Drunken Fajitas

1 1/2 Lb steak or chicken sliced into strips
1/4 Cup rum
1/2 Cup Lime Juice
1 Tbsp Liquid Smoke Flavoring
1 Tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Tsp Black Pepper
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika

onions, peppers, whatever you like in fajitas, thinly sliced.

Blend all ingredients (except vegetables) and marinate meat for at least 2 hours. (I usually marinate it overnight.)

Saute the onions & peppers in olive oil and set aside. Stir-fry until meat is done.

Serve in flour tortillas.

Yield: 8 servings

Submitted by Monkling

Ratatouille

1 onion, chopped
1 eggplant (do you peel it?) cubed
1 zucchini, cubed
1 sweet pepper, cut up
1 hot pepper, cut up (opt.)
1 can diced tomatoes
Salt & pepper, to taste

Spray your frying pan with olive oil spray or use one "squirt" of oil Put your veggies in the pan and simmer until tender Add tomatoes and continue cooking for about 15 minutes
Eat & enjoy! Double the batch for a healthy, low fat treat all week long!

Submitted by Sandy

Apple Rugelach

This is another one of the desserts that made an appearance at my Great Apple Festival. This was the first time I ever attempted to make rugelach. The only other time I ever had homemade rugelach was when I was still in my teens & living in Brooklyn, when my friend's grandmother made it. I couldn't tell you how mine compared to hers but these didn't last too long around the house.




1/2 lb butter; unsalted, softened
8 oz Cream Cheese; softened
1/4 cup Sugar
1 Tsp baking powder
2 cup Flour
1/4 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Filling:
1/2 cup Pecans; chopped
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 cup apple butter

Topping:
6 tablespoon Sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 Egg; beaten

Cream the cheese and butter Add the sugar, salt, and vanilla, mixing well. Add the flour. Divide dough into 4 balls, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for several hours.

Combine the brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, & pecans and set aside. Combine the 6 tablespoons of sugar with the cinnamon & set that aside, as well.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove one ball of dough from the refrigerator and roll out into a circle, about 12" in diameter. The dough will be very sticky. I found it easier to roll it between 2 pieces of parchment paper. Put the rolled out dough back in the refrigerator and roll out the next ball. Let the rolled out dough chill for about an hour.

Remove one of the dough "pies." Spread it with the apple butter and sprinkle on the sugar pecan filling. Do not use too much apple butter or it'll just squish out and make a huge mess when you roll it up.

Use a pizza cutter and cut your "pie" into 12 wedges. Roll each up starting at the larger edge. Place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or non-stick foil. Repeat with the rest of the dough, taking them out one at a time.

Brush each cookie with egg and sprinkle with the sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden.

Yield: 4 dozen

Submitted by Monkling

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

This was one of the apple desserts I made for my Great Apple Festival. The guests tell me these were really good. (I thought they were good, too, but I figure their opinions count more.) I made mini cheesecakes but it was tough getting them out of the little mini muffin pans so I'd suggest if you want mini ones, to buy the specially designed mini cheesecake pans. This recipe will stick to a regular sized cheesecake.

1 2/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch; sifted
4 - 8 Oz. packages cream cheese; room temperature
2 large eggs
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup apple butter (I used candy apple butter)
1 jar caramel topping (the kind you put on ice cream)

Graham Cracker Crumb Crust:
1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter; melted

Preheat the oven to 350 F and butter a 9-inch springform pan. Make the graham cracker crust (mix together the crumbs, butter & sugar), press into springform pan & set aside.

Cream the cheese with the sugar. Add the cornstarch, eggs & cream. Fold in apple butter.

Pour into prepared springform pan. Bake for about 1 hour.

(You can use a water bath. That's supposed to prevent the cake from cracking. To do that, place the springform pan into a shallow baking pan & add hot water, coming up to about 1 inch from the top.

Cool the cake and then spread caramel topping on. Cover and refrigerate.

Yield: 10 - 12 servings

Submitted by Monkling

Spinach Pie

As a kid, I always hated vegetables. Because of that hatred, I was shocked when I first tasted, and liked, Spanakopita (Greek Spinach Pie). I came to realize part of the reason I didn't like vegetables is because my mom always cooked frozen vegetables. They were mushy & completely unadorned. When I tried my hand at cooking fresh spinach, I could see why my mother didn't want to be bothered with fresh vegetables. It's a lot more work, but so worth it.

The authentic Greek dish uses feta cheese but I substituted goat cheese. Maybe it's just my imagination but I find it less salty and more mild. If you go with baby spinach rather than 'adult' spinach, this dish is even better.

10 oz. bag of spinach
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
4 oz. crumbled goat cheese
1 egg. beaten
salt & pepper, to taste
filo sheets
1/4 c. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8" square pan.

