The ButchFemmePlanet Kitchen

[Lady Jewel]

These make great appetizers. Easy to make. And delicious.

One package of frozen potato and onion pierogies.
Five Roma tomatoes chopped finely
One clove of garlic finely chopped
Handful of fresh basil torn up
Salt to taste
Sprinkle of nutmeg
Butter for cooking pierogies.


Melt three tablespoons of butter in a frying pan. Add pierogies and brown on both sides slowly so they dont burn.

While pierogies are cooking, add remaining ingredients into a saucepan and cook until hot. Do not allow to boil or it will change the fresh flavor of the sauce.

When pierogies are browned remove from pan and put on a serving plate. Top with sauce and serve immediately.

[Arwen]

Originally Posted by Lady Jewel

remove from pan and put on a serving plate. Top with sauce and serve immediately.

These sound very tasty! Not sure I'd serve them as an appetizer. That sounds like a main dish to me. LOL

[labete]

Yummy thread, Arwen!

Mel, you can enhance iron absorption by adding acidity, as others have said, and you can add iron to any food by cooking in iron cookware. Lots of us think of just iron skillets and cornbread or frying, but iron is useful for a lot more than that. You can use an iron dutch oven for just about anything you can use a crock pot for, and they are especially fabulous for pot roasts of beef, pork, or chicken.

Tommi, monkfish tastes like more like lobster than fish, so if you like lobster, try that.

It's kinda funny to see some of my family classics, like rum balls and sausage balls on here. I can vouch for the popularity of both of those. I still love the versatility of my beer bread because it's easy, hot, filling homemade bread that can be adapted to virtually any meal and made by anyone (unless you do like I did at write14u's house and triple the sugar trying to make it from memory, LOL!). It is a little dense and slightly sweet (more or less depending on beer used). If you like the crust, bake it in muffin cups.

Basic beer bread

3 cups self-rising flour (or 3 cups flour, 3 tsp baking soda, 1 tsp salt)
1/3 cup sugar
1 12 oz. beer

For best results, sift the flour, but the bread will survive if you don't. If you choose not to sift, use a spoon to fill the measuring cup so it's not packed down.

Mix all ingredients together and bake in greased full size loaf pan (9x5, it will spill over smaller pans) at 375F for 45 minutes to an hour. For a nice buttery crust, brush melted butter over the top anywhere between 30-50 minutes into baking time.

That's it! So easy. But there are lots of fabulous variations possible. Here are a few:

Cinnamon-raisin beer bread: add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 cup raisins, 1/2 cup chopped pecans to mixture (or cranberries, chopped dates, or blueberries, whatever you like!), brush top with butter and brown sugar

Italian beer bread: add 1 tbsp fresh ground rosemary (or to taste), 2 fresh chopped cloves garlic, 1/2 cup parmesan, sprinkle top with coarse salt

Cheddar beer bread: add 1 tbsp minced garlic (or substitute 1 finely chopped jalapeno), 1 cup shredded cheddar, sprinkle a bit more cheddar on top

Honey beer bread: use a honey wheat beer or honey lager and brush top with mixture of honey and melted butter (don't add straight honey to your mixture!)

Hearty beer bread (goes well with stews): use whole wheat flour with Guiness

[Arwen]

Originally Posted by labete

Yummy thread, Arwen!

Made even yummier by your presence here! Thanks for the beer bread recipes! LOVED the variations!

[labete]

Originally Posted by Arwen

Made even yummier by your presence here! Thanks for the beer bread recipes! LOVED the variations!

You're very welcome! The best things about the beer bread are the versatility and simplicity that still result in a hot, tasty loaf.

I need to remember to post from work tomorrow, where I have stashed the link to 25 free cookbooks.

[MsDemeanor]

I made cheesecake on Sunday. Monday, Mister informs me that something is wrong with it, and that I probably shouldn't eat any. When I offer to toss it and make another, he tells me that he hates to see food go to waste, so he will make the sacrifice and eat it. Later, I open the refrigerator and find a big note on the cheesecake warning that it contains toxins and is not safe to eat (but that it must remain refrigerated).

This ranks right up there on the cuteness scale with the times that he slips "a puppy" in to the middle of the grocery list.


One of my favorite appetizers is goat cheese on endive. Simple and yummy.

[Queerasfck]

Dhania Chatni (Corriander Chutney
Kheera Raita (Shredded Cucumbers in Mint Yogurt)
Alloo Barbatti Charchari (Char Flavored Curried Potatoes and Green Beans)
Pitlai (Madras Fiery Eggplant, Lentil and Chili Stew)
Obla Chawal (Rice)

I had fun shopping for some of these ingredients at an Indian grocery store this morning. I've cooked Indian style before, but have not made this particular potato dish nor the eggplant. Hope they turn out well. It's my contribution to going veg with apretty.