So jury duty is over and MAN am I glad. Now I get to tell y'all about it. Not talking hurts me physically… I swear. Anyhoo, I got picked to be on a case where the charges were “sex assault on a child under 15 years by someone in a position of trust” and another count where the charge was the same as above “with a pattern of abuse” attached to it. Pretty, no? And let me tell you … JUICY. Basically we had mama's boyfriend who became like daddy to this young girl and then took advantage of her. Continue reading “Now I Can Blab”
Cookin' Up a Storm
Gosh. Sorry I've been so totally behind on posting. But I'm starting to catch up. We've been doing a lot of cooking lately. We're on an anti-restaurant kick (well we're trying anyhow) so we've been very into trying some new recipes. Here are some we've enjoyed:
Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce Oh good lord this was amazing. As we were making it, Matt and I were eating spoonfuls of it out of the cuisinart. Yes, we're a bit dimented. It freezes up real well (we've got a couple of gladware tubs in the freezer) and tastes amazing. We served this over 4-cheese tortellini with some parmesean on top. Excellent. Continue reading “Cookin' Up a Storm”
So Much!
Sorry for the cruddy posting last week. All of that jury duty stuff really screwed up my schedule. And I'm still not done yet!!! Today is a court holiday (Columbus Day), so we get a break from jury duty. But I have at least one more day, maybe two.
It is a gloriously rainy fall day and my happiness with the weather would be complete if only I were at home with a cup of tea instead of at work with a bottle of gatorade. But it is good to be at work. I hate leaving suddenly.
It was a beautiful fall weekend all around. It's been a gorgeous fall period. We got to go to the Paris Street Market, which is always enjoyable. We picked up a Sesame Street lunchbox that will serve as decor in the bebe's room. And I picked up a pair of maternity jeans when we hit the mall a bit later on. We also got to spend the evening babysitting Liam, which was all kinds of fun. He's such a good baby. We wateched Lady and the Tramp. On Sunday, after over 4 months of going without one, I finally got my hair cut. It was way too long and getting stringy (I don't grow long hair well). So it is once again shorter, and cute and fluffy. Yay. We also went to a family party to celebrate the visit of my grandpa's sister, Dorothy. It was so good to see her. I also got to make Apple Spice Cake to bring along. It's an amazing recipe. You should all try it out.
Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce
from: Jesser Original
Ingredients
1 (10 or 12 oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli, cooked according to package directions
1 can Campbell's (Healthy Request) cream of mushroom soup
2 cans (I use the big ones) chicken
1 c. grated mild cheese
1 tube low salt or low fat Ritz crackers, crushed
a splash of milk
Directions
Mix up broccoli, soup, milk and chicken (drain the cans of course). Top with the ritz crackers and then the cheese. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.
from: Martha
Ingredients
1 head plus 8 cloves garlic
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese for grating
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. Wrap garlic head in foil, or place in garlic roaster; roast until soft and golden, about 1 hour. Let cool, trim tip of head; squeeze out cloves, using back of knife. Transfer to small bowl; set aside.
Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, and run under cold water to stop cooking.
Thinly slice five cloves of unroasted garlic. Finely chop remaining three cloves. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add sliced garlic; toast until golden and crisp. Remove garlic with slotted spoon; set aside. Add chopped garlic; sauté until translucent, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add roasted garlic and white wine; let simmer about 3 minutes. Add pasta, parsley, red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste; toss. Serve sprinkled with toasted garlic slivers. Grate Parmesan over each serving.
from: Kraft
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup flour
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 cups sliced peeled pears (about 4 medium pears)
1/4 cup PLANTERS Sliced Almonds
Directions
PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Beat butter and 1/3 cup of the sugar in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour; mix well. Spread firmly onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.
Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup of the remaining sugar in same bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Spread evenly over crust. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Add to pears in large bowl; toss to coat. Arrange over cream cheese layer; sprinkle with almonds.
Bake 10 min. Reduce temperature to 375°F; continue baking 25 min. or until center is set. Cool on wire rack. Loosen torte from rim of pan. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours before serving. Store leftover torte in refrigerator.
from: Everyday Food October 2006
Ingredients
3 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound medium onions (about 2), cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound (about 6) small white or red new potatoes, well scrubbed, halved if large
1 pound carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 bay leaves
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. In a Dutch oven (5-quart) with a tight-fitting lid, combine beef, tomato paste, vinegar, and flour; season with salt and pepper.
Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and, if desired, season with salt and pepper before serving.
To cook slowly, place beef in a 5-quart slow cooker. Distribute tomato paste, vinegar, and flour over beef; season generously with salt and pepper. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves. Cover slow cooker; cook on high until beef is fork-tender, about 5 hours (or cook on low heat 8 hours).
from: All Recipes
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture is like fine crumbs. Pack the crumbs into a ball, then knead by hand until smooth. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into an 8 inch circle. Place the circle on a baking sheet, and slice into 16 wedges. Leave the circle intact.
Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the center has set. Cut the circle into wedges again while it is still warm, and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
from: Everyday with Rachael Ray October 2006
Ingredients
2.5 to 3 lbs beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
5 T extra-virgin olive oil
5 T unslated butter
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 t dried thyme
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t grond cinnamon
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
2 C beef broth
8 oz egg noodles
Directions
Place meat in a large bowl and season wth salt and pper. Add the flour and tos to coat. In a large pan, heat 2 T olive oil and 1 T butter ove r med-high heat until the butter stops foaming. Add the meat and brown, about 6 minutes, working in batches if need-be. Add the browned beef and remaining ingredients, with the exception of the noodles to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours. When the stew is getting close to done, cook the egg noodles as directed. Toss them with butter and/or salt if desired. Serve the stew over the noodles.
from: Everyday Food October 2006
Ingredients
3 T olive oil
2 lbs tilapia fillets (about 6)
corase salt and ground pepper
2 large eggs
/2 C light mayonnaise
1/2 C chopped fresh parsley plus sprigs for garnish
1/4 C frseh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
3 T bottled white horseradish
1 1/2 C coarse saltine cracker crumbs
tartar sauce for serving
Directions
Heat oven to 400. rush each of two rimmed baking sheets with 1/2 T oil. Place fillets on sheets; season with salt and pepper. Roast until cooke dthrough, 10 – 15 minutes. let cool completely; pat dry with paper towels. With a fork, flake fish into small pieces.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, mayo, parsley, lemon juice, and horseradish. Fold in fish and 1/2 C cracker crumbs; season with S&P. Place remaining crumbs on a plate. Form 16 cakes, using about 1/4 cup fish mixture for each. Gently dredge cakes in crumbs, pressing to help adhere.
To freeze, place un-cooked cakes on baking sheet, and freeze until firm. Wrap each in plastic; transfer to resealable freezer bags. Freeze up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in refrigerator.
To cook heat 1 T oil in skillet over med-high heat. Place 8 cakes in skillet; cook until golden brown, 4-6 min per side. Repeat with remainign T oil and cakes.
from: Everyday Food October 2006
Ingredients
1 med butternut squash (1.5 lbs), peeled, de-seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 T olive oil
1/2 t dried rubbed sage
corase salt and ground pper
5 garlic cloves, peel on
1 C half and half
pasta for serving
Directions
Heat oven to 375. Toss squash with oil and sage. Season genrously with S&P. Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and scatter garlic amongst squash. Roast until squash is tender, about 40 minutes, tossing once half-way through.
Remove and discard skin from garlic. Transfer squash and garlic to a food processor and process until smooth. While running, add half and half through the tube and continue to process until smooth, adding water (or milk) to thin if necessary. Season again with salt.
To freeze, cool completely and transfer to airtight containers, leaving 1 inch space. Freeze up to 3 months.
Lemon-Horesradish Fish Cakes
from: Jesser Original
Ingredients
1 (10 or 12 oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli, cooked according to package directions
1 can Campbell's (Healthy Request) cream of mushroom soup
2 cans (I use the big ones) chicken
1 c. grated mild cheese
1 tube low salt or low fat Ritz crackers, crushed
a splash of milk
Directions
Mix up broccoli, soup, milk and chicken (drain the cans of course). Top with the ritz crackers and then the cheese. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.
from: Martha
Ingredients
1 head plus 8 cloves garlic
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese for grating
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. Wrap garlic head in foil, or place in garlic roaster; roast until soft and golden, about 1 hour. Let cool, trim tip of head; squeeze out cloves, using back of knife. Transfer to small bowl; set aside.
Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, and run under cold water to stop cooking.
