Sweet Chex Mix

Here's a recipe Meghan sent me several months ago. I'm posting it here so I always know where to find it :)

1 lb white chocolate
6 cups Crispex
3 cups Cheerios
2 cups dry roasted mixed nuts
2 cups pretzel sticks
1 large bag of M&Ms

Melt chocolate. While melting, stir rest of the ingredients together. Pour in white chocolate and stir well. Pour mixture onto waxed paper and allow to cool. Break up into pieces.

Sopa de Lima (Yucatan Lime Soup)

Chris and I enjoyed this soup while in Mexico a few months ago. Allow me to pat myself on the back when I say that the version I made tonight was better than what we had in the Yucatan :) I'm surprised how much of an afterthought the limes are in this recipe - the juice is squeezed in right before serving. The fresh avocado and cilantro are super important garnishes, so don't skip them!

This recipe comes from Emeril Lagasse.

Ingredients

• 8 corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• Salt
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 celery rib, thinly sliced
• 1 carrot, thinly sliced
• 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano, crumbled
• 1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
• 8 cups chicken stock or canned low sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 green onions, finely chopped
• 3 limes, juiced (about 1/3 cup)
• 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted and coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Cut the tortillas into 1/4-inch strips. Heat the oil in a medium skillet and, when very hot, fry the tortilla strips, in small batches, until lightly golden and crisp, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain. Season with salt, to taste. Repeat until all tortilla strips have been fried. Set fried tortilla strips aside and reserve the vegetable oil.

Transfer 1 tablespoon of the reserved cooking oil to a large saucepan and add the chopped onion, celery, carrot, and jalapeno pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaf, and Mexican oregano and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomato and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring, until the tomato is softened and has released its liquid and the mixture is nearly dry, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and chicken breasts and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a slow simmer and cook until the chicken is just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken from the soup and set aside until cool enough to handle. Allow soup to continue simmering.

When the chicken has cooled a bit, shred into bite size pieces and return to the pot along with the green onions and lime juice. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is heated through and the soup is piping hot. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and ladle the soup into wide soup bowls, with a handful of tortilla strips added to each bowl. Garnish with the avocado and cilantro and serve immediately.

Appetizers

Not sure if I have posted this here before, so please forgive me if I have. But, this link has a very handy list of 101 simple appetizers that can be prepared in 20 minutes or less. Could be useful if you are preparing anything for a Super Bowl party on Sunday!

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/19/dining/19mini.html

Hooray for Sisters!

According to a recent study published by the University of Ulster, having a sister increases your odds of being happy and well adjusted. Researchers quizzed 571 people aged 17 to 25 about their lives and found those who grew up with sisters were more likely to be happy and balanced. They said the influence of girls was particularly important after distressing family events such as marital break-ups.

Women are generally more expressive and open to emotion than men, and often serve as the glue that keeps families close. "Sisters appear to encourage more open communication and cohesion in families," says study author Tony Cassidy. That sense of connection translates into better mental health for the siblings.

Stir-Fried Turkey in Lettuce Wraps

I saw Martha Stewart make this on The Today Show this morning, and it looked so good and so simple. I had every ingredient except the fish sauce on hand, so it was a breeze to throw together. For the vegetarians in the crowd, this could easily be made with tofu, but the fish sauce was pretty crucial to the flavor so perhaps you'd have to find a suitable substitute for that.

1/4 cup soy sauce
4 teaspoons fish sauce
4 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalepeno, seeded and finely chopped
1 pound ground turkey
Bibb, Boston or iceberg lettuce, washed and leaves separated

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, fish sauce and sugar. Stir until sugar dissolves.

Heat a large skillet over high until hot. Add oil and swirl to coat skillet. Add shallot, ginger, garlic and chile. Stir until fragrant (30 seconds). Add turkey and cook, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until almost cooked through (5 minutes). Add half the sauce to the skillet and stir another 2 minutes. Serve in lettuce leaves with remaining sauce. Squeeze with a lime if you have one.

This year at Christmas we received Slow Cookers from Flo and Walt. I have enjoyed making a couple of dishes already this week and look forward to more! I made a Greek Leg of Lamb that, I must admit, was outrageously delicious!!! With the leftovers, I made a creamy soup the next day. Opa!

4 to 5 lb boneless leg of lamb (bought mine at Trader Joes)
2 T olive oil
salt and pepper
In slow cooker on top of stove over med-hi heat, heat oil. Generously sprinkle all sides of lamb with salt and pepper and brown in oil on all sides. Remove from pot and set aside on plate.

1 large onion finely chopped
4 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 T crushed, dried mint leaves
1 T dried oregano
1 t dried thyme
salt and pepper
2 C chicken broth
2 C beef broth
1 1/2 C red wine
Saute onion and garlic in leftover oil in slow cooker on stove top a few minutes. Add dried herbs and stir 1 minute. Add broths and wine, salt and pepper. Bring to simmer. Place rack in liquid and move pot to slow cooker base. Place lamb on top of rack. Cover and set heat to low. Cook 8 hours. Serve with roasted potatoes, pearl onions, eggplant, green and yellow zucchini, all cut in 1 inch cubes (in roasting pan with olive oil, salt and pepper, 400, 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes until done) and homemade Tzatziki Sauce (2 C good Greek yogurt, I use fat free, 3 cloves garlic minced, 1 1/2 T olive oil, 1 t dried dill week, 1/2 C chopped cucumber, squeeze and drain any extra water from cucumber, salt and pepper. Mix all and allow flavors to blend several hours in refrigerator).

If there are leftovers make soup: use remaining au jus and vegetables. Blend and add Tzatziki until desired creaminess. Add shredded meat if desired.

A New Years Day request from Sister Meghan to Sister Mary:
"Can you give me the recipe for Strange Flavor Eggplant?"
Sure can! I learned this recipe from Chef Nancy Kelly probably about 18 years ago. Always delicious as well as intriguing. It's Thai in origin and can be served with cucumber slices, thinly sliced and toasted baguette or sesame crackers.

Strange Flavor Eggplant

1 large eggplant, roasted (Preheat oven 450, poke eggplant all over w/fork, set on cookie sheet in center of oven and roast 1/2 hour, or so, until cooked through. Split in half, cool, scoop out flesh and put into blender or processor and puree)
1 T minced garlic
1 T minced fresh, or jarred, ginger
1/4 C fresh green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 to 1/2 t red pepper flakes
2 T roasted peanut oil


3 T soy sauce
3 T brown sugar
1 t unseasoned rice wine vinegar
1 T hot water
Mix together in a small bowl and set aside.

1/2 t toasted sesame oil

If medium frying pan, heat oil, add ginger garlic, pepper and green onion. Saute to flavor oil. Add pureed eggplant and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Add bowl of sauce mixture and cook 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from stove and add sesame oil. Chill or serve at room temperature.