One of the problems of being a Canadian and running The Cooking Blog is that by the time American Thanksgiving has come along, I am on to different topics and foods.  For of you who are looking for something good to cook, 101 Recipes has a wonderful collection of Thanksgiving recipes and photos all ready to be browsed, cooked and eaten.

Around here at The Cooking Blog, we have added a bunch of Thanksgiving Links over the years and all of them can be found here.  We also have some more specific turkey links, tips, and ideas here.  Of course we have quite a few dessert posts and here is a link to some Spice Kissed Pumpkin Pie!

• How do you cook a turkey?
• How to prepare Thanksgiving Day dinner
• How to avoid a Thanksgiving Day disaster
• How to make gravy without lumps
• How to grill up your Thanksgiving turkey
• Amazing barbecued or roasted turkey recipe
• Hearty turkey chili recipe
• Homestyle turkey soup recipe
• Smoked beer can turkey recipe
• New ideas for a classic Thanksgiving
• Beer can turkey recipe
• Dark chocolate and pumpkin cheesecake recipe
• Alternatives to pumpkin pie
• Easy pumpkin pie recipe
• Cider glazed turkey recipe
• Food Network's Thanksgiving Central
• Celebrate Thanksgiving with Epicurious

At least that is what the Amateur Gourmet is saying and I agree with him.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen phyllo dough, thawed
• 1/2 cup plain yogurt
• 3 tablespoons half-and-half cream
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups oil for frying, or as needed

Directions

1. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook until browned. Stir in 1 cup of yogurt, curry powder, chili powder, and 2 tablespoons of cilantro. Cook and stir until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat, and stir in the remaining cilantro.
2. Lay out one sheet of phyllo dough, and cover the rest with a damp towel. Place about 1 tablespoon of the onion mixture onto the corner, not too close to the edge of the sheet of dough, then fold up into fourths toward the opposite side to enclose the filling. Starting with the filled end, fold towards the other end in a triangle shape, pressing the edges with moistened fingers to seal. Repeat with remaining filling and dough.
3. Heat 3/4 inch of oil in a deep heavy skillet over medium-high heat to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together the remaining yogurt, half-and-half, and water. Dip the samosas in the yogurt mixture, then dredge in flour, and shake off the excess.
4. Fry in small batches so they are not touching, for about 4 minutes, turning once. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.

Ingredients

• 2 large potatoes, peeled
• 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 bay leaf, crushed
• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 1 pound ground beef
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons chopped green chile peppers
• 1 quart oil for deep frying
• 1 (16 ounce) package phyllo dough

Directions

1. Bring a medium saucepan of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in potatoes and peas. Cook until potatoes are tender but still firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, mash together and set aside.
2. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, heat the oil. Brown cumin seeds and bay leaf. Mix in onions and ground beef. Cook until beef is evenly brown and onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Mix in garlic, fresh ginger root. Season with black pepper, salt, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chili powder, cinnamon and cardamom. Stir in the mashed potato mixture. Remove from heat and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour, or until cool.
3. Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan over high heat.
4. Mix cilantro and green chile peppers into the potato and beef mixture. Place approximately 1 tablespoon of the mixture onto each phyllo sheet. Fold sheets into triangles, pressing edges together with moistened fingers.
5. In small batches, fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve warm.

• 1 cup of flour
• 1 package of yeast, dry
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup of water, hot
• 1 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
• 1 Egg (room temp)
• 2 tablespoon of oil
• 1 tablespoon of honey or sugar
• 2 1/2 cups of flour
• Butter, melted (optional)

1. Combine 1 cup flour, yeast, and salt in a mixing bowl.  Stir in water, buttermilk, egg, oil and honey. Beat until smooth with an electric mixer. 
2. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a soft, sticky dough. Turn onto a floured surface, continue to work in flour until dough is stiff enough to knead.  Knead until smooth and elastic, but still soft (3 to 5 minutes). 
3. Place in an oiled bowl; turning once to coat top of dough. Cover; let rise until double in bulk (about 45 minutes). Punch dough down. Shape into 16 equal balls.  Let rest 5 minutes. Roll out each ball to a 1/4-inch thick round. 
4. If desired, brush with melted butter and sprinkle with garnishes. Set on baking sheets. Bake at 450 degrees F. for 5 to 8 minutes.

