Help! Need Hungry People!

CG - we can do a playoff weekend instead if it's a busy time for you.

Always happy to share recipes!

The Reuben Spread got a 2 thumbs up
1lb cooked corned beef
1 16oz can sauerkraut, rinsed, drained, and snipped
1.5c shredded Swiss cheese
1c bottled Thousand Island salad dressing
1 3oz pkg cream cheese, cut up
1T prepared horseradish
1t caraway seeds
Rye crisp bread or rye crackers

In a 3.5 or 4-qt slow cooker, combine corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss cheese, salad dressing, cream cheese, horseradish, and caraway seeds
Cover and cook on low heat setting for 2.5-3 hours. Stir before serving
Serve immediately or keep warm, covered, on warm or low heat setting for up to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Serve with rye crisp bread, and if desired pickles.

Avocado Pesto-Stuffed Tomatoes (earned a Delicious from me!)
30 cherry tomatoes, about 1.25pints
1/2 medium avocado, pitted, peeled, and cut up
2oz cream cheese, softened
2T homemade or purchased basil pesto
1t lemon juice
Snipped fresh basil (optional)

Cut a thin slice from the top of each tomato. (If desired, cut a thin slice from bottoms so they stand upright). With a small spoon or small lemon baller, carefully hollow out the tomatoes. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Invert tomatoes on the towels. let stand 30min to drain.

Meanwhile, for filling, in a food processor bowl combine avocado, cream cheese, pesto, and lemon juice. Cover, process until smooth. Spoon filling into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain round or open star tip.

Place tomatoes, open sides up, on serving platter. Pipe filling into the tomato cups. Serve immediately or cover loosely and refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving. Sprinkle with snipped basil before serving.

(I recommend eating them at room temp, chilled would dull the flavor a bit too much. Also, they could use a tiny pinch of salt).

Cranberry-Sauced Sausages (only got an okay)
1 16oz can Jellied Cranberry Sauce
2/3c Ketchup
2T Lemon Juice
1t dry mustard
1/4t ground allspice
1 16oz pkg small cooked smoked sausage links

In a large saucepan, combine cranberry sauce, ketchup, lemon juice, dry mustard, and allspice. Stir in sausage links. Cook over med-high heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Serve immediately or keep warm, covered, in a 1.5-2qt slow cooker on warm or low ehat setting for 2 hours.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup (earned a delicious, Make Again from me AND the kids!)
1c diced onion
1c diced carrots
1c diced celery
1T butter (soft)
1t minced garlic (about 6 cloves)
1t white pepper
2t seasoning salt
1 gallon water
3 beef bouillon cubes
3 chicken bouillon cubes
2c diced, peeled potatoes
1 16oz can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed
1 medium head green cabbage, halved and cut into thin strips
2c diced cooked corned beef
1/2c converted rice

In large soup pot, (we used a large Dutch oven), saute onion, carrots and celery in butter over medium heat until tender
Add garlic, pepper, and seasoning salt stirring well.
Add water, bouillon cubes, potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage, and corned beef
Bring to a boil and cook 45 min
Add rice and cook until done.

Chicken Thighs with Lemon, Olives, and Artichokes
1.5T olive oil
12 bone-in chicken thighs (about 3lbs)
7c water, divided
2.5c finely chopped onion
1/4c chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1t paprika
1t ground cumin
1/2t salt
1/4t saffron threads, crushed
1/4t freshly ground black pepper
5 garlic cloves, minced
10T fresh lemon juice, divided*
12 baby artichokes (we use 1 16oz can, but I love 'em so I made him double that tonight! If using canned, you won't need as much lemon juice - see below)
2t grated lemon rind
3/4c kalamata olives, pitted
6 cilantro sprigs
3c hot cooked couscous (we like steamed rice better, but that's just us, both work fine)

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over med0high heat. Add chicken thighs to pan, saute 4 min on each side or until browned. Add 3 cups water, onion, and next 7 ingredients (through garlic) to pan, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 25 min.

Combine remaining 4 cups of water and 1/4 cup lemon juice. Cut off stem of each artichoke to within 1 inch of base; peel stem. Remove bottom leaves and tough outer leaves, leaving tender heart and bottom. Cut each artichoke in half lengthwise; place in lemon water.

