aristoboule:
Finished product:


Ingredients:
1 bag multicolored miniature marshmallows
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips
5 TBSP butter (original recipe calls for 8 TBSP, but I think you could actually use only 4 TBSP and be just fine)

Optional:
Sliced almonds

Supplies:
Parchment paper
Cooking twine

Put the marshmallows in a large bowl and melt the chocolate chips and butter together using a double boiler or something similar. Pour the melted mixture over the marshmallows and stir with a spatula to thoroughly coat them all with the chocolate.

If using sliced almonds, spread some out over a length of parchment paper, or alternatively, add to taste in the bowl of marshmallows and chocolate. Spread the mixture in a line down the parchment paper and roll as if rolling sushi. Fold in the ends of the paper OR twist the ends as if a sausage, and tie them off with the twine. Chill in the freezer (faster) or refrigerator and slice with a sharp knife.

It's easier to cut the rolls into slices with the parchment paper still wrapped around them, and the knife should easily be able to cut through it.

Calories:
Eleventythousand

Some recipes for this alternatively call for shredded coconut or even walnuts, so it's definitely something you can tailor to your tastes!

funsize:
I found this in the latest issue of Food and Wine magazine. The owner of this recipe is Jacques Pepin.

Total time: 30 minutes, plus cooling and overnight chilling.

Two 12-ounce bags of frozen raspberries, thawed (4 cups)
1 1/4 cups seedless raspberry jam
1 cup sugar, plus more for coating
3 envelopes of unflavored powdered gelatin (2 tablespoons)
3/4 cups cold water

1.) Lightly oil an 8 by 8 inch baking dish. Line the dish with a piece of wax paper that extends 4 inches beyond the rim.
2.) In a food processor, puree the thawed raspberries with the jam and sugar. Strain the puree into a medium saucepan. Boil the puree over moderately high heat, stirring often, until reduced to 3 cups, about 10 minutes.
3.) In a small bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the water in an even layer. Let stand until the gelatin softens, then heat the water in a microwave for 20 seconds, until the gelatin dissolves completely. Stir the melted gelatin into the raspberry puree, then pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Let cool to room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
4.) Just before serving, unmold the pate de fruit onto a work service. Peel off and discard the wax paper. Using a sharp knife, cut the pate de fruit into 1-inch squares or triangles. Spread about 1/2 cup sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll the pieces in the sugar to coat. Arrange on a platter and serve.

Make Ahead: The pate de fruit can be prepared through Step 3 and refrigerated, covered, for up to 1 week. Dab with paper towels before proceeding to Step 4.

insanity:
Prepare the marinated steak and the asparagus at the same time!

Marinated Grilled Sirloin Steak

You can use either your favorite bottled marinade or try my favorite.
For one 2-3 lb sirloin

1/2C red wine (whatever you have open)
1/2C balsamic vinegar
1/4C soy sauce OR worchestershire sauce, depending on taste
2 medium sized garlic cloves, chopped or pushed through press

1) Mix all ingredients in bowl or cup or straight into marinating vessel of your choice (ziptop baggies work best). Add steak. Let sit in fridge for a couple of hours, but NOT more than 4 or the acid in the vinegar and wine will make the steak tough.

2) Heat grill to medium high heat.  Removed steak from marinade, tossing the leftover, and place on preheated grill.  Cook to desired doneness.
Internal temps:

• Very Rare Steak – 120°
• Rare Steak – 125°
• Medium-Rare Steak – 130° – 135°
• Medium Steak – 140° – 145°
• Medium-Well Steak – 150° – 155°
• Well-Done Steak – 160°

3) Let steak rest at LEAST 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Mushroom and Asiago Risotto

4C stock of choice, i use beef for this one
1 1/2C arborio rice.  To do this properly, you NEED arborio rice, as it has a higher starch content.
12oz by weight sliced crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
handful chopped parsley
handful grated asiago cheese
1TBsp oil, olive or veg
truffle oil (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

1) In pot, bring stock to boil, lower heat until just simmering.

 2) In large skillet over medium, heat oil. Add mushrooms, onions, garlic and salt.  Add rice and stir until coated in oil and rice becomes translucent and smells slightly nutty.

3) Add one large ladle full of stock to rice.  Be careful, it steams up a bit. Stir constantly until stock is absorbed. Add another ladle of stock, stir until absorbed. Repeat until rice is tender, approx 22 minutes.