Thinly slice five cloves of unroasted garlic. Finely chop remaining three cloves. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add sliced garlic; toast until golden and crisp. Remove garlic with slotted spoon; set aside. Add chopped garlic; sauté until translucent, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add roasted garlic and white wine; let simmer about 3 minutes. Add pasta, parsley, red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste; toss. Serve sprinkled with toasted garlic slivers. Grate Parmesan over each serving.
from: Kraft
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup flour
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 cups sliced peeled pears (about 4 medium pears)
1/4 cup PLANTERS Sliced Almonds
Directions
PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Beat butter and 1/3 cup of the sugar in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour; mix well. Spread firmly onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.
Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup of the remaining sugar in same bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Spread evenly over crust. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Add to pears in large bowl; toss to coat. Arrange over cream cheese layer; sprinkle with almonds.
Bake 10 min. Reduce temperature to 375°F; continue baking 25 min. or until center is set. Cool on wire rack. Loosen torte from rim of pan. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours before serving. Store leftover torte in refrigerator.
from: Everyday Food October 2006
Ingredients
3 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound medium onions (about 2), cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound (about 6) small white or red new potatoes, well scrubbed, halved if large
1 pound carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 bay leaves
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. In a Dutch oven (5-quart) with a tight-fitting lid, combine beef, tomato paste, vinegar, and flour; season with salt and pepper.
Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and, if desired, season with salt and pepper before serving.
To cook slowly, place beef in a 5-quart slow cooker. Distribute tomato paste, vinegar, and flour over beef; season generously with salt and pepper. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves. Cover slow cooker; cook on high until beef is fork-tender, about 5 hours (or cook on low heat 8 hours).
from: All Recipes
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture is like fine crumbs. Pack the crumbs into a ball, then knead by hand until smooth. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into an 8 inch circle. Place the circle on a baking sheet, and slice into 16 wedges. Leave the circle intact.
Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the center has set. Cut the circle into wedges again while it is still warm, and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
from: Everyday with Rachael Ray October 2006
Ingredients
2.5 to 3 lbs beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
5 T extra-virgin olive oil
5 T unslated butter
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 t dried thyme
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t grond cinnamon
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
2 C beef broth
8 oz egg noodles
Directions
Place meat in a large bowl and season wth salt and pper. Add the flour and tos to coat. In a large pan, heat 2 T olive oil and 1 T butter ove r med-high heat until the butter stops foaming. Add the meat and brown, about 6 minutes, working in batches if need-be. Add the browned beef and remaining ingredients, with the exception of the noodles to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours. When the stew is getting close to done, cook the egg noodles as directed. Toss them with butter and/or salt if desired. Serve the stew over the noodles.
from: Everyday Food October 2006
Ingredients
3 T olive oil
2 lbs tilapia fillets (about 6)
corase salt and ground pepper
2 large eggs
/2 C light mayonnaise
1/2 C chopped fresh parsley plus sprigs for garnish
1/4 C frseh lemon juice (from about 2 lemons)
3 T bottled white horseradish
1 1/2 C coarse saltine cracker crumbs
tartar sauce for serving
Directions
Heat oven to 400. rush each of two rimmed baking sheets with 1/2 T oil. Place fillets on sheets; season with salt and pepper. Roast until cooke dthrough, 10 – 15 minutes. let cool completely; pat dry with paper towels. With a fork, flake fish into small pieces.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, mayo, parsley, lemon juice, and horseradish. Fold in fish and 1/2 C cracker crumbs; season with S&P. Place remaining crumbs on a plate. Form 16 cakes, using about 1/4 cup fish mixture for each. Gently dredge cakes in crumbs, pressing to help adhere.
To freeze, place un-cooked cakes on baking sheet, and freeze until firm. Wrap each in plastic; transfer to resealable freezer bags. Freeze up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in refrigerator.
To cook heat 1 T oil in skillet over med-high heat. Place 8 cakes in skillet; cook until golden brown, 4-6 min per side. Repeat with remainign T oil and cakes.
