Swap your recipes! Trade your cooking secrets! For you kitchen aficionados out there, this board is you. Thanks to bzmom for suggesting the board's name!

Here's recipe #1 I am not that great in the kitchen, but anything that uses my crock pot, I love. Just made this Thursday and it was good.

1 can chicken broth
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 14oz package frozen hash browns
1 small onion diced (optional)

Put all in crock pot. Add just enough water to be visible at the top and let it simmer on low until the browns are soft. I served mine with grated Cheddar Cheese on top. YUMMY!

I make these carrots all year 'round, but now that Autumn has truly arrived in Georgia, they'll be more prevalent in my cooking. Eating these carrots reminds me of pumpkin pie, turkey & dressing, cranberry sauce, mincemeat pie...

This recipe makes 2.5 servings. One for me, one for Amy, and half for Ellen. Luke would probably go into shock if he ever ate a vegetable.

Ingredients
5 or 6 carrots, peeled and cut into about-equal-size pieces
3 tsp butter, divided (no margarine!)
3 pinches kosher salt
5 grinds of black pepper (about 1/4 tsp)
1.5 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
dash of allspice (you do not need a lot!)

Directions
Place carrots in medium saucepan and add water to cover 2/3 of the carrots.
Add 2 tsp butter, 2 pinches salt, and black pepper. Stir.
Cover and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Stir to incorporate butter.
After boiling for 1-2 minutes, reduce to med heat, stir and leave cover ajar until there's only a little bit of water in the bottom of the pan. Stir frequently to avoid burning the carrots.

Reduce heat to low-med-low, add 1 tsp butter and brown sugar. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Toss in that last pinch of salt and let cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in nutmeg and allspice and remove from heat. Let stand a minute or two... and if you REALLY want to kick it up a notch, add 1/4 tsp vanilla!

Bon appetit!

Aubrey is a great cook, and I like to cook now and then, actually I love to. When I do cook, it's rarely something I've made before, and usually I take inspiration from multiple dishes or concepts along with ingredients available to decide the final outcome. Right, I know, it's just chili and that is certainly not a gourmet meal. But I was feeling under the weather and some good hearty soup just sounded right for the day. Anyway, it turned out really good, so here it is:
Change it anyway you like, what fun is cooking if it's not your creation I always say.

1lb Ground Organic Buffalo (or beef, turkey etc. if not available)
2 Garden fresh bellpeppers, chopped
1 large onion chopped
3-5 cloves of garlic minced or pressed
1 or 2 Jalepeno peppers finely diced
1 can Kidney beans
2 cans organic Black Beans
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can crushed tomatoes
Fresh thyme
Fresh oregano
Chili powder
Cayenne
Cocoa powder
6-8 oz your favorite beer, or the beer you settled for because it was cheaper
Salt
Pepper


Sautee the bell peppers, onions and the garlic in olive oil until the onions start turning clear. Add the buffalo and brown. Add crushed and diced tomatoes, and all 3 cans of beans. Keep it at medium heat and start with the flavor, several finely chopped sprigs of thyme and oregano or a generous shaking of dried herbs (an italian herb mix would work ok), jalepenos, at least 1 1/2 teaspoons of chili powder, plenty of cayenne, about 1 tsp. cocoa, the beer, and salt and pepper. Simmer for at least 20 more minutes and add just a splash of extra beer at the end. Serve with shredded habenero montery jack for an extra kick or cheddar for the less brave.

Don't worry, if you like a little bit of heat, this won't be too hot for you, if you are an endorphin addict like me, you might want to spice it up some more with a diced habenero and extra cyanne and chili powder. Season it to taste, but don't burn your tongue too badly!

Eli

This recipe makes 2.5 servings. One for me, one for Amy, and half for Ellen. Luke would probably go into shock if he ever ate a vegetable.


I know this a cooking board, and I should be submitting a secret something or another, but that was hilarious!

Maybe b/c I'm a veggie?

Good luck StarSaels crew! Try cheese or dressing?

