The ButchFemmePlanet Kitchen

[Arwen]

HAHAHAHAHA!

I forgot to subscribe to this thread. Yes, I'm a doofus.

[Arwen]

This recipe has a history...much like many of us. If you want to read the whole thing, head over to my blog at http://tarotbyarwen.com/blog/?p=1967 I do a series over there of recipes that I associate with various Tarot cards.

• 
  Three of Swords Heartbreakin’ Avocado Dip

3-4 Avocados, ripe
1 can Ro-tel tomatoes, original recipe, drained with the juice reserved
2-3 TBS lime juice (can substitute lemon if you must)
Tony Cachere’s Cajun Seasoning, to taste
Tabasco, to taste



Cut those avocados in half. There is a large pit in the center. Just cut to that seed and then circle the knife around it as you cut the fruit in half. Actually, technically speaking, the avocado is a berry. Once you have two halves, you can try to gently squeeze the side with the pit. Often it will pop out. You can throw it away or use it to grow a pretty green foilage for your kitchen. To do that, stick toothpicks in it and set it so half is in water. It will sprout for you.


Now take a spoon and scoop all that creamy green goodness into a mixing bowl. Make sure you get it all. Do this for all your avocados. And yes, I want to argue that this is a vegetable and not a fruit or a berry. LOL


Now mash it all up good with a fork. Or, if you prefer, you can use a hand mixer to beat the avocado into submission. Whee ha!


Once you have the creamy green base, dump in the tomatoes. I mean–gently fold in the tomatoes. Aww, the heck with that. Dump those puppies in and stir. I would add about half the juice of the can and the lime juice at this point too. I like my dip a bit juicy so I use the whole can but I’ll let you make that decision for yourself.


Once that is all stirred together (or beaten by the beaters), start adding the Tony’s. I don’t know what you call it, but in my house, it was just “the Tony’s”. You will want to taste as you go. Once it is salty, then stop! Now add in a healthy amount of Tabasco sauce. No, you can not substitute. Ewww! I’m a Louisiana girl and you do not want to use Louisiana Hot Sauce here or any other hot sauce. You want the red-hot flame of Tabasco. Okay so you can’t do red-hot. Just add a drop or two. Trust me. If you use another hot sauce, it will not be the same.


Okay so it might be good, but it won’t be the same. LOL


Once it tastes “right” to you, cover it with saran wrap. Now here’s a trick my ex taught me that has never failed me. When you put the saran wrap on, make sure it touches the dip. I mean pat it down so it is in contact. Air will brown your dip and trust me… you think people are hesitant about eating green stuff? Try them with green stuff that has a brown crust. Oh yeah…no yum!


Now for the hardest part of all. Put it in the fridge. Leave it there for at least two hours to get nice and cold. If you are like me, a spoonful or two will land in a bowl before the whole thing ever finds the refrigerator.


When you are ready to serve, I prefer flour tortilla chips over corn. In case you were going to invite me over to share…

[Mel C.]

Originally Posted by Arwen

HAHAHAHAHA!

I forgot to subscribe to this thread. Yes, I'm a doofus.

THAT is why I love the "auto subscribe" setting..If I post to a thread, it's worth subscribing. I can always unsubscribe later

[Arwen]

Originally Posted by Mel (aka BlistexLez)

THAT is why I love the "auto subscribe" setting..If I post to a thread, it's worth subscribing. I can always unsubscribe later

I set mine to auto after I'd started a thread or two. Hee.

[MizzSabra]

Originally Posted by Arwen

HAHAHAHAHA!

I forgot to subscribe to this thread. Yes, I'm a doofus.

snort

PS on the spinach....cook it (releases more of the iron) and pair it with something that has vitamin c. I have a great recipe for sauteed spinach that I love....and I hate cooked spinach. Let me find it and I will post it. Other iron rich foods: figs, almonds, hazelnuts, red meat esp organ meats (but I don't eat organ meat, bleh).

[Sachita]

I'm not sure what I call this but its yummy if you love curry. I try to eat curry once or twice a week. I was feeling creative, I often invent my own recipes, started making chicken and went from there.

boneless organic chicken thighs
brown in coconut oil

In another large pot sauteed onions, mushrooms and celery. Add chicken, chicken stock a lot, add lots of curry, garlic , salt, pepper, roasted red peppers, large diced potatoes. I let it cook maybe an hour and then add about a cup of half and half. I cut the chicken up or leave whole.
It's an excellent soup/stew. I enjoy sipping the creamy curry broth and then fishing out the veggies.

