"The" Cheesecake

My oh my, what a crazy few months. Everything seems to have calmed down, so hopefully this means I'll be back to more frequent posting.

Jared's birthday was just a few weeks ago. Every single year that I have known the family, we have had the same cheesecake for Jared's birthday. It is the richest, and most sinful cheesecake I have ever eaten. This year I asked Kyle to let Jared know that I would be making him cheesecake. He asked if I had "the recipe" which luckily I did. From what Kyle said, Jared was just about as happy as Jared gets that he would get to have his usual cheesecake for his birthday. Granted, I doubt that he was visibly happy, since it is Jared after all, but happiness is relative I suppose.

I spent the majority of that Saturday working on this cheesecake. It is definitely the most complicated cheesecake recipe I have ever attempted, and the entire time I was cursing Michelle for not teaching me how to make it. When I was done cooking it, the filling was far from set. I called my mom to get her opinion on what to do next. I turned up the heat a bit and cooked it for about 20 minutes longer. When I checked, the top had just started to crack, so I called it done and took it out to cool. The very middle was still jiggly, but I thought it would finish setting up as it cooled. I was wrong. It wasn't soup, but it definitely wasn't what cheesecake is supposed to be like. It was delicious though, and I got nothing but rave reviews.

Kyle really wants me to share the cheesecake recipe with everyone so that everyone can enjoy the deliciousness. I want to share it with everyone so I learn some new tricks on how to get this darn thing to turn out right. I've only got 50 weeks to perfect it before Jared's birthday next year.

Cheesecake

Crust:
1 cup sifted flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon peel
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 slightly beaten egg yolk
1/4 tsp vanilla

Combine flour, sugar, and peel. Cut in butter until crumbly. Stir in yolk and vanilla. Blend. Pat 1/3 of dough on the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan (sides removed). Bake at 400 degrees for about six minutes or until golden brown. Cool.

Butter sides of spring form pan and attach to bottom. Pat remaining dough evenly on the sides to a height of 2 inches. Preheat oven to 500 degrees.

Filling::
5 8 ounce packages of cream cheese
1/4 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp grated lemon peel
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 Tb flour
1/4 tsp salt
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream

Stir cream cheese until soft, and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla and lemon peel. Mix sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually blend into cheese. Add eggs and yolks one at a time, beating well after each. Gently stir in cream. Turn into crust lined pan. Bake at 500 degrees for 5-8 minutes or until top edge of crust is golden. Reduce heat to 200 degrees and bake for 1 hour longer. Remove from oven. Cool in pan for 3 hours. Remove sides of pan and serve.

Beef Porcupines

I found this recipe just this morning (how I had missed it during one of my 50 times through the recipe box is beyond me) and the name struck me as entertaining. As soon as I told Kyle the name of the recipe I found he immediately said "Those are great!" I asked him if they were something that his mom made often when he was younger simply because I love the recipes that I know Michelle loved. Apparently they weren't common fare in their house, but they were good enough that Kyle distinctly remembers them. He says that remind him of meatloaf, but the recipe sounds to me more like mini rice and hamburger casserole. Either way, I love this recipe. It's really quite simple, but sounds delicious. It requires minimal prep-time, it's a one-pot meal (a staple in our house since I hate washing dishes), it has a fantastic name, and it makes my husband happy just to think about it. What more could I ask for?

Beef Porcupines
Serves 4

1 lb. ground beef
1/2 cup raw rice
1/4 cup chopped onion
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 Tb oil
2 cans tomato sauce
1 cup water

Mix meat, rice, onions, and seasoning. Form into small balls. Fry in oil until light brown, but not crusty. Add tomato sauce and water. Cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.

That's it. Really. That's it. Simple huh?

Flaming Spinach Salad

I have a big bunch of spinach in my fridge just screaming for me to use it. I took a look through Michelle's recipe box and found quite a few good spinach recipes. I decided I would share one of my favorites with you today.

This recipe in particular is one of Michelle's originals. It appears in one of the guild cookbooks, and I have been dying to try it ever since I saw it months ago. When I first read through the recipe, I thought that the flaming brandy at the end was only for show, but it seems like the combination of warm dressing and flaming brandy would wilt the spinach just enough to make it delicious. I keep trying to come up with reasons to make this salad, but it's just a little bit too dramatic for our daily dinners. Next time we have a fancy dinner party (maybe in 2015?) I'm making this.

One note, make sure you have a metal ladle for this recipe. For some reason I have a feeling that a plastic one wouldn't hold up to the flaming brandy.

Flaming Spinach Salad
Serves 4-6

1 bunch of spinach, stemmed and washed
3 hard cooked eggs, chopped
10 large mushrooms, sliced
4 green onions, sliced
6 slices of bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (reserve fat for dressing)
croutons
salt and pepper to taste

Tear spinach and toss well with remaining ingredients.

Dressing

1/3 cup bacon fat (or part olive oil)
1/4 cup malt (this is underlined) vinegar
2 Tb fresh lemon juice
2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce

Right before serving, bring ingredients to a boil. Toss with salad.

Flame 2 Tb warm brandy in a ladle and pour over salad. Toss gently and serve.

Don't forget to turn out the lights!

Chocolate-Filled Cream Puff Ring

Holy cow. This sounds amazing. And it takes up two whole recipe cards. At first glance it looks really complicated, but after reading through it it doesn't seem so bad. There are just a lot of components involved. The actual cooking part seems rather doable. Enjoy!

Chocolate-Filled Cream Puff Ring

1 recipe cream puff paste (follows)
1 recipe chocolate filling (follows)
1 recipe chocolate glaze (follows)
sliced almonds
whipped cream (follows)

Butter a 9 inch circle on a cookie sheet. Drop paste by 1/4 cupfuls just inside the circumference to form a ring. Bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, or until puffed and well-browned. Cool.

Slice ring crosswise (slice so you can open it like a lid) and lift off the top. Fill with chocolate filling and replace top. Drizzle with chocolate glaze, then sprinkle with almonds. Chill for several hours or until ready to serve. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

Cream Puff Paste

1 cup water
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
4 large eggs

Combine water, butter, sugar and salt in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Add flour all at once, then beat with a wooden spoon over low heat for 1 minute or until mixture leaves the sides of the pan. Remove from heat and beat for 2 minutes to cool. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each until mixture is satiny.

Chocolate Filling

1 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled
2 tsp vanilla
6 eggs

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in chocolate and vanilla, then the eggs, one at a time, beating for 2 minutes after each. Continue to beat until sugar is thoroughly dissolved, then chill.

Chocolate Glaze

2 squares semisweet chocolate
2 Tb butter

In top of a double boiler over hot, not boiling, water, melt chocolate and butter, stirring to combine.

Whipped Cream

Beat 1 cup heavy cream and 2 Tb sugar until stiff. Add unsweetened cocoa to taste.