Now this sounds like my kind of recipe! I can't wait to try it out!
-Amanda from Seattle (aka Disaster in the Kitchen)

We've tried cheese and dressing...

He eats the chesse and dressing, leaving the veggies unmunched!

Good thing he's still young... there's still a chance!

Steve

PS-Cooking Tip: Don't cook everything over high heat! Use your knobs!

1. Fill one plate full of tortilla chips
2. Top with cheese
3. Nuke in the microwave for about a minute.

Nachos, ready to eat! =)

-- Ryan

"This recipe makes 2.5 servings. One for me, one for Amy, and half for Ellen. Luke would probably go into shock if he ever ate a vegetable."


Rascally Rabbit will be lying on the floor there with Luke... I try and I try...

I will definitely give this one a go. I like carrots and I force them on the rest of the family regularly. :-)

Knit Wit

1. Fill one plate full of tortilla chips
2. Top with cheese
3. Nuke in the microwave for about a minute.

Nachos, ready to eat! =)

-- Ryan

Yep, one of my favorites! Ummmm. Hey Ryan, sometimes the chips would get limp in the micro. So, take some cheese and heat it in the micro in a bowl. Then you can pour the cheese over the chips. That keeps the chips crisp. Top with peppers (the hotter, the better) and some salsa and you are good to go!

Mark

1 pound block of Velveta Cheese
1 can of Rotel Tomatoes diced (reg or hot)
Favorite Nacho chip

Cut velveta into 1 inch squares and put into bowl (not plastic or metal) drain the can of rotel and dump into bowl. Cover and Microwave till melted, stirring every two minutes. Grab the chips and watch for double dippers.

Boxdn

Note Palstic bowls will not hold up against the hot cheese

Love the candied carrots, but I use the baby carrots and make it the night before(sometimes). The carrots soak up the sugar and spice making everything nice, ou ya I ga-ron-tee. I like that with some swine right next to my wine.

Boxdn

Hey Ryan, sometimes the chips would get limp in the micro.

Some chips do, but not the microwave proof ones that I like to use. ;o)

So, take some cheese and heat it in the micro in a bowl. Then you can pour the cheese over the chips.

Hmmm..... The cheese I use don't pour very well. How long do you nuke this stuff for? Or do you use that fake cheese that can be poured? (Cheddar is best!)

Top with peppers (the hotter, the better) and some salsa and you are good to go!

Well, that's the more advanced version, but it's a good recipe too! =)

-- Ryan

Campbells Nacho Cheese Soup. Heat in Microwave and pour over chips! Or just use as a dip. (don't add the milk to make soup!)

-Amanda from Seattle

Frozen Chicken Breasts
Cream of ???? Soup (take your pick!)

Put the frozen chicken in the crock pot, cover with the soup, and set on low for 8 hours. It tastes a lot more complicated than it is! Of course, being the spicy gal I am, I have to fool with it some. I always add freshly pressed garlic, and sometimes some other stuff out of the cabinet.

Lady Buzz

Love the candied carrots, but I use the baby carrots and make it the night before(sometimes). The carrots soak up the sugar and spice making everything nice, ou ya I ga-ron-tee. I like that with some swine right next to my wine.

Steve, thanks for the tip! I'll have to do that next Wednesday, as I'm making them for Thanksgiving feast #1. Hmm... maybe #2, too!

Boy, I miss Justin Wilson...

2 med. onions
2 16oz cans of chopped tomatoes
2 cans of Castleberry's BBQ Pork
1 can of Castleberry's BBQ Beef
1 10oz can of cooked chicken
1 16oz can of creamed corn
1 16oz can of white kernal corn, drained
1/4 cup of BBQ Sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp pepper
1 tbsp vinegar

Place everything in slow cooker, stir and cook on low 8 hours

Oh, man... I can't wait to try this one! Just reading the recipe has me hungry, and I just ate.

Knit Wit

TIVERTON, RI — It's a rare occasion on which a true Southerner will claim that there's a drink that rivals their dear sweet iced tea. But for a moment, on one snowy day a few Christmases ago, after my wife tasted the marbled, coffee-colored beverage, sweet tea was running in second place.