NOTE: There is no second rising in this recipe so that you get flat  loaves.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast
• Salt and pepper
• 2 teaspoons cumin powder
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon Mexican Spice Blend
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• 5 canned whole green chiles, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 4 canned chipotle chiles, seeded and minced
• 1 (28-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 16 corn tortillas
• 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce, canned
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar and Jack cheeses
• Garnish: chopped cilantro leaves, chopped scallions,

My husband took in a recent trade show for restaurants and caterers.  Here is what he saw and tasted.

It’s getting closer to Canadian Thanksgiving around here and to kick things off, here is a Cranberry Salsa Recipe you may want to try out.  This is a quick and easy salsa recipe made with fresh cranberries, apples, cilantro, and chilies that is especially good with turkey, but can be used with any dish that calls for fresh salsa.

The Food Network has an excellent Samosa recipe you will want to try out.  Here is an earlier Samosa recipe I posted on The Cooking Blog.

I am making butter chicken tonight and was out looking for some recipes to try.  All of these look excellent.

• Better Butter Chicken
• Easy Butter Chicken
• Indian Butter Chicken
• Butter Chicken
• Spicy Butter Chicken

Here are some Naan bread recipes to go with it.

• Naan Bread from About.com (here is another one)
• Naan Bread from the Food Network

We have been living in our house for a decade and I have been trying to grow rhubarb the entire time. This is the first year I have succeeded even a little bit and this has me thinking of wonderful rhubarb crisp next summer. I'll link to this recipe so it's there when I need it in 2009.

Some of you have noticed the small changes to the site along the blog roll.  Most links now show updated content which should make it easier to find other tasty sites to check out.  Also, since purchasing a small rustic cabin this summer, I am blogging the repair and renovations of it here.  It's RSS feed can be found here.

• 2 tablespoons garlic - minced (fresh)
• 3 tablespoons  coriander – minced
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 5 ounces soy sauce – light
• 5 tablespoons sugar
• Rice wine (between 1/2 t to 1 T)
• 1 tablespoon hot bean paste -- (up to 2 T)
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 pound lo mein noodles (other -- noodles will do - ramen noodles or even spaghetti)

Cook the lo mein according to directions.  Let cool.  Mix the rest of the ingredients.  Add the sauce to the noodles.

Hot bean sauce also goes by the name szechuan bean sauce etc.  This is the main “spicy” ingredient and should be handled with care.  Vary this ingredient to taste. This recipe is probably very good without it. It's also quite good served when the noodles are still hot.

• 2 c  All-purpose flour
• 1/2 ts Salt
• 1 x  Vegetable oil
• 1/4 ts Baking soda
• 1 x  Milk to mix

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt into  a bowl.  Add enough to form a stiff dough.  Knead the dough well on a lightly floured board, form into 4 or more equal-sized balls.  Roll out the dough thinly to form 8-inch or 12-inch circles.  Then brush on a thin coating of vegetable oil.  Roll into balls again, cover, and allow to stand for 15 minutes at room temperature.

Roll out the dough again and flatten to the original dimensions by patting lightly.  Heat a cast-iron or heavy-bottomed frying pan so that when tested with a drop of water, it sizzles.  Place the rotis, one at a time, in the pan and cook for a minute.  Turn, and spread a thin layer of vegetable oil on the face of each roti, and turn frequently until cooked- when brown flecks appear on the surface. Remove from frying pan and pound between the palms of the until it becomes supple.  Keep rotis warm and moist by covering with a towel. Yields: 4-6 servings

Traditionally rotis are cooked on a flat iron grid called a tawa, but any heavy skillet or griddle can be used. 

Heidi over at 101 Cookbooks has an amazing recipe for Banana Chip Cookie Recipe that you will want to check out this summer.