Beef Stew with Buttered Egg Noodles
from: Jesser Original
Ingredients
1 (10 or 12 oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli, cooked according to package directions
1 can Campbell's (Healthy Request) cream of mushroom soup
2 cans (I use the big ones) chicken
1 c. grated mild cheese
1 tube low salt or low fat Ritz crackers, crushed
a splash of milk
Directions
Mix up broccoli, soup, milk and chicken (drain the cans of course). Top with the ritz crackers and then the cheese. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.
from: Martha
Ingredients
1 head plus 8 cloves garlic
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese for grating
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. Wrap garlic head in foil, or place in garlic roaster; roast until soft and golden, about 1 hour. Let cool, trim tip of head; squeeze out cloves, using back of knife. Transfer to small bowl; set aside.
Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, and run under cold water to stop cooking.
Thinly slice five cloves of unroasted garlic. Finely chop remaining three cloves. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add sliced garlic; toast until golden and crisp. Remove garlic with slotted spoon; set aside. Add chopped garlic; sauté until translucent, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add roasted garlic and white wine; let simmer about 3 minutes. Add pasta, parsley, red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste; toss. Serve sprinkled with toasted garlic slivers. Grate Parmesan over each serving.
from: Kraft
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup flour
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 cups sliced peeled pears (about 4 medium pears)
1/4 cup PLANTERS Sliced Almonds
Directions
PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Beat butter and 1/3 cup of the sugar in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour; mix well. Spread firmly onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.
Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup of the remaining sugar in same bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Spread evenly over crust. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Add to pears in large bowl; toss to coat. Arrange over cream cheese layer; sprinkle with almonds.
Bake 10 min. Reduce temperature to 375°F; continue baking 25 min. or until center is set. Cool on wire rack. Loosen torte from rim of pan. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours before serving. Store leftover torte in refrigerator.
from: Everyday Food October 2006
Ingredients
3 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound medium onions (about 2), cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound (about 6) small white or red new potatoes, well scrubbed, halved if large
1 pound carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 bay leaves
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. In a Dutch oven (5-quart) with a tight-fitting lid, combine beef, tomato paste, vinegar, and flour; season with salt and pepper.
Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and, if desired, season with salt and pepper before serving.
To cook slowly, place beef in a 5-quart slow cooker. Distribute tomato paste, vinegar, and flour over beef; season generously with salt and pepper. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves. Cover slow cooker; cook on high until beef is fork-tender, about 5 hours (or cook on low heat 8 hours).
from: All Recipes
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture is like fine crumbs. Pack the crumbs into a ball, then knead by hand until smooth. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into an 8 inch circle. Place the circle on a baking sheet, and slice into 16 wedges. Leave the circle intact.
Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the center has set. Cut the circle into wedges again while it is still warm, and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
from: Everyday with Rachael Ray October 2006
Ingredients
2.5 to 3 lbs beef chuck, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
5 T extra-virgin olive oil
5 T unslated butter
1 yellow onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 t dried thyme
2 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 T unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t grond cinnamon
1 fresh or dried bay leaf
2 C beef broth
8 oz egg noodles
Directions
Place meat in a large bowl and season wth salt and pper. Add the flour and tos to coat. In a large pan, heat 2 T olive oil and 1 T butter ove r med-high heat until the butter stops foaming. Add the meat and brown, about 6 minutes, working in batches if need-be. Add the browned beef and remaining ingredients, with the exception of the noodles to a slow cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours. When the stew is getting close to done, cook the egg noodles as directed. Toss them with butter and/or salt if desired. Serve the stew over the noodles.
Brown Sugar Spiced Shortbread
from: Jesser Original
Ingredients
1 (10 or 12 oz.) pkg. frozen broccoli, cooked according to package directions
1 can Campbell's (Healthy Request) cream of mushroom soup
2 cans (I use the big ones) chicken
1 c. grated mild cheese
1 tube low salt or low fat Ritz crackers, crushed
a splash of milk
Directions
Mix up broccoli, soup, milk and chicken (drain the cans of course). Top with the ritz crackers and then the cheese. Bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes.
from: Martha
Ingredients
1 head plus 8 cloves garlic
1 pound spaghetti
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan cheese for grating
Directions
Preheat oven to 425°. Wrap garlic head in foil, or place in garlic roaster; roast until soft and golden, about 1 hour. Let cool, trim tip of head; squeeze out cloves, using back of knife. Transfer to small bowl; set aside.
Cook pasta until al dente. Drain, and run under cold water to stop cooking.