I'm actually making this today. I make a large pot, extra broth and freeze.

[Mrs. Strutt]

So much is sounding so yummy. But I am watching my diet so I will have to save anything with heavy calories for a free day.

My favorite training recipe...tastes good and is good for you:

"Everything but the Kitchen Sink" Vegetable Soup

1 medium onion, medium chopped
1 cup mushrooms, medium chopped
1 medium head garlic, outer papery skins removed and top third of head cut off and discarded
1 red bell pepper, chopped medium
1 T. tomato paste

Preheat oven to 450F. Toss veggies with paste. Bake until veggies are well browned, about 40-45 minutes.

In a large soup pot, combine browned veggies with nine cups low-sodium chicken broth and:

2 medium leeks, cleaned with green parts chopped (slice white parts thinly crosswise and reserved)
10 sprigs fresh parsley leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

Cover and bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes. Remove garlic head and squeeze paste into a bowl and mash until a fine paste forms. Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer.

In now-empty pot, put:

2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
White parts of leeks
Strained broth
Garlic paste
1 cup fresh green beans
1 cup sliced summer squash

Bring to simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, until vegetables are almost tender when poked, about 15-20 minutes. Stir in:

4 heaping cups baby spinach, washed, stemmed, and leaves cut into chiffonade

and heat just until wilted, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in:

2 T. fresh minced parsley leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Serve.

[Blade]

2 lbs Beef stew meat
2 c. sliced mushrooms
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 envelopt dry onion soup mix
1 c 7-up or other lemon lime carbonated drink

Put meat and mushrooms in crock pot
combine mushroom soup soup mix and soda and pour over meat

cover and cok on low 8 hrs serve over rice
YUMMY

[iamkeri1]

One of our daughter's favorites has always been thin sliced onions and cucumbers tossed with pepper and cider vinegar.

One night a few years ago, there were not enough onions and cucumber, so I threw a few other veggies - cabbage in about inch square pieces, chunked up roma tomatoes, sliced carrots and cauliflower flowerettes ... Daughter loved, it. I now use up any veggie that is needing to get eaten - haven't found one yet that was yucky. (green beans, zuccini, summer squash, chinese pea pods, corn cut off the cob, artichoke hearts, asparagus, etc) The liquid has also evolved. Now sometmes I use Italian salad dressing (my favorite is Kraft House Italian. Or I make a vinegrette with one part oil (of your choice) and two parts cider or balsamic vinegar, shaken up with basil, oregano garlic powder, parmesan cheese, paprika for color, pepper and minced onion. Easy, yummy and healthy.
Smooches,
Keri

[SassyLeo]

I learned from my momma how to find things in the fridge and make something off the fly. This is how I cook most of the time. Also, I try to eat pretty healthy. I eat low sugar and try to eat whole grains as much as possible.

I make food on Sundays for the rest of the weeks' lunches. Today I made a veggie pasta thing

• Cooked and cooled whole grain pasta of your choice (I like Penne or Rotini brown rice pasta)
• Garbanzo beans
• Sliced/chopped carrots
• Sliced celery
• Sliced cucumber
• Fresh spinach leaves
• White Albacore tuna
• Crumbled bacon
• Roasted pepitas
• A bit of seasoned rice vinegar
• And enough of the magic ingredient to moisten everything. The most delicious mayo/spread/dip substitute...lower in fat and has a great taste!
  
  

Mix all together and chill.

I put some in small containers to bring for lunch. Just grab and go

[Kenna]

I charming friend suggested I post this here...
Mom told me it's better than sex!! LOL (don't ask me to back her up!)

The following ingredients can be substituted with low fat/low sugar items (like low fat cream cheese and sugar free pudding...)

Chocolate Lush
(a serious family favorite for all our cool weather holidays and birthdays...)

Layer 1 ***
1 cup of flour, 1 stick of margarine, 1/2 cup chopped Pecans.
Mix like pie crust (using a fork or pastry cutter, until forming soft crumbles) and press into 11x 7 inch pan. Bake 15 min at 375 degrees. Let cool slightly and add second layer while still warm.

Layer 2
1 cup confectioners sugar, 1 -8oz block of cream cheese (room temp, soft), 1 cup cool whip.
MIX well, until very creamy and spread evenly over crust.

Layer 3
Mix 2 packages instant Jello Chocolate pudding with 3 cups milk. Mix well and spread over layer 2. (You can substitute pudding with a can of cherry pie filling…Mom likes the dark sweet cherries.)

Layer 4
Top with the remaining Cool Whip from 9 oz container.