Chocolate Minte Bars

Scratch that whole "posting twice on Tuesday thing." Life got in the way. I apologize.

I have just a few minutes here to post something, so here goes. I love chocolate mint bars (not sure why Michelle spelled it Minte on the recipe, but I'm leaving it as is). They're delicious, and especially so on either really hot or really cold days. Or days in between. They're delicious every single day of the year. And pretty too.

Chocolate Minte Bars

1/2 cup cocoa
2/3 cup shortening
2 cups brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Mix sugar, shortening, eggs, cocoa, and vanilla. Blend well. Add flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Bake in greased 9x13 pan at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool. Frost with peppermint frosting (follows) and glaze.

Peppermint Frosting

2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 Tb cream or milk
1/2 tsp peppermint extract

Cream all ingredients together. Tint green, if desired. Frost bars, then refrigerate.

Chocolate Glaze

2 squares chocolate or 1/3 cup chocolate chips
2 Tb butter or margarine

Melt together and spread over cold frosted bars. Cut into bars when set.

Chocolate Amaretto Torta

First of all I'm so sorry I forgot to post yesterday. I'll post twice today to make up for it. Plus I have to in order to get all of the chocolate recipes on here.

This particular recipe is one of the more involved ones. One nice thing is that it calls for a pre-prepared pound cake. Now, it calls for one that has been baked in a 9 inch spring form pan, but I'm sure you could make it with a store-bought cake if you so desired. I'm more of a "make it yourself" person, but I completely understand that sometimes you're in charge of making dessert for a party and you just have no time to bake anything or your oven's not cooperating. The recipe does require you to chill it overnight, but anything that can be done the day before and finished on the day of is good in my book.

I'd put good money that this recipe came from Michelle's catering days. From what I know of catering (admittedly not very much), things that can be partially done a day or two in advance are always good. The less you leave to do right before serving, the better off you are. I, sadly, never got to know Michelle during her catering days, but I did get to see her planning and preparing a few different luncheons or dinners that she and her friend auctioned off to benefit Children's Hospital. It always sounded fantastic, and she always put her heart and soul into it every time.

Chocolate Amaretto Torta

One pound cake, baked in a 9 inch springform pan
1 cup chocolate chips
2 tsp sugar
3 eggs, separated and at room temperature
1/4 cup amaretto
1 cup heavy cream
1 Tb sugar
1 tsp vanilla
12 cup toasted, sliced almonds
Chocolate curls for decoration

Melt chocolate chips, then beat in 2 Tb amaretto. Add 1 tsp sugar to egg yolks and beat until thick and lemon colored. Beat (quickly) into the chocolate mixture.

Beat egg whites just (this is underlined) until stiff peaks form. Stir in 1/4 of the whites into the chocolate mixture. Fold in remaining whites. Whip 1/2 cup cream and fold in.

Cut cake into two layers. Put bottom back into the pan and sprinkle with 1 Tb amaretto and spread with 1/2 of the chocolate filling. Sprinkle with 2 Tb almonds. Cover with other layer, cut side up. Sprinkle with 1 Tb amaretto and spoon on remaining chocolate filling. Chill overnight.

Whip remaining ingredients (1/2 cup cream, 1 Tb sugar, 1 tsp vanilla as far as I can tell). Loosen cake and unmold. Spread cream on sides and pat with almonds. Arrange chocolate curls on top.

Hershey's Deluxe Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake

Did you know that I used to tell people I didn't like chocolate? In fact, I used to think I didn't like chocolate. To this day I still hate chocolate ice cream and don't necessarily like chocolate cake much, but I have somewhat changed my tune about chocolate on the whole. I don't eat chocolate very often, but when I do it has to be of higher quality (no store brand chocolate bars for me), and I usually like some sort of crunch in it (nuts, crunchy bits, spices, etc.). Right now my favorite chocolate bar is coconut curry chocolate. I know, I know, it sound weird, but it's great. And it's all organic and fair trade and whatnot so it's got that going for it. And it's made by a company in Seattle. That's good too. It's a little pricey, but I think it's worth it to have good chocolate. It's made by Theo chocolate. You should try it.

I know for a fact that Michelle and I were alike in this mentality. One small piece of something truly decadent is always better than an abundance of low-quality food. For her this mentality seeped out of the realm of food into the realm of everything in her life. I've never quite gotten completely on board with this approach to life, but I'm working on it. I have adopted this approach to food though, and, let me tell you, I've never eaten so well in my entire life.

Hershey's Deluxe Old-Fashioned Chocolate Cake

3 oz Hershey's baking chocolate
1/3 cup water
3/4 cup butter
2 1/4 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups unsifted cake flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup water

Melt chocolate with 1/3 cup of water. Cool.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well. Blend in chocolate.

Combine dry ingredients and add to batter alternately with 1 cup of water. Beat just until well-blended. Pour into prepared cake pans*. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn onto racks.

*There are no sizes or instructions given, but if I were making this I would use two round cake pans that have been greased and floured.

Chocolate Souffle

I have never made souffle. It's just too intimidating. Even though this recipe is deceptively simple, it scares me. I'm sure Michelle made souffle quite a few times. I truly regret not asking her to help me make one so that I wouldn't be so scared. I guess I'll just have to try it on my own. Or maybe not. It's still pretty scary.

Chocolate Souffle

3 Tb melted butter
3 Tb flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup boiling milk
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
4 beaten egg yolks
5-7 stiffly beaten egg whites

Blend butter, flour, sugar, and salt in a pan over low heat. Stir in milk and chocolate. When chocolate is melted remove from heat and slowly add egg yolks. Cool.

Fold in egg whites. Pour into buttered souffle mold. Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes, put mold in pan of hot water*.

Serve with a sauce of whipped cream beaten with a little sugar and rum.

*This is copied directly from the recipe card. As far as I know, souffle's are often cooked in a water bath, so I think this means to put the souffles into a baking dish with warm water then bake them in that. It wouldn't make any sense to take them out of the oven and then put them in a warm water bath would it? Would it? If anyone knows for sure please let us all know, otherwise we'll just have to go with trial and error.

Oatmeal Chocolate Bars

I am a huge fan of oatmeal chocolate cookies. Bar cookies or drop cookies; it makes no difference to me. I love them. I love the chewy texture that oatmeal adds to regular chocolate chip cookies. This recipe in particular looks fantastic. First off, you start with brown sugar as the main sweetener. I love the molasses-y taste of brown sugar, and how it mixes so well with oatmeal. Then the rest of the ingredient list is incredibly short. No flour, no milk or water, no eggs even. It's perfectly simple, and isn't all mucked up with unnecessary flavors. Just sugar, butter, and vanilla. Simple. Then it has a ton of oats. Perfect. Then, as if this wasn't enough, you melt peanut butter with chocolate and spread it on top like frosting. I think this is my new favorite cookie recipe.