You can walk away for short periods of time, but watch out, because it can easily burn.

4) Remove from heat, stir in parsley and cheese. drizzle small amount of truffle oil over top.

Grilled Asparagus

Olive oil
1 medium garlic clove
1/4C lemon juice or red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste1LB asparagus

1) trim end of asparagus to holding stem and tip between fingers and bending until it snaps. Toss the bottom ends away, they are tough and stringy.

2) In mini food processor, add all ingredients except oil and asparagus. Drizzle in olive oil while blending until smooth emulsion occurs.  Pour over asparagus and let marinate for 4 hours or more.

3) On already preheated grill (remember to leave it on after you remove the steak) carefully lay out asparagus. Cook until soft, but not limp.  10 minutes.

Enjoy!!

yohjideranged:
Shrimp Tetrazzini


Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Yields: 2 servings (but I got 4 out of it)


Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

½ onion, chopped

¼ pound shrimp, shelled and deveined

¼ pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons sherry

½ (8 ounce) package spaghetti

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese


Directions:

1. Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water until al dente. Drain well.

2. Over a medium-low heat melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add onion to melted butter and stir until onion is soft. Add shrimp and mushrooms, cook 5 minutes stirring often. Remove shrimp mixture from saucepan, place in a medium size bowl and set aside.

3. Remove saucepan from heat. Combine flour, mayonnaise, salt, milk, and sherry in the saucepan. Mix well. Return the saucepan to the heat and cook until sauce thickens.

4. Pour sauce into the bowl containing the shrimp mixture. Add the spaghetti to the bowl and mix well.

5. Place all ingredients in a 1 -1/2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the parmesan cheese on top of the mixture. Bake at 350 degree F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

insanity:
can be an easy gourmet meal for any cook, experienced or not.  Its easy, tasty and makes a beautiful presentation. No matter what you add to it, the cook time for the rice is always the same.  People are scared to do risotto because of the misconception that you have to continually stir it.  While it does take alot of stirring, you can walk away for short periods of time.   basic, no frills risotto goes as follows...


3 cups of liquid, stock preferably,  to one cup rice.  You may or may not use it all.  Its never the same for me.  Bring your liquid to a simmer.  Heat a bit of olive oil in the bottom of a pan over med-med hi.  Add rice and stir until fat coats rice and you get a slight nutty smell (the rice should be becoming translucent at this point). Add one ladle full of liquid, (watch out, the first one always steams up quickly) stir.  Once the liquid appears to be absorbed, add another ladle full and repeat until rice is fluffy and tender, but not mushy.  This should take about 22 minutes.

 Between ladles, you can walk away to chop some fresh herbs, or to dice some tomatoes for a side salad.  Its very easy to burn, because of the starch content, but once you get the hang of it, its an easy meal and can easily adapted to fit any food preference.  Want to do a nice bright basil and sun dried tomato risotto?  Easy!  Want to do a hearty mushroom risotto?  Fabulous!! any foods that need to be cooked through can be sauteed first, then add the rice and follow the method from there.  Cheese and herbs should always be added last just before serving. 

Got a favorite risotto recipe? Lemme know!!

insanity:
Been awhile since ive tossed out a recipe...


How about an excellent marinade for steaks and Portabella muchrooms?


1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup red wine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1 1/3 pounds lean flank steak
1 pound large portabella mushrooms, cleaned and destemmed.

1. To make the marinade, combine the balsamic vinegar, red wine, garlic and soy sauce together in a mixing bowl. (This can be made in advance and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.)

2. Brush half of the marinade on the flank steak, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight. In a separate bowl, toss the remaining marinade with the portabellas, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

3. Preheat the grill to medium-high.

4. Remove the steak and the mushrooms from the marinade and discard the marinade. Season the steak with salt and pepper. Brush the mushrooms with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper.

5. Grill the flank steak for 4 to 8 minutes on each side, depending on the desired doneness. Grill the mushrooms for 3 minutes on each side.

6. Let the steak rest on a carving plate for 10 or 15 minutes before slicing. Slice the steak and the mushrooms on the bias. Arrange the steak on a serving platter with the mushrooms on top. Serve warm or at room temperature.

insanity:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp table salt
3/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large egg(s)
2 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/2 cup dried cherries


Instructions


Preheat oven to 350ºF.


Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt together in a small bowl; set aside.


Place room temperature butter into bowl of a mixer and mix with a paddle attachment until smooth, or beat with an electric mixer. Slowly pour granulated sugar in an even stream into butter and mix on high speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Pour in brown sugar, mix until incorporated and then scrape mixture down from sides of bowl.


Slowly beat in each egg one at a time until incorporated. Slowly beat in flour mixture until incorporated.


Scrape mixture down from sides of bowl and stir in oatmeal and then dried cherries. (Note: Freeze dough at this point or continue to step 6 for baking.)


Scoop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough onto a nonstick sheet pan, a pan lined with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat about 1 1/2 inches apart.


Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are set. Cool completely. Either serve cookies or stack between sheets of waxed paper in an air-tight container and freeze for up to two weeks before serving. Yields about 1 cookie per serving.

insanity:
Mexican Fajita night
Steak Fajitas (more like burritos, since there is no peppers)
Pico De Gallo
Guacamole
Spanishish rice

( Read more... )
Enjoy.

insanity:
Chicken Caccatori... quick recipe style.



1LB rigatoni
1 1/2LBS cubed dark meat chicken
2 jars favorite red spaghetti sauce
1/4 C red cooking wine
2 medium onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, pushed through press, or finely chopped.
8 fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
2 stalks fresh oregano, chopped thin
2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp dried italian seasoning
1 dried bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste.
1 TBSP Olive Oil
1 TBSP butter

1) Heat oil and butter in deep skillet pan, add chicken brown. Add onion cook until translucent. Add garlic, cook 1 minute, stirring constantly.
2) Add red sauce and wine, stir. Add dried seasonings, salt and pepper. Bring to simmer.
3) Cook rigatoni according to package directions.
4) Add fresh herbs to sauce, cook another 5 minutes. Serve over rigatoni with fresh italian bread or garlic toast.

ladymorgaine:

You will need:

2 cups unbleached flour

1 Tablespon  baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup heavy cream

*****************

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

In a small bowl mix all of the dry ingrediants together.

Make a hole in the middle and add all of the cream at once.

Stir until the mixture is just moistened.

Turn out the batter onto a lightly floured board and knead lightly until the batter just forms into a ball.  Divide into two sections and roll into balls.  Sprinkle a board and a rolling pin with flour.

Flatten one ball and roll out into a circle 12 inches in diameter.  With a sharp kmife, divide the dough pie-style into six pieces.

Starting from the outside, roll each triangle toward the tip.  Moisten the tip with a drop of water to seal the roll.  Set the biscuit onto a lightly greased cookie sheet, with the tip of the triangle tucked under.  Pull the arms into a crescent. 

Repeat with the other ball of dough.

Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until the biscuit is lightly browned.

Serve warm with butter and honey.  Makes 24 biscuits.

***************

from Circle Round  by Starhawk, Diane Baker, and Anne Hill

insanity:

Hello and welcome to Recipe Exchange. Feel free to join and post any recipes you would like to share with the rest of the members. If possible, add any nutritional information for that recipe. Not required, but appreciated.

The very first recipe is one of my favorite for serving as an appetizer for a dinner party, or for just general snacking for superbowl type parties.

Tomato-Basil Squares

1 tube pizza dough, Pilsbury works best.
2 Cups shredded Mozzerella Cheese, divided
1/4 Cup grated parmesean Cheese
2 TBSP snipped fresh basil.
2/3 Cup mayo
2 garlic cloves, pressed through garlic press
4 Roma Tomato

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2)Roll dough onto 12"x15" baking stone within 1" of sides.

3) Sprinkle 1 Cup mozzerella cheese onto dough.

4)Combine remaining mozzerella, parmesean cheese, basil, mayo and garlic in bowl. mix well. Set aside.

5) Thinly slice tomatoes and arrange on top of mozzerella and dough. Spread mayo mixture onto tomatoes.

6) Bake in preheated oven for 20-30 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Let cool slightly, slice and serve.


Makes 20 servings.
Approx. 130 Calories per serving.
9 grams fat per serving.


replacing the cheese and the mayo with 'light' version will cut the fat and calories, im sure, but i dont know how the flavor would be altered... maybe ill try it and let you know.