*** You can make any kind of crust you want, your favorite cookies, brownies, tasty cakes cut in half, the “box mix“ crusts.... use your imagination.
I usually need a larger tub of Cool Whip because I use a larger glass dish…
To jazz it up a bit, try the “spray on icing color” and add gummy treats or sprinkles…or if using chocolate pudding, try fresh strawberries on top… wish I had a picture of what I did with this for Halloween…(with the green spray icing color, marshmallow creepy critters on top and gummy worms)


Enjoy!!

[Arwen]

Well the stew turned out okay. Would have been better with some carbs! LOL

Tonight's dinner guest thinks he's getting pulled pork or roast beef, but I've secretly replaced that with corned beef. HEY! I still had cabbage to cook.


Arwen's Never-Fail Crockpot Corned Beef


Corned Beef (2-5 lbs)
6-8 Red Potatoes, smallish
2 Onions, peeled and quartered
2 C baby carrots
1 TBS garlic
1 TBS black pepper
1 C cider vinegar
1 TBS brown sugar
Water to cover

In first, carrots. Be lazy. Get the pre-washed kind. Be healthy. Grab the certified organic ones. I am learning to love carrots again. I really love them sauteed in butter and brown sugar, but yeah...that's not the healthiest in the world.

The potatoes (I put them in whole because that's the way I roll) go next. Get you some of the baby reds not the big teen-aged thug ones. You can use the little whites if you prefer...I guess. Just remember that I like the red ones when you invite my happy rear to dinner.

Then the meat. I buy the kind in the package. I squeeze it out of the package along with all the slimy juice stuff. That's the brine, y'all. It's part of what makes corned beef corned. Stop wrinkling your dang noses! I use the little spice packet too. Just sprinkle it over the meat if you want to use it as well.

TIP FROM ARWEN: Keep a plastic grocery bag handy to throw all the waste into. You will appreciate the ease of clean-up afterwards.

Now I put the onions all around the meat. I take one or two quarters (depends on the size of the meat [no wait...doesn't everything?]) to lay all over the meat. I generally use yellow but whites were on sale last night so I used two medium to large whites. I think Vidalias would be DIVINE in this dish too.

Then the garlic, pepper and brown sugar. Because my brown sugar is in my freezer, I just break off a sizeable clump (I used 1 TBS for the measurements for those of you traumatized by my can of wine in the last recipe...thanks for the many reps on THAT one, y'all )and put the clump on the meat.

Then I put in the vinegar. NOTE: Cider is the only one I would use for this. I've tried white and balsamic. Balsamic is one of my favorite vinegars and I could (and do) drink it straight. However, it was decidedly NOT good with the corned beef. As in "ewwwwwwwwwwww who ruined the dinner" not good.

Next start pouring in hot water (straight from the tap if you've got good water). I hit the brown sugar to melt it into the juice. You want the water to cover the meat...of if you are like me, to get as close as you can without overflowing.

Now turn that crockpot on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-12. Of course, if you are like me, you can turn it on high for 4 and then on low until your guest arrives.

I'll be cooking the cabbage about 45 minutes in the crockpot if there's room. Um, oops. Once again I over-estimated my crockpot's capacity. (Hmm, I guess I am a size queen after all.)

Probably going to serve biscuits with this and call it good. I'll report back later. Maybe I'll take a picture too.

[Ashton]

Originally Posted by Arwen

Well the stew turned out okay. Would have been better with some carbs! LOL

Tonight's dinner guest thinks he's getting pulled pork or roast beef, but I've secretly replaced that with corned beef. HEY! I still had cabbage to cook.


Arwen's Never-Fail Crockpot Corned Beef


Corned Beef (2-5 lbs)
6-8 Red Potatoes, smallish
2 Onions, peeled and quartered
2 C baby carrots
1 TBS garlic
1 TBS black pepper
1 C cider vinegar
1 TBS brown sugar
Water to cover

In first, carrots. Be lazy. Get the pre-washed kind. Be healthy. Grab the certified organic ones. I am learning to love carrots again. I really love them sauteed in butter and brown sugar, but yeah...that's not the healthiest in the world.

The potatoes (I put them in whole because that's the way I roll) go next. Get you some of the baby reds not the big teen-aged thug ones. You can use the little whites if you prefer...I guess. Just remember that I like the red ones when you invite my happy rear to dinner.

Then the meat. I buy the kind in the package. I squeeze it out of the package along with all the slimy juice stuff. That's the brine, y'all. It's part of what makes corned beef corned. Stop wrinkling your dang noses! I use the little spice packet too. Just sprinkle it over the meat if you want to use it as well.