This one is also a true Michelle recipe. It's written more as a train of thought than most recipes. Rather than a list of ingredients right at the start, they're listed as you add them. There isn't even an exact amount of butter listed, you just have to determine for yourself what the right amount is. It's simple, to the point, and fantastic. And it has chocolate. The quintessential Michelle recipe.

Oatmeal Chocolate Bars

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
little less than 2 sticks margarine or butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix well and add 4 cups of oatmeal.

Press on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 17 minutes (this might also say 11, but the handwriting is a little sloppy; if I were you I would check it after 11 minutes and see how things are coming along).

Remove from oven and spread with a mixture of 1 cup peanut butter and 16 ounces of chocolate chips.

Chill in fridge and cut into bars when cold.

Mexican Brownies

Everybody loves brownies. It's just a fact of life. Of course, everyone has their preferences (fudgy vs. cakey; frosted vs. non-frosted; nuts vs. no nuts; brownies vs. blondies) but everybody still loves brownies. I personally am more of a fudgy, non-frosted, no nuts, brownie kind of girl, but I can appreciate virtually any type of brownie. This recipes looks like a rather run of the mill brownie recipe, except for the addition of the spices. I can't wait to give these a try. They sound fantastic.

A few notes about the recipe though. There is no oven temp given, and the cook time is only 5-6 minutes, so that leads me to believe that this is a microwave recipe. I have no problems with microwaves (most of the time) so I'm fine with that. Plus it's fast and easy, which makes it a great way to follow yesterday's complicated post.

Mexican Brownies

1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cloves
2 squares of unsweetened chocolate
1 cup chopped nuts
1/2 tsp vanilla
powdered sugar

Melt butter in mixing bowl. Add eggs and sugar, and beat well. Add flour, salt, cinnamon, and cloves. Stir well. Melt chocolate and add to batter. Add nuts and vanilla, and mix well. Spread into a 1 1/2 quart dish (8x8 pan) and cook 5-6 minutes. Cut while warm and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Indianers

First off, I love this name. I'm not sure why, but I think it's fun to say. Say it out loud. You'll think it's funny too.

Back to reality, I had my first request for a recipe yesterday. My mom specifically asked for a recipe with chocolate and orange in it. I, personally, love any fruit with chocolate, so was happy to oblige. Just a warning, this is a long recipe. There are lots of steps involved, and it is far from easy. On a personal note, I love long complicated recipes. It always gives me a sense of accomplishment when I'm finished. I should also tell you that every single time I made something complicated and commiserated to Michelle about how difficult it was, she would always have some tip or trick that would have made things so much easier. Why she never had those tips for me before I embarked on a complicated recipe is beyond me. At least I have those tips for next time I suppose.

If anyone has any requests or suggestions, please pass them along. I'm perfectly happy to seek out specific recipes for you or just find something using a specific ingredient you happen to love. Just ask and I will do my best to deliver.

Indianers*
Makes 2 dozen

2 navel oranges
1 package (18.75 ounces) pudding-included yellow cake mix
3 eggs
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tb confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
1 tsp vanilla
1 can (16.5 ounces) double Dutch frosting mix (apparently they don't make this anymore, but you can use chocolate fudge frosting from a can or make your own)
2 Tb granulated sugar
1 tsp water
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped

Grease and flour 24 large muffin pan cups.

Zest one orange to get 1 Tb of zest. Remove thin orange skin (no white) from second orange with vegetable peeler. Cut into thin strips, about 1/2 inch long (you should have 1/4 cup of strips). Squeeze 1/2 cup orange juice from oranges.

Combine cake mix, eggs, water, 1/2 cup orange juice, oil, and grated zest into large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at low until ingredients are moistened; increase speed to high and beat for two minutes. Divide mixture evenly among prepared muffin cups.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until centers spring back when lightly touched with fingertips. Remove to wire racks and let cool for 10 minutes. Remove cakes from pans and cool.

Trip top of cupcakes evenly with scissors or a knife, if necessary. Cut off a 1/4 inch slice with a sharp knife from top of the cupcakes and reserve slices. Scoop out centers 1/4 inch from the sides and about 1/2 inch deep, almost to the bottom (save the crumbs to layer with chocolate pudding in parfait glasses for a quick dessert; really, it tells you to do this so you must)

Beat heavy cream with powdered sugar and vanilla in a small bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fill centers of cakes with mixture, spreading lightly to the edges. Press reserved slices back on top of cakes. Place cakes top down on a wire rack set over wax paper.

Place frosting in top of a double boiler (or metal bowl over pan) set over simmering water to melt. Hold cakes on a pancake turner (offset spatula would work great) one at a time over the frosting. Spoon frosting over the cake to cover completely, letting the excess drip back into the pan. Use a small metal spatula to slide each cake onto a wire rack set over wax paper. Let set for one hour or until firm.

Combine granulated sugar, water, and the 1/4 cup of orange rind strips in a small skillet. Cook for one minutes or until sugar glaze coats orange strips. Remove with a fork to wax paper, separate slightly, and cool.

Garnish each cake with whipped cream and candied orange peel. Chill until serving time.

*this recipe is from a magazine, but since Michelle cut it out and glued it to a 3x5 card I have no idea which one; I felt obligated to let you know though

Our theme for this week is...

I know I've been markedly absent lately, but we had a whirlwind vacation time and now I'm back.

Our theme this week (well, maybe actually for two weeks since we have so many recipes) is chocolate. Everyone likes chocolate, right? Some people even go so far as to love it. I suppose some people take this too far and become obsessed. Michelle was somewhere right between love and obsessed. Every single time I mentioned any dessert not containing chocolate in her presence, she remarked that it's not really dessert unless it has chocolate in it. Back when she and I would watch a movie every Sunday after family dinner, about halfway through she would run upstairs and return with Lindt truffles for each of us. The super dark, super rich ones, which are, of course, the best ones. When I started looking through the recipe box for chocolate recipes I was a little bit overwhelmed. There are literally dozens of recipes in there, all of which sound delicious. I decided to extend our theme over the next two weeks so that I can use all of my favorites.

This particular recipe appears in at least four separate cards, and in one of the Children's Hospital guild cookbooks (which are fantastic collections of the members' favorite recipes, including some of Michelle's best). I thought it would be the perfect (no pun intended) way to start out our chocolate half-month.

The Perfect Chocolate Cake

9 oz dark chocolate (Linzer or Hershey's Special Dark)
1 stick butter, soft
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup chopped nuts
1/2-2/3 cups chocolate chips
1 Tb Crisco
Nut halves (12-24)

Melt chocolate over very low heat, and set aside.

Beat butter until creamy. Beat in sugars, eggs (one at a time), vanilla and melted chocolate. Beat well. Stir in flour and salt. Stir in chopped nuts.

