Stop Stewing~Until Fall

I think we have won and winter, mild as it was, is behind us.  This is my last week of stewing. I'm putting away the tagine and the stew pots, but before I do the magazine Cuisine offers a few last gasps of winter fare.

I do not care for Moroccan food.  It is just too 'done' for me.  Everything is mushy and sliding together like ratatouille.  I do, however, enjoy using the tagine which produces some of those dishes as well as others that I do like to eat. This odd-looking cooking vessel has a cone shaped lid so that the moisture from the food trapped inside falls back down to make the ingredients more flavorful. A pork or beef roast with potatoes, carrots, and other root vegetables is scrumptious when prepared in a tagine.  I bought mine in Paris and carried it gently in a carry- on for the trip home more than twenty years ago, but now they are readily available in most cook shops in America.  They even have small individual ones that work well with fish recipes.

Besides bacon wrapped tater tots which would be fattenin


gly good for a party--come on, you know you love them, Cuisine (and I use the term lightly in this paragraph) gives us a recipe for spring Irish stew with lamb and cabbage and cheesy welsh rarebit. Welsh rarebit is often served with stewed tomatoes and the fresh grape tomatoes works well in this perfect side.  Just looking at the pictures causes the veins to seize up and cough. This issue comes out just before the 'bare it' season comes into play.

Bacon-Wrapped Tots with jalapeno

Makes 48 tots
1 pkg. bacon cut into 3 1/4 inch-long pieces (1 pound)
48 frozen seasoned tater tots, thawed
48 slices jalapeno
purchased ranch dressing
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat
Roll 1 piece of cut bacon around each tot and jalapeno slice; secure with a toothpick.
Fry tots in batches until bacon is crisp, 2 minutes. Serve tots with ranch dressing.

I am going to try this in the oven rather than frying--fewer calories LOL.( I  may  have turned into Paula Deen with this post.)
                                                     

                                                                   

Cheeseburger egg rolls from Cuisine

These egg rolls can be frozen after forming, but thaw completely before frying to ensure they cook through. Makes 15 egg rolls
Heat:
Canola oil
brown:
1 lb. ground sirloin (or use Bob Evans zesty sausage)
1 Tbsp.olive oil
off the heat:
Stir in 1 bag shredded iceberg lettuce (8 ounces)
1/2 cup diced dill pickle
1/2 cup diced onion
salt and pepper
whisk:
1 egg
2 Tbsp. water
assemble:
15 slices American cheese
15 egg roll wraps
Sesame seeds

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high
brown meat in the pan over high heat, 5 min.
Off heat, stir in lettuce, pickle and onion; season with salt and pepper. Stir mixture until lettuce wilts; drain through a sieve until cool.(I am not sure about the wilted lettuce here, maybe slivered

broccoli spears would stand up better--the kind that's slaw-like in a ready made package.)

Whisk together egg and water in a bowl for the egg wash; set aside
Assemble egg rolls by placing a cheese slice in center of each egg roll wrap; top with 1/4 cup meat mixture.  Roll egg rolls according to package. Brush with egg wash to seal. Brush tops with egg wash, sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Fry egg rolls in batches of 3 or four until golden brown.  Serve with sauce of your choice of sauce.

The First French Food Truck:
The first and only French food truck ran out of food during the first hour and a half when they served 150 made to order burgers in just that amount of time.  Amazing.  Now the food truck has been curbed for two weeks because of bureaucratic red tape but the French are ready to line up again as soon as things are sorted out. A food truck in Paris is a perfect idea, just as it is in America.

I decided that it is fun to view blog after blog to get ideas for this site and good recipes to try.  I have to see maybe ten or so before I run onto a really good recipe and picture that makes me want to try the dish and to return to the site every once in awhile to see what else is going on.  Here's an example of what I found today:

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting.

A delicious moist cake with an amazingly creamy frosting!

Banana Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Recipe adapted from Bake or Break Recipes & Pinterest

• Cake:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg white, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup milk
• Frosting:
• 4 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts, or coconut (optional)

Preparation

Make cake: Preheat oven to 375°F. Mist an 8-inch square pan with cooking spray. Mix flour, baking powder and salt. With an electric mixer, beat butter, oil and sugar. Beat in eggs and egg white, then vanilla. Mash bananas with milk.

Stir half of dry ingredients into butter mixture, then stir in banana mixture. Mix in remaining dry ingredients. Pour batter into baking pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack.

Make frosting: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and vanilla. Reduce speed and gradually beat in confectioners' sugar. Spread cake with frosting and sprinkle with walnuts, if desired.
http://designsbygollum.blogspot.com/2012/03/foodie-friday_09.html