If you have travelled to Australia, you may have already experienced these hamburgers-with-the-works. Stacked high with sliced beets, bacon, egg, cheese, onions and more, this is a meal-in-a-bun!

• Cooking oil | 1 tbsp.
• Medium onions, thinly sliced | 3
• Large eggs (optional) | 6
• Finely chopped onion | 3/4 cup
• Fresh bread crumbs | 1/3 cup
• Large egg, fork-beaten | 1
• Barbecue sauce | 2 tbsp.
• Salt | 1/4 tsp.
• Pepper | 1/4 tsp.
• Lean ground beef | 1 lb.
• Hamburger buns, split | 6
• Barbecue sauce | 1/3 cup
• Can of sliced beets (12 - 18 slices)
• Cheddar cheese slices | 6
• Medium tomatoes, sliced | 2
• Bacon slices, cooked almost crisp |
• Green leaf lettuce leaves | 6

1. Preheat barbecue to medium. Heat cooking oil on griddle or in large cast-iron pan on barbecue. Add onion. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until softened. Remove onion to medium bowl. Cover to keep warm.
2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Break 3 eggs onto same griddle. When eggs start to set, add about 1 tbsp. (15 mL) water. Cover. Cook for about 1 minute until egg whites are set and yolks reach desired doneness, adding more water if needed. Remove eggs to plate. Cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining 3 eggs.
3. Combine next 6 ingredients in large bowl. Add ground beef. Mix well. Divide and shape into 6 patties, about 5 inches (12.5 cm) in diameter. Increase heat to medium. Cook patties on greased grill for about 6 minutes per side until no longer pink inside.
4. Place buns, cut-side down, on greased grill. Toast until lightly browned.
5. Spread second amount of barbecue sauce on bottom half of each bun. Top each with patty, onion, beets, cheese, egg, tomato, bacon and lettuce. Cover with top half of each bun. Makes 6 burgers.

1. Chili sauce | 1 1/2 cups
2. White vinegar | 1 cup
3. Brown sugar, packed | 1 cup
4. Mustard seed | 2 tsp.
5. Celery salt | 1/2 tsp.
6. Worcestershire sauce | 1 tbsp.
7. Liquid smoke | 1/2 tsp.
8. Minced onion flakes | 1/4 cup
9. Fancy (mild) molasses | 1/2 cup
10. Water | 1/2 cup
11. Cornstarch | 3 tbsp.

Put first 9 ingredients into medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Stir water into cornstarch in small cup until smooth. Gradually stir into chili sauce mixture. Heat and stir until boiling and thickened. Cool. Pour into jars with tight-fitting lids. Keep in refrigerator. Sauce can also be frozen. Makes 4 cups.

Ingredients:

• 5 avocados - peeled, pitted, and mashed
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 minced green onion
• 1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro
• salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Stir together the avocado and lemon juice in a serving bowl; add the green onion and cilantro; mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or store covered in refrigerator with avocado pits in the bowl to keep from browning.

Ingredients

• 2 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - chopped
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 (12 ounce) package corn tortilla chips, or as needed 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
• 1 (7 ounce) can diced green chilies, drained

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, stir together the chicken, vegetable oil, and cayenne pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes, or longer if desired.
2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken mixture, and fry until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from heat, and set aside.
3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spread a thin layer of tortilla chips in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Sprinkle 1/4 of the chicken, 1/4 of the chilies, and 1/4 of the cheese over the chips. Repeat layers ending with cheese on the top.
4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven, until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through. Serve with your favorite nacho toppings.

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 lb. Gruyere cheese, shredded (or 1/2 lb Gruyere + 1/2 lb Emmental cheese
• 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• A splash or two of kirsch (opt)

Toss the cheese with the flour. Rub the interior of a medium saucepan with the peeled garlic. Place over medium heat and add the wine. Bring to a simmer and add the cheese mixture, one handful at a time. Stir in the nutmeg.