Butter and flour a 9 inch cake pan. Line with paper. Butter and flour paper. Pour batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until tester comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan, remove from pan and continue cooling on rack.

Melt chocolate chips with crisco (either in microwave or double boiler). Dip nut halves half-way into chocolate and let dry on greased foil. Spread remaining chocolate on top and sides of warm (not hot) cake. Arrange nuts decoratively. Cool completely and cut into 12 wedges.

Taco Salad and Burritos

Our go-to meal (well, second to Papa Murphy's pizza) for family dinner at Michelle's was always burritos. We never did anything fancy with them, but they were always fantastic. We would simply brown a pound of beef with seasonings or even a can of green chile; heat up a can of refried beans; chop up lettuce, tomato, and onion; shred some cheese; and set out a jar of salsa and a tub of sour cream. Someone would put some beans and meat on each tortilla (which were usually heated in the cast iron skillet) and take two to each diner. Then it was just fill it with what you want and eat. Sometimes we would chop up an avocado if there was a ripe one at the store. Sometimes we even used shredded chicken instead of beef. It's so incredibly easy, but also amazingly delicious. There's nothing pretentious about it, which is perfect for family dinner.

If I was feeling healthy at the time, I would often tear up some extra lettuce and turn my burrito into a taco salad. I love taco salad, and could probably eat it every day and be perfectly happy. I know that everyone has their own way to make taco salad, and this recipe is really quite basic, but I wanted to put it in here anyhow.

Taco Salad
Serves 4-6

1 onion
4 tomatoes
1 head lettuce
1 avocado
1 15 oz. can red kidney beans
4 oz grated cheese
8 oz 1000 Island dressing
hot sauce
1 bag Fritos or Doritos
1 lb. ground beef
1/4 tsp. salt

Chop onions, tomatoes, and lettuce. Toss with cheese, dressing and hot sauce (to taste). Crunch and add corn ships. Slice and add avocado. Brown ground beef and beans and salt. Simmer for 10 minutes and mix with cold salad. Garnish with corn chips, avocado, and tomato slices. Serve immediately.

Mexican Wontons

Today, Kyle, Athena and I went out to lunch with some women from Michelle's book club. It was a lovely day, and we sat next to the sandbox (can you say built-in babysitter) and there was even another toddler, Jackson, for Athena to play with. All in all it was a lovely lunch. Kyle and I had stopped by Michelle's house on the way down there to grab some of her mini-collection of little heart shaped jewelry boxes. We wanted to give them out so that everyone could have a little something to remember Michelle by. They are just so Michelle. They're heart shaped, and designed to hold tiny things that you hold dear. When we emptied them out we found one full of matches, one full of tiny soaps long past their prime, one full of hat pins from various places, and even one full of single earrings who had lost their mate. Just like Michelle for every little thing to have it's place.

That story has absolutely nothing to do with the recipe I'm posting today, except for perhaps the fact that my salad for lunch had wonton wrappers on it. I just wanted to share our lovely day with everyone.

Mexican Wontons

Salsa:
1 large tomato, chopped
1/2 can chopped green chiles, drained
2 Tb minced red onion
1 Tb minced cilantro
1 tsp lime juice
1/8 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients and chill.

Wontons:
1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 can chopped green chiles, drained
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 Tb chopped cilantro
1/8 tsp cayenne
16 egg roll wrappers

Brown beef in skillet and remove when cooked through. Add onion and garlic and cook until tender. Add chili powder and cook for 1 minute. Return meet, add remaining ingredients (except wrappers) and 1/2 cup of water. Cook for 5 minutes.

Layer two wrappers together and spoon 1/4 cup of the beef mixture into the center. Brush the edges with water, gather edges together, and pinch to seal. Repeat for remaining wrappers.

Deep fry at 375 degrees in 3 inches of oil for 3 minutes. Drain. Serve with salsa.

Mexican Avocado Cheese Pie

It has been a long week and I, quite frankly, have no energy to write anything interesting, funny and/or exciting here. Fill it in for yourself. I do, however, wish I had purchased the ingredients to make this tonight, but, alas, I have not and I am too lazy go to the store. Next week perhaps?

Mexican Avocado Cheese Pie

Butter
6 6 inch tortillas
1/2 onion, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, chopped
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
3 eggs
2 Tb flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup milk
1 1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 ripe avocado, sliced
taco sauces

Butter a round baking dish (8 inch) or 9 inch pie plate. Line with tortillas, overlapping on the bottom and overhanging 1/2 inch at the top.

Place onions on tortillas, then tomatoes, and then chiles. Beat eggs and mix with flour, salt, baking powder, and milk. Stir in cheese. Pour into baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

Place avocado slices in spoke fashion on top of pie and bake for 5 minutes more. Let stand for 5 minutes and cut into wedges. Serve with taco sauces.

Cheese Chalupas

When I first read through this recipe I thought to myself, "Wait a gosh darn minute here. This is a tostada, not a chalupa. When I post it I should make sure to point that out. Wait another gosh darn minute. I should probably look up the difference between a chalupa and a tostada before I go making wild claims that Michelle had something wrong on one of her recipes." So I looked it up on Wikipedia. Turns out I was wrong, and Michelle was right. Well, actually we were both right. Apparently a chalupa is a tostada platter. I had no idea. I guess I never really knew what a chalupa is (thanks, Taco Bell for confusing me with your deep fried concoction). Now I know.

Semantics aside, I think this recipe looks fantastic. It has all of my favorite things about Mexican food, and it's meat free. Now, our little family is far from vegetarian, but it is nice to find some meat-free recipes to use now and then.

This recipe brings up a point I want to share with everyone though. As we get further and further into the recipe box we're coming across quite a few recipes that neither Kyle nor I have any stories to associate with them. They simply look delicious. When this is the case I'll just put in some of my own humor and flavor (see, I'm good a puns) into the post. The whole point of the blog is the recipes anyhow, so I figured no one would mind.

Cheese Chalupas
Serves 4

1 16 ounce can red beans, drained
1 cup cubed cheddar cheese (4 ounces)
1 4 ounce can green chiles, rinsed, seeded and halved
1 slice onion
1 tsp ground cumin
8 corn tortillas
2 cups shredded lettuce
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 medium avocado, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese (2 ounces)

In blender, combine beans, cubed cheese, chiles, onion, cumin, and 1/4 tsp salt. Cover and blend until combined (should be a bit lumpy). Spread 1/4 cup of the bean mixture over each tortilla. Place on a baking sheet and broil 4-5 inches from heat for 4-5 minutes or until cheese bubbles. Remove from oven. Stack two tortillas, bean side up, on each plate. Top with lettuce, tomato, avocado, and cheese.

This week's theme is...