TIP FROM ARWEN: Keep a plastic grocery bag handy to throw all the waste into. You will appreciate the ease of clean-up afterwards.

Now I put the onions all around the meat. I take one or two quarters (depends on the size of the meat [no wait...doesn't everything?]) to lay all over the meat. I generally use yellow but whites were on sale last night so I used two medium to large whites. I think Vidalias would be DIVINE in this dish too.

Then the garlic, pepper and brown sugar. Because my brown sugar is in my freezer, I just break off a sizeable clump (I used 1 TBS for the measurements for those of you traumatized by my can of wine in the last recipe...thanks for the many reps on THAT one, y'all )and put the clump on the meat.

Then I put in the vinegar. NOTE: Cider is the only one I would use for this. I've tried white and balsamic. Balsamic is one of my favorite vinegars and I could (and do) drink it straight. However, it was decidedly NOT good with the corned beef. As in "ewwwwwwwwwwww who ruined the dinner" not good.

Next start pouring in hot water (straight from the tap if you've got good water). I hit the brown sugar to melt it into the juice. You want the water to cover the meat...of if you are like me, to get as close as you can without overflowing.

Now turn that crockpot on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-12. Of course, if you are like me, you can turn it on high for 4 and then on low until your guest arrives.

I'll be cooking the cabbage about 45 minutes in the crockpot if there's room. Um, oops. Once again I over-estimated my crockpot's capacity. (Hmm, I guess I am a size queen after all.)

Probably going to serve biscuits with this and call it good. I'll report back later. Maybe I'll take a picture too.

Can't report on the biscuits, but the rest of it was killer...both plates full!!

[WolfyOne]

Arwen, I just got a recipe book in the mail from my cooking club with nothing but appetizers. If you're still looking for recipes, let me know and I'll go through the book.

[Sachita]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CG9dPXu26oo"]YouTube- My kitchen[/ame]

my kitchen. I actually have more stuff. There are a few things that are essential for my cooking;

wok
rice cooker (now I have one that makes brown rice)
Vitamix

the rest are just things that make it simple. When i have more time I'll get fancy with pizza etc. I suck at baking. I dont know why.

speaking of pizza, does anyone has a fast easy tasty crust? I have a pizza stone. I just need a good crust.

[Tommi]

Sherrie cooks meal size portions and fills my freezer with my favorite foods.

Now, I hear that fresh fish is the in thing...So, when LeftWriteFemme is off writing, and I need to eat more fish they say, but it stinks up the house whether in or out of shiny side in, shiny side out, windows open , evacution fans on...Ewww...

1.Shiny side out, or shiny side in when it says cook in Aluminum foil..make tent, etc..

2. Does it matter?

3. What's a non fishy smeling or tasty fish, beside halibut and salmon, and I WILL NOT be doing this

[Arwen]

Originally Posted by Tommi

3. What's a non fishy smeling or tasty fish, beside halibut and salmon, and I WILL NOT be doing this

I am so not the person to answer this one. I love the taste of fish. But a non-fishy fish is fresh Tuna.

[morningstar55]

hey ya strangers.......... nice thread...

Tommi ithat is a cute siggie pic...

Arwen.. the steak and spinach recipe sounds yummy.... i like trying new things.. howz thr weather by u ??? heard about snow..
have any of you heard of a white wine cake???
my daughters aunt just posted something about it today im gonna see if i can get the recipe and share.

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Tommi

Sherrie cooks meal size portions and fills my freezer with my favorite foods.

Now, I hear that fresh fish is the in thing...So, when LeftWriteFemme is off writing, and I need to eat more fish they say, but it stinks up the house whether in or out of shiny side in, shiny side out, windows open , evacution fans on...Ewww...

1.Shiny side out, or shiny side in when it says cook in Aluminum foil..make tent, etc..

2. Does it matter?

3. What's a non fishy smeling or tasty fish, beside halibut and salmon, and I WILL NOT be doing this

I've done shiny side in/out and I haven't seen a huge difference either way. I like tilapia. It's a sweeter fish that doesn't taste so 'fishy'. I'm not sure about the smell while cooking but I know it doesn't smell fishy when I order it out.

*shrug*

We have thread related smilies now! ---->

<------ Me after several days of being taken out to eat

[Arwen]

Anyone have a favorite recipe they are making for Thanksgiving (if you celebrate it) or a recipe they have lost that they wish they could find again?