Stir over low heat until smooth and cheese is melted and bubbling. Add a splash or two of kirsch (opt). Continue stirring until it starts to bubble just a bit. Transfer the cheese mixture to a fondue pot and you are ready for dipping. Continue to stir frequently.

To dip

• Fruits: sliced bananas, apples, pears, peaches, or pineapples, orange sections, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, blackberries, or grapes.
• Breads: crusty French or Italian bread, pita wedges, fresh tortillas, tortilla chips, croissants, breadsticks, naan, mixed-grain bread, focaccia...
• Blanched vegetables: broccoli, asparagus, green beans, snow peas, or snap peas. Blanch in a pot of lightly salted boiling water for a minute or two to soften them up just a bit.
• Raw or roasted vegetables: cherry tomatoes, red bell pepper slices, celery sticks, roasted potato wedges, roasted sweet potatoes, or roasted mushrooms.

Heidi at 101 Cookbooks has a great recipe for garlic bread over on her blog.

Keith Law has some excellent cooking tips.

Salt. The food police have everyone running scared of good old sodium chloride, but it’s incredibly important from a culinary perspective as a flavor in and of itself and as a flavor enhancer. Salt intensifies other flavors in every dish by hitting the fifth taste known as umami; without salt, most foods will taste bland, flat, or even stale. Salting foods early in the process allows you to use less salt in total because you can often infuse your foods with salt by dissolving salt in the cooking liquid. Pasta water should always be heavily salted, and the cooking liquids for small grains like rice, barley, or quinoa should also have salt. Seasoning the exterior of meats helps prepare the surface for the Maillard reaction that occurs during the application of direct heat on a grill or on a stovetop pan, producing that brown crust that, for me, is the #1 argument against vegetarianism. I prefer kosher salt for most applications because it doesn’t dissolve too quickly and is easily pinched due to the coarse grain size, but I use table salt for baking because kosher salt will not integrate evenly in most doughs and batters.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 1/8 cups warm water - 110 to 115 degrees F (43 to 45 degrees C)
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup corn oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

Directions

1. Dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water in a bowl. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast softens and begins to form a creamy foam.
2. Combine yeast mixture, flour, corn oil, and kosher salt in a large stand mixer with a hook attachment; knead until dough holds together but is still slightly sticky, about 2 minutes.
3. Form dough into a ball and transfer to a buttered bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with a towel and allow dough to rise at room temperature until double in size, 6 hours.
4. Punch down dough and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Press dough into a 10-inch deep dish pizza pan.

 

I have been looking for a great Yorkshire Pudding recipe since watching an episode of Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares which lead to the Campaign for Real Gravy at the The Fenwick Arms.

Here is Gordon Ramsey's recipe for Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding.

Below is a simpler Yorkshire Pudding recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon of salt
• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 3/4 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of beef drippings
• 3/4 cup milk, room temperature

Directions

1. Mix flour and salt together until blended. Make a well in the flour, add the milk, and whisk until consistent. Beat the eggs into the batter. Add water and beat again until the mixture is light and frothy. Set aside for an hour (or, if it's the day before, cover in the fridge overnight).
2. If the batter has been refrigerated, allow it to come up to room temperature before using. When the roast beef is ready to come out of the oven, ready the mixture.
3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C).
4. Pour off drippings from roast beef and measure out desired amount (about 1/2 cup should do). Pour drippings into a 9x12 inch baking dish and place into the oven until the drippings sizzle. Pour the batter over the drippings and bake for 30 minutes (or until the sides have risen and are golden brown). Cut into eight portions and serve immediately.

Makes 4 side servings or 2 main servings

• 4 large russet potatoes
• oil for deep frying
• salt
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups cheese curds

1. Peel and slice the potatoes into thick fries (at least 1 cm thick).
2. Soak the potatoes in ice water for about 30 minutes. Remove and drain well.
3. Heat oil for frying to about 325F and deep fry potatoes for about 8 minutes.
4. Remove from oil and set on paper towel. Turn the oil up to 375F.
5. In a saucepan melt the butter and stir in the flour. Add the beef broth and stir over medium-high heat until thickened. Reduce heat and keep hot. (I use a tiny bit of gravy browning to get that nice dark colour).
6. Return the french fries to the oil and continue frying until golden and crispy. This should take about 5 more minutes. Remove fries to drain on paper towel and salt to taste.
7. Assemble the poutine quick while everything is still HOT. (Poutine is best made in a bowl or other container which will contain the heat and help melt the curds. Also, the curds should be at room temperature before assembling the Poutine). Start with a layer of fries. Put some cheese curds in the middle. Add more fries and top with more cheese curds.
8. Ladle gravy over the fries and cheese curds.