"Wow! That's sweet!" she exclaimed as she held up the glass. A few tendrils of the dark syrup swirled their way to the bottom of the glass. With a gleam in her eyes, she took another sip. Then another. Another—and then the chilly milk disappeared in a few gulps.

It's thought that coffee milk arose out of the diners and drugstores of Rhode Island in the 1930s, when enterprising proprietors hooked small children on a dubious mixture of milk, sugar, and old coffee grounds.

The lure of the adulterated grown-up beverage, combined with the one-two punch of sugar and caffeine, made the stuff a sure-fire hit. In 1938, Eclipse of Warwick began marketing a more refined version of the gunk, dubbed "coffee syrup." Eclipse wooed milk-mustached consumers with their slogan, "You'll smack your lips if it's Eclipse." Another company, Autocrat of Lincoln, followed with their own mixture of corn syrup and coffee extract in the 1940s.

Eclipse may have been first, and they may have had the catchier slogan, but that didn't stop Autocrat from swallowing up Eclipse in 1991 by buying out Eclipse's brand name and secret formula. Both brands are now marketed by Autocrat and are readily available around southern New England. Expatriate Rhode Islanders all over the world can also order them by mail (see below).

Those who are in the know claim there is a definite difference in taste between the two brands. Some say that Eclipse is the sweeter of the two, while Autocrat has more coffee bite. Others say the opposite. Either way, coffee milk is just the thing to wash down a hot weiner or three.

In 1993 a contest took place that pitted coffee milk against Del's Lemonade to see which one would reign supreme as Little Rhody's top beverage. Coffee milk won out when the Rhode Island Legislature pronounced it the state's official drink.

Coffee milk isn't the only coffee-based product that Rhode Islanders enjoy. They also purchase an inordinate amount of other hot and cold coffee beverages, coffee ice cream, and even coffee-flavored gelatin. While we can't say that Rhode Islanders are the largest consumers of coffee products in the nation, they're pretty close.

"We sell the equivalent of 20 million servings of coffee syrup a year in the greater Rhode Island area, in a population of 1.5 million."
--Richard M. Field, Jr., the fourth-generation president of Autocrat. (Providence Business News, November 2002).

By the way, in Rhode Island, syrup mixed into milk is known as a "milkshake." If you put milk, syrup, and ice cream together, it's a "cabinet." No one seems to know the origin of that one.

Ex-Rhode Islanders and Rhode Islander wannabes don't have to suffer without coffee milk just because they're geographically challenged. Call 1-800 AUTOCRAT (1-800-288-6272), 9am-4pm EST, Monday through Friday and order yourself a case of six 16-ounce bottles of Autocrat, Eclipse, or Coffee Time coffee syrup for only $19.95 (including postage -- as of July 2003). Or, tell everyone where your affections lie with a $15 Coffee Milk T-shirt.

You can also order Autocrat syrup online at FamousFoods.com

In Rhode Island, coffee milk is available just about everywhere -- diners, convenience stores, delis, donut shops, supermarkets, dairies, creameries, and of course, in your own home!

Amy snickered as she read the label. "A swallow told me!"

What was that about slogans? Autocrat's is "A Swallow Will Tell You"

This might be a bit late, but I figured some of you might still enjoy it. It's supposed to be the best fruitcake ever!!!! =)

Holiday Fruitcake
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
4 large eggs
lemon juice
1 cup dried fruit
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
nuts
2 cups flour
1 or 2 qts. whiskey

Before you start, sample the whiskey to check for
quality. Good, isn't it? Now go ahead. Select a large
mixing bowl, measuring cups, etc. Check the whiskey
again as it must be just right. To be sure the
whiskey is of the highest quality, pour one level cup
into a glass and drink it, as fast as you can.
Repeat....

With an electric mixer, beat 1 cup of butter in a
large fluffy bowl. Add 1 tsp. of thugar and beat
again. Meanwhile, make sure that the whiskey is
of finest quality. Cry another tup. Open second
quart if necessary. Add 2 arge leggs, 2 cups fried
druit and beat till high. If drult gets stuck in
beaters, just pry it loose with a drewscriver.