Drain artichokes, pat dry. Add artichokes, remaining 6 tablespoons lemon juice, and rind to chicken mixture. Cover and cook 20 min or until artichokes are tender (*if using the canned artichokes, this is the amount of lemon juice that you need, and only cook until the artichokes are warmed up - they are already cooked and will fall apart if cooked too much longer). Remove chicken and artichokes with a slotted spoon.

Bring liquid to a boil, cook, uncovered, until reduced by half (about 15min). Return chicken and artichokes to pan, stir in kalamata olives. Reduce heat, simmer 3 min or until thoroughly heated. Garnish with cilantro sprigs, if desired. Serve with couscous, or over rice.

Hey Waylon!
I'll try to do a better job of planning ahead next time! We're down here in Lakewood, and I'll PM you directions next time. You bring some music and my hubby will cook all day for ya (Waylon's his favorite)! He doesn't do cooking classes, per se, (he's never had any formal training, just a few classes here and there himself), but he loves to teach others what he does.

Okay - another to share! Yesterday, after going through our latest Cooking Light mag and picking out recipes to try, EM made this one and it was goooooood! (It did need a little more salt though)

Guinness Lamb Stew
http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recip ... 0000109599
Guinness Lamb Stew
Cooking Light
If you can't find Guinness, or if you don't like it, substitute another dark beer.

Total: 3 hours, 20 minutes
Yield: 7 servings
Ingredients

* 8 teaspoons olive oil, divided
* 2 cups chopped onion
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
* 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
* 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 2 1/2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
* 1 teaspoon salt, divided
* 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
* 2 cups Guinness Stout
* 1 tablespoon tomato paste
* 3 cups fat-free, lower-sodium beef broth
* 1 bay leaf
* 2 cups cubed peeled Yukon gold potato
* 2 cups 1-inch-thick diagonally sliced carrot
* 8 ounces baby turnips, peeled and quartered
* 1 tablespoon whole-grain Dijon mustard
* 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
1. Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 2 teaspoons oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, thyme, and rosemary; sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place onion mixture in a large bowl. Place flour in a shallow dish. Sprinkle lamb evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Dredge lamb in flour, and shake off excess. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add half of lamb mixture to pan; sauté for 6 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Add browned lamb to onion mixture. Repeat the procedure with remaining lamb and remaining 1 tablespoon oil.

2. Add beer to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until reduced to 1 cup (about 5 minutes). Return onion mixture and lamb to pan. Stir in the tomato paste; cook 30 seconds. Add broth and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Uncover and stir in potato, carrot, and turnips. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Stir in remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1 tablespoon mustard. Ladle about 1 cup stew into each of 7 bowls; sprinkle evenly with parsley.
Nutritional Information

Calories: 430
Fat: 22.9g (sat 8.3g,mono 11g,poly 2g)
Protein: 26.3g
Carbohydrate: 24.2g
Fiber: 3.4g
Cholesterol: 83mg
Iron: 3.3mg
Sodium: 702mg
Calcium: 50mg

Ivy Manning, Cooking Light, JANUARY 2011

Science Chic wrote: JMC, it only takes 30 min to get to my house from Conifer...Dinner's not til 6...! I just had the tomatoes and they ROCK!!

CG - I have to clean up/pack up the kids play area downstairs so I'm chained to my house today! Maybe next week - we have more recipes to make and try yet...football Sunday at your place...! (Assuming that EM does not overdo it the night before at his company Christmas party and end up recovering Sunday - he's getting too old to shake it off quickly!)

Next on the list:
Chocolate-Dipped Bacon
Jamaican Jerk Shrimp with Tropical Fruit
Italian Grinder Dip
Wild Mushroom Dip
Mexican Seven-Layer Dip
Mexican-Style Meatballs and Mini Sausages
Queso Verde Dip

Just realized that I forgot to update these: the chocolate-dipped bacon was tasty (melt chocloate chip morsels, fry and pat dry bacon - it will stick better to the meat and not so well to the fatty part so buy lean), dip in chocolate, sprinkle with chopped pistachios or favorite kind of nut

Wild Mushroom Dip - boring, do not recommend

Queso Verde Dip - didn't like that either

Haven't tried the rest yet...

We bought a bag of mixed dried mushrooms from Whole Paycheck. I think it had crimini, portabella, and shiitake, plus fresh button mushrooms were added too.