Kyle really wants me to put Michelle's Stacked Enchiladas recipe on here, so the theme this whole week is Mexican food. I know that we just did enchiladas last week, but stacked enchiladas are different. Quite different. The ingredients are the same, but the method is completely different. The resulting flavor and texture is quite different from normal enchiladas. Plus it's easier. This is definitely Kyle's favorite recipe his mom ever made, and is usually what he asks for on his birthday. As far as I know it is a Michelle original, but it has never been written down (to my knowledge) so please bear with me as I try to write it from memory.

You will need to find a round casserole pan that is the same-ish diameter as your tortillas, otherwise it's kinda hard to get it together nicely. Feel free to use any size of tortilla you can find, just as long as it fits your pan.

Stacked Enchiladas
Serves 6-ish

1 lb. of ground beef
Taco seasoning, or your own seasoning concoction
1 14.5-ish ounce can enchilada sauce
1 28-ish ounce can refried beans
1 bunch scallions, chopped
Shredded cheddar cheese (I never measure this, sorry)
Sour cream
Salsa

Brown your ground beef in a skillet with the taco seasoning. When cooked through, drain as much of the fat off as you can.

Liberally spray your Stacked Enchilada Pan with Pam. Pour a small amount (maybe 2 TB) of enchilada sauce into the bottom, then top with one tortilla. Pour more sauce (same small amount) on top of the tortilla. Then add maybe 1/2 cup of refried beans on top of the sauce. Add about 1/2 cup of the beef, then a handful of the chopped scallions, and some cheese (I don't measure, but I add enough that the vast majority of the surface is covered with cheese). Repeat these layers until either the pan is full or you run out of ingredients. The amounts you put in each layer may have to be altered to make sure it all fits, but it's not a problem if some layers are bigger than others. Make sure that you end with a good layer of cheese to make the crunchy top.

Put the pan in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until it is heated through and all the cheese on the top has created a nice crunchy crust. If it starts to get too brown, you can cover it with foil to prevent further cheese browning.

You can make the enchiladas ahead of time, refrigerate them, and cook them right before serving, but make sure to let it come to room temperature before cooking or it will take forever to heat through.

Serve topped with salsa, sour cream, and some remaining chopped scallions.

*There are endless variations of this recipe. Michelle often used shredded chicken instead of the beef. I have toyed with the idea of layering it in a 9x13 pan and cutting the tortillas into strips so I can make it to serve more people (adjusting all ingredients accordingly, of course). You can use jack cheese, or even pepper jack if you're feeling spicy. You can add a jalapeno to your ground beef as you cook, or some onions. See? Endless variations.

This week's theme is...

Camping! Except that since we're going camping tomorrow for the rest of the week, it's really only the theme for today. When Michelle started coming with my family on our annual camping trip, of course, she wanted to do her fair share of the cooking. Since the first day's dinner is usually the most stressful (since we all just got there and we're all tired from setting up camp) we decided to give that one to Michelle. I promise it wasn't that we were trying to be mean, but she just stayed in my folks' RV so she didn't have much setting up to do. The first year she impressed us all by coming up with two already-prepared pans of chicken enchiladas that we just had to throw in the oven. Why none of the rest of us thought of that is still a mystery to me. For the next four years we had Michelle's chicken enchiladas for the first dinner of our trip. Once, my brother even told her she couldn't come unless she made them. To be perfectly honest, it feels really weird to be going on the camping trip without chicken enchiladas tomorrow night.

The traditional camping enchiladas were definitely not this recipe. They were just typical enchiladas with meat, cheese, enchilada sauce, and tortillas put together in some magical way by Michelle. I found this recipe in the recipe box and just couldn't resist putting it up here for you.

Chicken Onion Enchiladas
Serves 4-6

2 medium sweet Spanish Onions
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tb oil
1 small green pepper
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
2 cans (5 oz each) chicken meat (or you could just shred up 10 ounces of chicken)
1 small jalapeno, minced
salt
6 small flour tortillas
1 cup sour cream
chicken broth
chopped parsley

Peel and thinly slice onions, and separate into rings (should be about four cups). Saute in oil with garlic until soft. Stir in pepper, cheese, chicken, jalapeno, and salt to taste. Heat through. Spoon onto center of tortillas. Roll up and place in shallow, buttered casserole dish. Spoon any additional filling around edges. Dilute sour cream with chicken broth to thin cream consistency. Spoon over enchiladas. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Baste with additional broth if top dries. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

In addition to this enchilada recipe I found another that I simply cannot keep from you. It would make me a bad person to keep this one to myself. I should let you know that this is not Michelle's original recipe, but it came from a magazine.

Crab and Green Chile Enchiladas

8 corn tortillas
2 cups green chile sauce (recipe follows)
1 cup cooked crabmeat
3/4 cup purple Bermuda onion, chopped
2 cups jack cheese, grated
2 cups sour cream

Lightly fry tortillas in 2 inches of oil and drain. Dip each into the green chile sauce. Heat four plates in the oven and place 2 tortillas on each. Place 2 Tb crab in a strip down the center of each tortilla. Combine onion, cheese, and sour cream and dollop generously over crabmeat. Fold bottom of tortilla up over filling, fold one side over, and roll closed. Place plates in 350 degree oven and heat for 10-15 minutes. Top with warmed green chile sauce.

Green Chile Sauce

1 Tb butter or lard
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 Tb. flour
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1+ cup green chiles, chopped (fresh or frozen)
1 clove of garlic, crushed
3/4 tsp salt
dash of cumin

Melt fat over medium heat. Add onion and saute until limp (3-4 mins). Stir in flour and mix well. Add stock, chiles, garlic, salt, and cumin. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Fusilli with Creamy Spinach Sauce

I am a big fan of spinach. I use it all the time, even though Kyle says he doesn't like it very much (he almost always eats it, and often says he ended up liking it, but that's a whole different story). I never really had spinach as a child, because my mom probably doesn't like it. Or maybe my dad. I never really know. I suppose that's why the last post had spinach in it, as does this one. For some reason I just love spinach and love finding new ways to use it. That being said, for the first time on this blog I am posting something that doesn't necessarily appeal to my personal palate. It's not that it sounds bad at all, as it actually sounds great. It's just that it has mushrooms. I'm just not a big fan of mushrooms. If I were making it for my family I would probably make it without the mushrooms and just not tell Kyle they were supposed to be there. Or, actually, I'd probably just make it as is and put all of my mushrooms on Kyle's plate. Lucky for me he always eats my mushrooms, pickles, and tomatoes. Just like a good husband should.

Sorry that this post was rather Caitlin-oriented and not about Michelle at all, but for some reason I'm having a tough time thinking about her today. You'll all just have to forgive me.

Fusilli with Creamy Spinach Sauce

1/2 package (16 oz) fusilli
1/2 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup butter
1 package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
1/4 lb boiled ham, julienned
1/2 cup slivered sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped parsley
2 cloves garlic
1 cup cream
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup parmesan

Cook fusilli and drain. Saute mushrooms in butter until golden brown. Add spinach, ham, tomatoes, parsley, and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients (except cheese) and salt and pepper and cook until thickened. Add pasta and cheese. Toss and serve.

Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi

I have always wanted to make my own gnocchi, but it seemed just too difficult and frustrating. According to this recipe, it shouldn't be. I have nothing special to write, as I am off to make this for breakfast. Ok, not really, but I wish I was.

Spinach and Ricotta Gnocchi
Serves 4-6

2 cups cooked, squeezed, and minced spinach
1 1/2 cups ricotta
2 small eggs, beaten
1/4 cup grated parmesan
4 tsp flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
nutmeg to taste
pepper to taste
1 cup bechamel sauce
1/2 cup grated parmesan
butter

Combine spinach, ricotta, eggs, 1/4 cup parmesan, flour, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Shape into 32 walnut-sized balls and poach in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 5 minutes or until they float. Transfer to a buttered baking dish and nap (apparently this mean just to coat each piece with some of the sauce) with bechamel. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup parmesan and dot with softened butter. Run under the broiler until golden.

Cheese Manicotti with Tomato Sauce

Even thought Michelle's family was not Italian, and the family she married into didn't necessarily act Italian, her married name was Luccio. This was all she needed to turn herself into quite an accomplished Italian chef (I apologize to anyone who has an Italian grandmother who would probably scoff at our American version of Italian cooking). She always made lasagne to go beside her Swedish meatballs on Christmas Eve. Rarely was a meal served without crusty bread of some sort. And she made amazing manicotti. I, personally, can make a pretty good manicotti with a trusty jar of pasta sauce from the store, but of course Michelle's manicotti recipe comes along with a recipe for the tomato sauce. I do feel obligated to let you know that we did find this recipe torn out of a magazine and pasted to a 3x5 card in the recipe box, but I'm typing it from the handwritten card that Michelle copied it to. That counts as her recipe right?

Cheese Manicotti with Tomato Sauce

Manicotti Filling:
1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup cubed mozarella
1/3 cup grated parmesan
1 egg
1 egg yolk
salt and pepper

Puree in food processor in small batches. Cover and chill for one hour.

Tomato Sauce:
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 lbs tomatoes chopped into large pieces
1 T tomato paste
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
2 spring parsley*
3 sprigs thyme*
1 bay leaf*
*All tied together in a bouquet garni (google it, I don't know what it is either)
2 cups broth

Cook the onion and celery in 1 Tb. butter and 1 Tb. olive oil over medium heat until softened. Add remaining ingredients except broth and cook, stirring constantly, for two minutes. Cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and simmer for 15 minutes more. Add broth and cook over medium heat for 50 minutes to one hour, or until sauce has reduced to 2 1/3 cups. Puree.

Spread 1/2 cup tomato sauce into buttered 15 1/2 inch gratin dish. Divide cheese mixture among 12 cooked manicotti shells (or the manicotti pancakes below, rolled and placed seam side down) and arrange them on the sauce. Pour 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce over the manicotti. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup parmesan and dot with 3 Tb. butter. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

If you are feeling surprisingly adventurous, the printed recipe also has the recipe for the "manicotti pancakes." Kyle says he thinks Michelle usually just bought shells, but he did admit that she has been known to make her own pasta so you never know. I don't think this step is necessary, but it just feels wrong to leave it out. I'm just typing it straight from the card, so please excuse if the wording is weird.

Manicotti Pancakes
In a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in a blender blend 2/3 cup each of flour and milk, 2 eggs, and 1/4 tsp salt for 5 seconds. Turn the motor off and with a rubber spatula scrape down the sides of the container. Blend the batter for 20 seconds more. Transfer the better to a bowl and let it stand, covered with plastic wrap, for 1 hour.

Heat a 6 to 7 inch crepe pan (preferably iron) over medium high heat until it is hot. Brush the pan lightly with clarified butter or oil. Heat the fat until it is hot but not smoking, and remove the pan from the heat. Add 2 Tb. water to the batter. Stir the batter, half-fill a 1/4 cup measuring cup with it, and pour the batter into the pan. Quickly tilt and rotate the pan so that the batter covers the bottom in a thin layer and return any excess batter to the bowl. Return the pan to the heat, loosen the edge of the pancake from the pan with a metal spatula, and cook the pancake until the underside is lightly browned. Turn the pancake and brown the other side. Transfer the pancake to a plate or clean tea towel. Make pancakes with the remaining batter in the same manner, brushing the pan lightly with clarified butter or oil as necessary. Stack the pancakes and keep them warm, covered with a clean tea towel.

The pancakes may be prepared in advance, stacked, wrapped in plastic wrap, and refrigerated or frozen. Makes about 12 pancakes.

Now that is how you make manicotti.

This week's theme is...

This week we're doing pasta recipes simply because I like pasta and there are a ton of pasta recipes in Michelle's recipe box. I have no stories associated with the first recipe I picked, it just has a fantastic name, is absurdly easy, and sounds delicious (but dangerous).

Fatman Fettuccine
Serves 3

1/2 lb fettuccine
1/2 cup shredded prosciutto
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1/4 cup warm cream
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

Cook fettuccine in salted boiling water until done (about 8 mins or however long the package says). Meanwhile, toss butter into large serving dish and place in just warm oven.

Drain noodles quickly and dump into the serving dish. Toss until coated with butter and add parmesan, prosciutto, and cream until mixed. Serve on hot plates.

Crema al Limona con la Fragola

Since this recipe is in Italian, I still have no idea if I really know what it's supposed to be. Based solely on the ingredients and instructions I think it sounds delicious though. It also fits perfectly with our theme this week (well, this half of a week anyhow) of lemons and berries. Which brings me to another point. From this point on we will be doing a theme every week or so. We have yet to choose any more themes to use after this, but I'm sure we'll get to that at some point. If anyone who reads this has any suggestions for themes we should use please send them along. Now on to the recipe for what I assume is something along the lines of Strawberries with Lemon Cream. If I'm way off base here please let me know.

Crema al Limona con la Fragola

2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tb lemon juice
2 Tb brandy
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 quart strawberries
1 bottle modest Italian white wine (Frascati Fontana Candida is suggested)
powdered sugar
lemon peel, cut into thin strips; or camellia leaves

Place cream in small bowl and beat until slightly thickened. Continue beating while gradually adding lemon juice, sugar, brandy, and lemon peel. Refrigerate for several hours.

Do not wash or stem berries. Marinate in wine for 30 minutes. Drain. Half or slice berries (it doesn't say so in the recipe, but I'm assuming you remove the stems here). Toss with 2-3 Tb powdered sugar. Pile berries in glass bowl or individual dishes. Top with lemon cream. Garnish with lemon peel or washed leaves. Serve (I love that the actual recipe cards says to serve it. As if you would do something else with it. Leave it to Michelle to make sure we didn't miss a single thing).