Cook and drain the spinach. (You'll need to cook it in batches. Don't overcook it. I cook it until it's barely wilted.) Saute the onion & garlic in olive oil. Remove from heat. Chop spinach and add to the onion & garlic. Add the nutmeg, goat cheese, egg and salt & pepper.

Layer 4 sheets of filo dough in pan, brushing each layer with melted butter. Sheets should hang over edges of pan. Fill with spinach mixture and fold dough over filling. Somehow I always seem to need more filo dough so if it doesn't quite cover the spinach, slap an extra sheet or 2 over the filling.

Bake for 40 minutes until browned.

Submitted by Monkling

French Onion Soup

6 servings

Ingredients
1 cup dry sherry
4 onions, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon whole wheat flour
4 cups vegetable broth
freshly ground pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
pinch nutmeg
pinch salt
6 slices light Italian bread toasted

Directions
In a large, heavy stockpot over medium heat, cook sherry until bubbling. Add the onions, and reduce heat to medium. Cook onions slowly, stirring frequently, for at least 20 minutes, until they begin to form a paste.

Stir in flour and cook for 2 minutes. Pour in broth and bring to a boil.add seasonings, Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls, and float a slice of toasted bread on top of each serving.

Submitted by Linda

Cream of Tomato Soup

3 Tbsp. butter (or as little as you can get away with)
1/2 c. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped or pressed
1/2 tsp. dill
6 Tbsp. flour
4 c. milk (2% is fine)
1/2 bay leaf
1 1/2 tsp. sugar
salt to taste
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 14.5 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 8 oz can tomato sauce

Melt the butter in a soup pot. Add the onion and cook over medium heat, stirring, until the onion is softened but not browned. Add chopped garlic and cook a minute longer. Add the milk, sugar, dill and salt. Stir the baking soda into the tomatoes. Now add the tomatoes and run all of this through a blender. Put back in the pot, add the bay leaf and bring just to a simmer. Reduce heat to lowest setting and allow to cook uncovered for 15-20 minutes. (NOTE: Be careful!!! The soda will make the pot boil over if you don’t stick around and stir until it quits foaming.) Remove the bay leaf. Remove about a cup of the mixture and allow to cool slightly. (You can add a couple of ice cubes to hurry the process along.) When cool, add flour and run through the blender until the flour is well dissolved. Add back to pot, raise heat and stir a few minutes until it thickens. Taste and correct seasonings.

It freezes well, so I usually double the recipe and stick half in the freezer.
7 cups

Submitted by Gin

Barbecued Meat Balls

2# extra lean ground beef
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 egg
2 Tsp. Accent (use salt if allergic to MSG)
1 – 14 oz. bottle ketchup
1 – 14 oz. bottle HOT ketchup
1 – 10 oz. jar apple jelly (larger is ok if you can’t find a 10 oz)

Mix first five ingredients well with hands. Form into walnut-sized balls and place on cookie sheet.
Cover and refrigerate a couple of hours or overnight.
Mix next three ingredients in a large heavy pot.
Put in the meat balls and bring to boil.
Cook slowly on top of stove until done – about 20 minutes.
Or, when mixture has come to a boil, place pot in pre-heated 325-degree oven for about 45 minutes.

Serve warm beside a little jar of toothpicks.

Submitted by Suzanne

Marinated Mushrooms

BTW, the word “sliced” is underlined because the marinade is to be drained off. Once I chopped the onions and oh my goodness you should have seen me trying to get all them little bits of onions off the mushrooms!

Use 4 to 5 pounds of fresh white mushrooms, of uniform size as much as possible.

• 2 C. wine vinegar
• 3 C salad oil (Not olive oil)
• 6 medium onions, sliced
• 2 Tbs salt
• 4 Tbs parsley flakes
• 2 Tbs yellow mustard
• 1/3 cup brown sugar

Mix above ingredients in saucepan; bring to boil and simmer five (5) minutes.
Add mushrooms.
Chill for AT LEAST 24 hours, stirring occasionally.
Drain off marinate to serve.

Submitted by Suzanne

Curried Chicken-Coconut Soup

Adapted from a recipe on epicurious.com


4-5 cups low-salt chicken broth
4-5 cups water
one chicken

Poach chicken in liquid. Remove. Return backs, neck & giblets to broth.

Add:
1 13.5-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
2 lemon leaves
1/4 lemon
2” piece of ginger cut in 2
4-6 serrano chilis cut in half

Simmer until broth is good. Fish out the chicken, leaves, lemon & ginger.

Add:
curry powder to taste
3/4 cup chopped green onions
Meat from poached chicken cut in nice chunks (Reserve extra meat for another use.)
about 1/2 bunch spinach
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
about 2 oz udon Japanese noodles broken into spoon-manageable pieces
Simmer until noodles are done.

Serve with lime wedges to squeeze over it, and Asian hot oil for those who want it spicier.

Submitted by Ruth
Photo by Virginia