1 egg yolk 2 tsp water

----- DIRECTIONS:

Pre-heat oven to 350 - 375 degrees

Boil chicken for approx. 10 - 15 minutes Cut cooked chicken into cubes

Boil or steam carrots and broccoli (or not if you like the veggies very crunchy)

Combine Cream of Mushroom soup, 1 can of light cream, horseradish and heat in large saucepan or dutch oven. Stir to get smooth. Add chicken and vegetables. Mix well.

Spread (1) crust in the bottom of pie dish (un-greased). Pour mixture into crust. Use second crust to cover mixture and pinch together top and bottom crust. Mix (1) egg yolk and (2) teaspoons of water and paint the top of pie crust with yolk mixture.

Use a knife to make slices in the top of crust. Cover pot-pie with greased aluminum foil --try to tent it over the top crust to avoid contact, as it almost always sticks on me -- and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove foil and continue baking for 30 more minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Notes: I think baking at 375 works a bit better; at 350, I've needed to go an extra 10 - 15 minutes beyond the times given, so your mileage may vary a bit, too. If you are using a 10" or larger pie plate, you will have to roll the prepared crust out a bit to fit this larger diameter.  Easiest if you use a 9" or 8": pie tine, but with some care, it is workable in a 10" pan, resulting in a thinner crust.

Original recipe source: Blonde Sagacity /ALa - at http://mobyrebuttal.blogspot.com/2004/11/carnival-of-recipes-12.html

Moroccan Garlic Eggplant - Kahrmus

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Moroccan Garlic Eggplant - Kahrmus

January 17, 2013, 12:08 am

Posted by cookie in Side Dishes

This warm Moroccan eggplant dish is made by cooking chopped eggplants in olive oil, garlic and spices until tender enough to mash. Kahrmus may be eaten as a dip with middle eastern flat bread or over rice or other grain.

I modified the original recipe -- my version is below with a link to the original (on about.com) at the bottom. I have had good luck doubling the recipe in a gigantic covered pan. The eggplant shrinks down quite a bit during the cooking, but my saute pan starts out a bit overly full.

Kahrmus - Warm Moroccan Eggplant Salad

~ 2 Lb (2 to 3 large to medium) eggplants
5 - 6+ cloves garlic
1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 C olive oil
1/2 C water
------------------------------------------
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
~ 3 Tbsp lemon juice or more, to taste


Preparation:

Peel and chop the eggplant into small ( smaller than 1/4-inch) cubes. Place prepared eggplant in a large deep saute pan with the garlic, spices, olive oil and water. Cover, and cook on the stovetop for about 30 minutes over medium to medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Add a little water during the cooking if necessary. If the eggplant is not tender enough to mash after 30 minutes, continue to cook, adding more water as needed.

When the eggplant is very tender, mash it with the back of a spoon or a potato masher. Add the parsley, cilantro and lemon juice, and cook for another few minutes to reduce any liquids. Add more lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat.

We usually serve this eggplant dish warm, but may be served at room temperature or chilled.


Original recipe available at:
http://moroccanfood.about.com/od/saladsandsidedishes/r/morocan_eggplant_salad.htm