Lemon Ice Cream with Blueberry Sauce

So apparently summer has kept us way too busy to be sitting in front of the computer, but some free time popped up and with the heat showing up all of a sudden it seemed like a good time to share an ice cream recipe. This is a three parter: meringue, ice cream and the sauce. It may take a little time but believe me, it is worth the effort.

Italian Meringue for Fruit Ice Creams

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
2 egg whites
1/8 tsp cream of tarter
1/8 tsp salt (optional)

Combine sugar and water in a small heavy pan. Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil to 240 degrees (soft ball). Beat egg whites with salt and cream of tartar until stiff. Add hot syrup to whites in slow, thin stream, beating at high speed until very stiff (about 5 minutes). Cover and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.

Lemon Ice cream

Meringue base
1 Tb grated lemon rind (approx. 2 lemons)
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy cream

Combine rind with sugar. Press with spoon. Stir in lemon juice. Cover and refrigerate. Beat cream until stiff. Fold into cooled meringue. Stir lemon mix and fold in. Freeze.

Blueberry Sauce

1 cup blueberries
1-2 Tb sugar
2 Tb lemon juice
1 Tb water

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute while stirring gently. Pour into bowl, cover and chill.

Pretty simple over all, just a little downtime between steps. But that should give you some time to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine and build the anticipation for a very delicious summer treat!

Kyle

*Note: Kyle mistakenly thought the recipe said honey when it said water, so I fixed them. It's an understandable mistake as Michelle apparently abbreviated water as HOH instead of H2O like a normal person. HOH looks surprisingly like HON, which would be an acceptable abbreviation for honey.

Minestrone

I am down visiting my parents for the week, and I remembered one of Michelle's recipes that she has shared with my entire family. One week my parents happened to be up here on Sunday evening, and, being the consummate hostess, Michelle invited them to Family Dinner at her house. It (thankfully) was Michelle's turn to cook and she made us minestrone. I had eaten her minestrone many times, but my parents had yet to experience it. Needless to say, they loved it. They asked for the recipe, and since then it has found it's way to at least two of my aunts. It is a fantastic recipe, and since Michelle was kind enough to share it with my family, I would like to share it with all of you. Now I know you may have had minestrone before, but I assure you you have never had any as good as this. Make it. Make it right now. Your belly will thank you.

Michelle's Minestrone

2 Tb olive oil
4 links mild Italian sausage
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large white onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes with their juice (I prefer crushed tomatoes; less watery)
2 cans chicken stock (I'm assuming these are 14.5 ounce cans)
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried red chile flakes
1 can great northern beans
2 cups dried pasta (small shells, ditalini, or something else mini)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
grated Parmesan cheese

Heat 2 Tb olive oil in large heavy pot on medium high heat. Brown sausage on all sides. Add 1/2 cup water, reduce heat, cover and cook until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from pot and reserve. When cool, slice into 1/4 inch rounds.

Discard water from pot and return to burner. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute for 10 mintues. Add peppers and saute for another 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, stock, sausage slices, and seasonings. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in lots of boiling, salted water until almost done (1 minutes less than the package says for al dente). Drain and rinse.

Add beans to soup and simmer for 15 minutes. Add pasta and peas and simmer for 10 minutes.

Serve topped with Parmesan cheese.

Mushroom Hors D'oeuvres

Hi,I'm Kyle, and I am Michelle's son (for those of you who are reading this but might not know a lot about her). My wife, Caitlin, started this blog and I am so grateful to her for sharing my mom's wonderful gift in some way. I thought every now and then I could contribute something and tell some stories and whatnot from my past with my mom. My mom loved to share her abilities and creativity in the kitchen to anyone who wanted to learn and have fun. She would even have cooking classes right in the house and since our family room was open to the kitchen, she could cram in a lot of women! In fact, I never really realized this until now, but her kitchen was set up just like a cooking show kitchen: gas range built into an extended counter that faced the family room with a sink and double wall ovens behind her. And often my brother and I would be sent to the downstairs playroom so we wouldn't interrupt the show! But the funny thing was, she really didn't like the kids in the kitchen when she was cooking. I think when she was in her element it became HER space, her sanctuary. But that's not to say I don't have many many fond memories of the times she did cook with us (which ended up being mostly cookies and sweets but that is beside the point) and those are the stories I will mostly be sharing here. So now that I have rambled on, I thought it would be best to start with one of the few "serious" recipes I ever got to make with my mom. One thing about her was that she loved to throw dinner parties, or organize other people's dinner parties, or even cater them too. And Hors D'oeuvres were always a HUGE thing (presentation, presentation, presentation!). So with out further ado I give you my mom's Mushroom Hors D'oeuvres. I've also included a scan of her original recipe card so you can see how well loved this recipe really was, and of course, that is how you can spot the ones she made the most!



Mushroom Hors D'oeuvres

1 can crescent rolls
1 small package of cream cheese
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
butter
2 Tb. green onions, chopped
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. lemon juice
parmesan

Pat rolls into 9x13" pan. Spread with softened cream cheese. Sauté mushrooms in butter until soft. Stir in the rest of the ingredients and cook until dry. Spread on top of cream cheese. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Avocados stuffed with curried crab

According to Kyle "Michelle loved any food you could rip apart with your hands." In this category falls lobster, oysters (she actually invested in a chainmail glove to wear while shucking oysters so that she didn't slice her hand off), and, of course, crab. I was never privy to a Michelle crab dinner, being lukewarm on crab myself, but I got the skinny from Kyle. It was frowned upon to use silverware of any kind, and if you could get to the meat without a mallet or cracker (is that even possible?) you won brownie points from Michelle. This all being said, about how I'm not a huge fan of crab, I'm dying to try this recipe. I love both avocados and curry with a vengeance, and when combined with crab I have a feeling this would make a lovely treat. I hope you feel the same way

Avocados stuffed with Curried Crab

3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 large egg yolk
2 tsp+ curry powder
1 tsp+ lemon juice
cayenne pepper (no amount given, you're on your own for this one)
salt and pepper
3/4 lb flaked crab
3/4 cup chopped celery
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions
1/3 cup drained and chopped fruit chutney (at least I think that's what is says)
3 large avocados

Combine the mayonnaise with the egg yolk, 2 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp lemon juice, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper. Combine half of this mixture with the crab, celery, scallions and chutney. Peel, halve lengthwise, and pit the avocados. Brush with lemon juice. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Divide crab mixture among avocados, mounding up on the top. Spread with remaining mayo mixture and broil for 3 minutes or until puffed and golden.