Same the whiskey again, checking for tonscisticity.
Next sift 3 cups of salt or anthing, it really
doesn't matter. ...Sample the whiskey... Sift 1/2 pint
lemon juice. Fold in chopped butter and strained
nuts. Add one bablespoon of brown thugar, or whatever
color you can find, and mix mell.

Grease oven and turn cake pan to 350 gredees. Now
pour the whole mess into the coven and ake. Check
the whiskey again, and bo to ged!

Actually, this is MY family recipe! How did you get ahold of if Ryan??!!
-Amanda from Seattle
(I like to cook with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food)

>This might be a bit late, but I figured some of you might still enjoy it. It's supposed to be the best fruitcake ever!!!! =)
>Holiday Fruitcake

I've been working on this letterbox clue for 26 hours straight, only kept awake by Peet's coffee and letterboxing ambition. I think I've finally cracked the code, and will let you all know of the results after I return from the North Pole.
--Buzzard

Howdy!

I've emailed BOXDN for his advice, but figured I'd also put a post here. I'm attending a Mardi Gras party next week and we're supposed to bring an appetizer or dessert with the theme of Mardi Gras, Cajun, Creole, Lousiana, or New Orleans.

I've found a Cinnamon Apple Beignet recipe, but I've never deep fried anything and I'm afraid I'll ruin them or burn my house down. I also have a New Orleans Bread Pudding recipe which looks good, but it's supposed to be served warm and I'm not sure it'll work at a casual party.

I'm looking for more of a "pick-up" appetizer or dessert. Any suggestions??

Thanks in advance!
Amyrica

Quote

I'm looking for more of a "pick-up" appetizer or dessert. Any suggestions??

You could always pick up some cinnamon rolls, arrange them in a ring and sprinkle green, gold and purple sugar on them to make a faux King Cake. Just don't forget to put the plastic baby in it!

Raellyn
Team Tired Feet

Hi, Amyrica.

King Cake is good and you can't get more Mardi Gras than that. If you're in the Atlanta area (?), you might luck up on a King Cake mix--comes with the baby, sugar stuff and all. A brand I know of is Mam Papaul's. If you ask BOXDN nicely, he might mail you one. I know they're available in Louisiana.

There are also a couple bakeries in NO and Baton Rouge that you can order king cakes from and have 'em shipped. Gambino's is one in NO; my personal fave is Ambrosia Bakery in Baton Rouge. They have one called the Zulu king cake--chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. Quite expensive, though.

Both bakeries are on the web and have an online catalog.

Knit Wit

If anyone has one they could share, I sure would appreciate it! Also, if you do post one, please mention what use use to eat it with, like crackers, toast, chips, tortillas, ect. Thanks!

Liz
of Penguin Patrol

Hey Liz,

Try this one out:
http://www.barbecue-online.co.uk/barbecue-recipes/appetisers/bbq_grilled_artichokes_spinach_dip_pitta_wedges_recipe.htm

You realy don't have to BBQ the hearts and don't bother with the pita wedges unless you want to. Theres a whole wheat cracker I think Tollhouse makes it and they are the best with this dip. I have made this for several parties and have had to send copies of the recipe to everyone.

Good luck,
Boxdn

Thanks, but that has way to many ingredients in it and looks expensive to make. I just wanted something quickie I could make at home. I appreciate you taking the time to post that though!

Liz
of Penguin Patrol

I'm sooooo disappointed--there's actually a recipe for fruitcake??? I grew up thinking that there was only ONE fruitcake that ever existed! It just keeps getting re-gifted each year! :) Blech!!!!

dvn2r ckr

Even worse 'gift' in German means poison. ;)

Here! Here! I'm never without a big jog of Autocrat!

WarriorWoman
Narragansett, RI

p.s. have you ever checked out www.quahog.org? You'll be able to get info like this, and much much more about RI food specialties.