Ingredients

• 2 (7 ounce) cans jalapeno peppers
• 6 ounces shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
• 1 pound pork sausage, hot
• 1 (5.5 ounce) package spicy seasoning coating mix

Directions

1. Slice peppers lengthwise, remove seeds and core; fill with cheese.
2. Roll out sausage with rolling pin, between two layers of plastic wrap. Remove plastic from sausage, and wrap a thin coating of sausage around each jalapeno.
3. Roll peppers in spicy seasoned coating mix.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 15 to 25 minutes or until brown and sizzling and cheese is melted.

Five minutes in the microwave and you've got an appetizer on the table.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup pizza sauce
• 2 tablespoons chopped green bell pepper
• 2 ounces pepperoni sausage, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sliced black olives

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, oregano, parsley, and basil.
2. Spread mixture in the bottom of a 9 inch pie plate, or a shallow microwave-safe dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese on top of the cream cheese mixture. Spread the pizza sauce over all. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, then top with green pepper, pepperoni and olive slices. Cover, and microwave for 5 minutes. Serve hot.

• 100% beef hot dogs
• Poppy seed bun
• Yellow mustard
• Sweet relish (of the neon green variety)
• Freshly chopped onions
• Dill pickle slice / spear
• Tomato slices
• Sport peppers
• Dash of celery salt

• 12 chicken wings (about 2 pounds)
• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
• 2 to 3 tablespoons bottled hot pepper sauce
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• Salt (optional)
• Pepper (optional)
• 1/2 cup dairy sour cream
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise or salad dressing
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar or white vinegar
• Crumbled blue cheese (optional)
• Celery sticks

1. Preheat broiler. Cut off and discard tips of chicken wings. Cut wings at joints to form 24 pieces. Place chicken pieces in a shallow nonmetal pan.
2. For sauce, in a small mixing bowl stir together melted margarine or butter, hot pepper sauce, and paprika. Pour mixture over chicken wings, stirring to coat. Cover chicken and let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
3. Drain chicken, reserving sauce. Place chicken pieces on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper, if desired. Brush with some of the reserved sauce.
4. Broil chicken 4 to 5 inches from the heat about 10 minutes or until light brown. Turn the chicken pieces; brush again with the reserved sauce. Broil for 10 to 15 minutes more or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
5. Meanwhile, in a blender container or food processor bowl combine sour cream, mayonnaise or salad dressing, the 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese, garlic, and vinegar. Cover and blend or process until smooth. If desired, top dip with additional crumbled blue cheese before serving. Serve with wings and celery sticks and dip. Makes 12 appetizer servings.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
• 2 (6.5 ounce) cans canned tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 12 lasagna noodles
• 16 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 pound mozzarella cheese, sliced
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, onion, and garlic over medium heat until well browned. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, pepper, and 2 tablespoons parsley. Simmer, covered, for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook lasagna noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes. Drain noodles, and rinse with cold water. In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
4. To assemble, spread 1 1/2 cups of meat sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange 6 noodles lengthwise over meat sauce. Spread with one half of the ricotta cheese mixture. Top with a third of mozzarella cheese slices. Spoon 1 1/2 cups meat sauce over mozzarella, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese. Repeat layers, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil: to prevent sticking, either spray foil with cooking spray, or make sure the foil does not touch the cheese.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil, and bake an additional 25 minutes. Cool for 15 minutes before serving.