Buttered Corn on the Cob

Last night we had barbecued burgers and corn on the cob. Barbecues were always a stable in Michelle's household, and corn was often present. Now, there are plenty of ways to get the butter on to your corn cob, but most of them have drawbacks. Using a knife just gets tedious and messy. My family always just used a half unwrapped stick of butter and held the wrapped end. This also got messy, and you were left with a half stick of partially melted butter at the end of dinner. There are special corn cob buttering devices you can buy, but who wants to spend money on something that does one job and one job only (unless you like buttering corn dogs I suppose). Michelle, of course, had a rather creative way to do it. I know that she's not the only one who butters corn this way, but I learned it from her, so here you go. Take one heel of bread (stale, fresh, whatever, just make sure it's at least semi-pliable). Butter the bread heavily. Hold the heel, butter side up, in the palm of your hand so that when you roll your hand up it makes a taco shape. Roll the corn around in this bread and butter taco until every kernel is properly buttered. You should be able to share the bread around the whole table, re-buttering as necessary. No one really likes eating the heel from a loaf of bread anyway, so there really isn't any waste with this plan. Everybody wins.

Recipe for a warm Summer day

I picked today's recipe not because it reminds me of Michelle, or even is anything special she made for her kids (not that I know of at least), but because it's warm out today. When I found this card in the recipe box I immediately wanted to make some for Athena and I to enjoy outside in the sun this afternoon. Sadly, I don't have the ingredients on hand (stupid orange juice concentrate), but rest assured I will be making some soon. I do have memories of making Orange Julius with my mom when I was little, so I figured it was still appropriate to post on this blog.

Orange Julius

3/4 cup milk
6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate
1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
12-14 ice cubes
1/2 cup water

Blend ingredients at high speed and serve immediately.

Easy, right? Enjoy.

Coffee Mousse

Michelle loved coffee. A whole pot in the morning, a triple mocha on the way to Curves in the afternoon, and sometimes even some right before dinner. She even purchased a special thermal french press coffee pot for camping excursions. I'm pretty sure that at one point Kyle and I had to give up our coffee pot because Michelle's broke and she could not survive without a functioning coffee pot. The next time it broke (it got a lot of use, remember?) she broke out the old-school metal boil-on-the-stove espresso maker (you know the ones I'm talking about right?). She has four or five cork backed placemats that match her dishes, each of which is forever stained with coffee from years of use as a breakfast tray. See, I wasn't lying when I said Michelle loved coffee. I asked Kyle today for a dessert recipe that Michelle made and loved, and he decided on Coffee Mousse. Make, and enjoy, especially if you have to stay up all night because you have a French test in the morning and have failed to study at all.

Coffee Mousse
Serves 6-8

3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 envelope Knox gelatin
1/4 cup Kahlua
2/3 cup strongly brewed coffee
dash of salt
2 Tb sugar
2 cups heavy cream
2 Tb Kahlua

Beat egg yolks in a large bowl, adding sugar gradually until mixture is pale yellow. Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup liqueur and let stand. Heat coffee with gelatin and liqueur in heavy saucepan and beat mixture into yolks. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over medium heat just until mixture simmers. Remove to bowl and cool.

Beat egg whites with salt until foamy. Add sugar gradually and beat until stiff.

Beat cream with 2 Tb liqueur until stiff.

Fold whites into cooled coffee mixture. Fold in whipped cream. Spoon into dessert dishes and refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Can be frozen and thawed in fridge.

Garnish with instant coffee or chocolate-covered espresso beans.

Super Crispy Bread

Flash back to about 6 or 7 years ago with me for a moment. We has just started family dinners at Michelle's house with Kyle (her son, my husband) and Jared (Kyle's older brother). At that point in time I was rather novice cook, but it was my turn so I put on my big girl underpants and planned a menu. As if cooking in your future mother-in-law's kitchen isn't intimidating enough, I had to cook in my future mother-in-law's kitchen, who just so happened to be a semi-professional chef. I believe I made lasagne. It was the one dish I knew I could cook and everyone would like it. I had brought a loaf of bread to go with it (not traditional garlic bread, but the kind with the whole cloves of garlic in it). About ten minutes before the lasagne was done I went to put the bread in the oven so it could heat up before serving, you know, like normal people do. Michelle asked me what I was doing, and I believe my response was "Putting the bread.....in.....the....oven?" She snatched the bread from me, and, to my horror, stuck it under running water. I resisted the urge to ask her what on earth she was doing to the bread I brought for us, but then I thought maybe she was offended that I had bought bread rather than baked it myself. I stood there dumbfounded while she threw it into the oven dripping wet. When she looked up at me I must have looked like the most confused person on earth, and, of course, she laughed at me. Nice huh? After she was finished laughing she explained to me that getting the crust of the bread wet before baking it makes the crust crunchier, which is always better than only semi-crunchy crust. I still didn't quite believe her until I started slicing the loaf. Amazingly, she was right.

I figured this would make a good first kitchen tip for everyone. Run your loaf of store-bought bread (or homemade if you're crazy like that) under water, then throw it in the oven for 5-10 minutes before serving. You'll have lovely, crunchy crust with a warm soft center to go with it. I know it feels weird to run a loaf of bread under the faucet, but, trust me, it works and you'll never go back to the old way again. And don't forget to use real butter; it's so much better than the fake stuff.

Swedish Meatballs

Holiday traditions were always important for Michelle. Actually, holidays in general were always important. There were extensive decorations for every single holiday (especially Valentine's Day and Halloween), and often a traditional meal for every one. Michelle's family's Christmas Eve tradition included a Swedish Smorgasbord. The meal evolved from traditional Smorgasbord fare, to a more potluck type event. The only requirement was that everyone was supposed to bring a dish from their family heritage. From Michelle's kitchen came lasagne (her married name was Luccio afterall) and the most fantastic Swedish Meatballs around. I only had the pleasure of eating these for Christmas Eve once, which just so happened to be last year. Sadly, this has resulted in my current lack of interest in IKEA meatballs (I'm sorry, IKEA meatballs, but our love affair was never meant to last). Happily, Michelle's original recipe exists in print, so it is with this recipe that I start this little blog. Enjoy, and if you can't wait until Christmas Eve to make them I totally understand and will not judge you at all. I may, however, show up at your house for dinner.

Swedish Meatballs

1.5 lbs ground beef
1 small onion, grated
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups half & half, divided
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 Tb flour
1 tsp instant beef broth (beef buillon, right?)

Combine beef, onion, bread crumbs, eggs, 1/2 cup of half & half, salt, and spices and mix well. Form into walnut-sized balls and place on lightly greased shallow baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until brown.

Measure 2 Tb of fat from the baking pan (if there isn't enough fat, use butter to equal 2 Tb) and place in a large saucepan. Stir in flour and instant broth. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes. Whisk in 1.5 cups half & half and continue cooking and stirring until sauce comes to boil. Simmer for 1 minute. Add meatballs and simmer over low heat until hot.

Serve in a chafing dish or over hot buttered noodles.