Thinly slice five cloves of unroasted garlic. Finely chop remaining three cloves. Heat oil over medium heat in large skillet. Add sliced garlic; toast until golden and crisp. Remove garlic with slotted spoon; set aside. Add chopped garlic; sauté until translucent, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add roasted garlic and white wine; let simmer about 3 minutes. Add pasta, parsley, red pepper, and salt and pepper to taste; toss. Serve sprinkled with toasted garlic slivers. Grate Parmesan over each serving.
from: Kraft
Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup flour
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 cups sliced peeled pears (about 4 medium pears)
1/4 cup PLANTERS Sliced Almonds
Directions
PREHEAT oven to 425°F. Beat butter and 1/3 cup of the sugar in small bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour; mix well. Spread firmly onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.
Beat cream cheese and 1/3 cup of the remaining sugar in same bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Spread evenly over crust. Combine remaining 1/3 cup sugar and the cinnamon. Add to pears in large bowl; toss to coat. Arrange over cream cheese layer; sprinkle with almonds.
Bake 10 min. Reduce temperature to 375°F; continue baking 25 min. or until center is set. Cool on wire rack. Loosen torte from rim of pan. Cover and refrigerate 3 hours before serving. Store leftover torte in refrigerator.
from: Everyday Food October 2006
Ingredients
3 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound medium onions (about 2), cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound (about 6) small white or red new potatoes, well scrubbed, halved if large
1 pound carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 bay leaves
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. In a Dutch oven (5-quart) with a tight-fitting lid, combine beef, tomato paste, vinegar, and flour; season with salt and pepper.
Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and, if desired, season with salt and pepper before serving.
To cook slowly, place beef in a 5-quart slow cooker. Distribute tomato paste, vinegar, and flour over beef; season generously with salt and pepper. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves. Cover slow cooker; cook on high until beef is fork-tender, about 5 hours (or cook on low heat 8 hours).
from: All Recipes
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon white sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, white sugar and cinnamon. Cut in the butter until the mixture is like fine crumbs. Pack the crumbs into a ball, then knead by hand until smooth. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into an 8 inch circle. Place the circle on a baking sheet, and slice into 16 wedges. Leave the circle intact.
Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the center has set. Cut the circle into wedges again while it is still warm, and transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Beef Stew
from: Everyday Food October 2006
Ingredients
3 pounds beef chuck, trimmed of visible fat and cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound medium onions (about 2), cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound (about 6) small white or red new potatoes, well scrubbed, halved if large
1 pound carrots, cut into 1 1/2-inch lengths
6 garlic cloves, smashed
2 bay leaves
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°. In a Dutch oven (5-quart) with a tight-fitting lid, combine beef, tomato paste, vinegar, and flour; season with salt and pepper.
Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, and 3 cups water. Bring to a boil. Cover, transfer to oven, and cook until meat is fork-tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours. Remove bay leaves and, if desired, season with salt and pepper before serving.
To cook slowly, place beef in a 5-quart slow cooker. Distribute tomato paste, vinegar, and flour over beef; season generously with salt and pepper. Add onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, and bay leaves. Cover slow cooker; cook on high until beef is fork-tender, about 5 hours (or cook on low heat 8 hours).
Blah
Sorry for another short, boring post. I'm incredibly time poor right now. Jury duty + life = busy! I basically came home and collapsed last night. It was so exhausting to sit there all day and pay attention … sounds dumb, but you all know what I mean. And while they give us an hour for lunch, we have to walk to our cars, drive, eat, drive, walk back, etc. so it's hard to even get out to do that. The trial is interesting at least, but as I said, exhausting. I've got some great recipes to post .. maybe tonight. 
Ramble Ramble Ramble
Well kids, I'm on a trial. It's supposed to last through next Tuesday. That's probably my only real problem with serving … blah. So far it's been kind of interesting. I have no idea why they picked me. I couldn't tell why they dismissed certain people and allowed others to remain. So that's that.
I'm in a very tired place right now because our AC is broken and it's been a bit hard to sleep with it being warm. Luckily it's cooler tonight … so hopefully I'll get some much needed rest.
Gilmore Girls was excellent tonight … I totally called the whole Lane parasite thing. And overall, it was just funny. I feel like the writers have really captrued the Stars Hollowness again which is why I liked the show in the first place. The Kirk's scene was hilarious. Veronica Mars was great too, though it left me a bit confused. I should probably go back and watch it again when I don't have to pause it every other second for Matt and Loki and phone calls.
And with that, I shall leave you.