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 delicata squash, halved
• lengthwise and seeded
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place the squash, cut sides down, in a baking dish. Add 1/8 inch water in baking dish, cover with foil and bake 35-40 minutes or until tender. Cool.
2. In a large saucepan, melt butter. Add onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until onion is softened but not brown.
3. Scrape the squash out of the flesh and add to onions. Add the stock and heavy cream. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes.
4. Puree the soup in a blender or food processor. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve.

INGREDIENTS:

• 12 whole fresh mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream
• cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
• cheese
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black
• pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne
• pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray. Clean mushrooms with a damp paper towel. Carefully break off stems. Chop stems extremely fine, discarding tough end of stems.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and chopped mushroom stems to the skillet. Fry until any moisture has disappeared, taking care not to burn garlic. Set aside to cool.
3. When garlic and mushroom mixture is no longer hot, stir in cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, black pepper, onion powder and cayenne pepper. Mixture should be very thick. Using a little spoon, fill each mushroom cap with a generous amount of stuffing. Arrange the mushroom caps on prepared cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the mushrooms are piping hot and liquid starts to form under caps.

Ingredients

• 14 ounces raw lobster tail
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 7 green onions, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 4 cups fish stock
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 whole black peppercorns
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 3/4 cups tomato puree
• 1 tablespoon sherry
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh
• tarragon

Directions

1. Cut the lobster tail in half lengthwise.
2. Melt half the butter in a pan, add the scallions and onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until soft but not colored. Add the carrot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the lobster halves, fish stock, parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, the water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes, skimming the surface as required.
3. Remove the lobster from the stock, cool slightly and take the meat from the shells. Set the lobster meat aside, crush the shell and return it to the pan. Continue simmering for further 40 minutes. Strain the stock, then strain again through a sieve lined with 2 layers of damp muslin or cheesecloth.
4. Cut some thin slices from the lobster to use as a garnish and set aside. In a blender, blend the remaining lobster flesh with a little of the strained stock until smooth. Mix the flour and remaining butter to a paste. Add the pureed lobster to the pot along with the flour paste, tomato puree, sherry, cream, nutmeg and salt and pepper, to taste. Mix well.
5. Add the tarragon and the remaining stock and cook, stirring continuously, over high heat until the soup boils and thickens. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Season to taste and serve garnished with the reserved lobster and some sprigs of tarragon, if desired.

Ingredients

• 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon hot paprika
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and halved
• 3 pounds chicken legs
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• Fresh dill, chopped, for garnish

1. Special equipment: Slow cooker
2. In slow cooker, stir together onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and paprika. Spread mixture evenly over bottom of insert.
3. Rub garlic halves over chicken, then sprinkle chicken with pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. In medium saucepan over moderately high heat, heat butter and oil until hot but not smoking. Add chicken pieces and brown, turning occasionally, until golden, about 6 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker (do not clean pan), layering chicken on top of onion mixture.

So we all ate too much good food over the holidays and now we need to lose some weight. Here are some ideas on how to get rid of the weight.

• BBC has some tips on how to lose some weight.
• Burn 300 calories in 30 minutes
• 100 weight loss tips
• MSN's Weight Loss Section
• All in One Ab Moves
• Lose 10 Pounds in 5 Weeks
• What is a healthy weight loss goal
• Weight loss stretches that work

• 1 c  sour cream
• 1 t  chives
• 1 t  vinegar
• 1/2 t  onion
• 1 t  fresh dill weed
• 1/4 t  kosher salt

Combine sour cream, chives, vinegar, onions, and dill in a food processor.  Process until smooth and well blended.  Season to taste with salt. Serve slightly chilled.

• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup green onions -- chopped
• 1/4 cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese -- shredded
• 2 tablespoons jalapeno slices -- drained
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

The New York Times puts together 101 meals that can be ready in 10 minutes of less.

99. Cook a couple of pounds of shrimp, shell on or off, in oil, with lots of chopped garlic. When they turn pink, remove; deglaze the pan with a half-cup or so of beer, along with a splash of Worcestershire sauce, cayenne, rosemary and a lump of butter. Serve with bread.