Couscous with Chicken and Lamb Stew

A marocan Dish - One of our favorite meal! Ingredients: 2 pieces of lamb (the most inexpensive) 6 to 8 chicken thighs and/or drumsticks, skinless 1 cup water 1 can of crushed or diced tomatoes 1 can of green beans 1 can of chick peas (garbanzo) 1 zucchini, cut 3 carrots, cut fresh herbs : rosemary, bay leaf, or use dried herbs de provence/or Italian herb blend 2 celery sticks 1 onion 3 cloves of garlic 3 chicken cubes Salt Pepper 1 Tb Couscous spices or more to taste - if not available ( cumin, thym, all spices, coriander, paprika, even a dash of cinnamon.  For a heat kick a few dashes of hot sauce or red Cayenne pepper)

2 cups of dry couscous

Method:
1. Put a little olive oil in a big pan with a lid. Brown the lamb and chicken. Take out and saute the onion finely chopped. Add the crushed garlic and the finely chopped Celery 

2. Add the can of crushed tomatoes. Put in the spices, salt and pepper I add 3 cubes of chicken stock, fresh herbs tied together for easy removal,

3. Put the meet back in and simmer with the lid on for 35 t0 45 MN.

4. Add the raw veggies cut up. cook with lid for 10MN.5. Add at the end the cans of green beans and chick peas. Simmer another 5MN.

For the Couscous.
6. Heat a big nonstick skillet put a little butter. Add the coucsous stir and cover it with the water. put the lid on and turn the heat off. Let stand for 5MN fluff with a wooden or plastic fork.

Ready to serve. Feeds 6 people.

PS: the veggies are exchangeable. You can put in red or green peppers, turnips, eggplant or whatever your family likes.

Rabbit au vin

(Jungle Jim usually has inexpensive Rabbits)
Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1 big rabbit cut up or 2 smaller ones

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Flour for coating the rabbit pieces

3 tablespoons wiping cream

1/2 onion chopped and /or

1 chopped shallot

2 big cloves of chopped garlic

2 tbs. chopped fresh thyme

2 bay leaves

2 cups Wine (Sherry or non alcoholic "fre" bran wine)

2 cups of chicken stock or 2 chicken stock cubes with 2 cups of water

2 tbs. butter or olive oil or bacon fat

The how

Coat the rabbit in the flour.
In a large hot oven proof skillet with a lid put grease of choice
Brown the rabbit for 4 to 5 minutes on each side. Remove the rabbit from the pan and set aside.
Add the onions to the skillet and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic, sauté for 2 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper. Add the thyme, rosemary and bay leaves.
Return rabbit to the pan. Add the wine and chicken stock or cubes with the 2 cups of water.
Bring the liquid up to a simmer and cover. Cook the rabbit until very tender about 40 to 45 minutes. Remove the rabbit pieces from the pan and set aside. Blend the remaining flour and butter together into a smooth paste. Whisk the paste into hot liquid. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the rabbit back to the pan and continue to cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper if needed.

Serve the Rabbit Au Vin over rice or pasta with crusty french bread. Excellent with green beans.

Cherry Cake

This cake batter is delicious with fresh fruit too like peaches, apples and blueberries, plums, or pears cut up.  

Also with canned plums cut up. Mixing some of those is heavenly!

1 cup of butter
1 1/4 cup sugar
4 eggs
1ts almond ext.
1 cup flour
1 cup of Almond flour
2 ts baking powder
1 can cherry pie filling or 2 cans of plum in light syrup cut up without pits. OR fresh fruit cut up.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add the other ingredients.
Grease a 9x11 pan. Put dough in pan.
Spoon the pie filling or fruit on top of dough.

If using fresh fruit I layer half on the bottom and the other half on top. 

Bake at 340 1hour. Check for doneness it might need longer.

French crepes

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cups milk (more or less)
• 4 egg
• 1 Tbs vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbs sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 5 Tbs melted unsalted butter
• Option: I always add 1 Tbs of wheat bran and 1 Tbs of wheat germ, and often trade the 1/2 cup of flour with white whole wheat flour

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, mix together dry ingredients, make a well, add eggs, butter and vanilla start blending. Blend milk slowly until batter is thinner than a pancake mix. I use an electric hand mixer.
2. Heat a crepe pan over medium/high (find the sweet spot between 7 and 8) heat until hot. Coat with cooking spray or unsalted butter. Pour about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan and tip while turning pan to spread the batter to the edges. When bubbles form on the top and the edges are dry, flip over and cook until lightly browned on the other side and edges are golden. Repeat with remaining batter. It should take less than a mn to cook the crepe.
3. Fill crepes with powdered sugar, nutella, jam, fruit with ice cream and or whipped cream.

Variation: For salted dinner crepes, click Here.

New England Clam Chowder

INGREDIENTS
4 slices bacon, diced
1 1/2 cups chopped onion or minced
3 celery sticks chopped or minced
1 1/2 cups water
4 cups peeled and cubed potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups (fat free) sour cream or half&half
3 tablespoons butter
1 or 2 (10 ounce) cans minced clams

I double the quantities for my family. We eat it with crusty French bagette...DIRECTIONS
Place diced bacon in large stock pot over medium-high heat. Cook until almost crisp; add onions, and cook 5 minutes add celery. Stir in water and potatoes, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, or until potatoes are fork tender.Pour in sour cream, and add butter. Stir clams with juices into the soup. 
Cook for about 10 minutes, or until heated through. Do not allow to boil.

Ethel's Sugar Cookies

By Lawana Casto

(single batch)

½ cup margarine

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2 ½ cup flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

Mix shortening, sugar, eggs, and flavoring thoroughly. Blend in salt and baking powder. Mix in flour. Chill at least 1 hour. Heat oven to 400F. Roll dough 1/8” thick. Cut with cooky cutters. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 6-8 minutes or until delicate golden color. Makes about 4 dozen.

(double batch)

1 cup margarine

½ cup shortening

2 cups sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp vanilla

5 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp salt

Snickerdoodles

By Lawana Casto

1 batch

1 cup shortening (part margarine)
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 ¾ cups flour
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt

Heat oven to 400F. Mix shortening, sugar, and eggs. Blend in soda, salt, cream of tartar. Add flour and mix. Shape dough into 1” balls. Roll in mixture of 2 T sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon. Place 2” apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8-10 min. Makes 6 doz cookies.

Double batch

2 cups shortening (part margarine)
3 cups sugar
4 eggs
5 ½ cups flour
4 tsp cream of tartar
2 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

Pizza Dough & Sauce

By Denise Kisor

Put in this order in bread machine:
1 1/4 cups water
1 1/2 ts salt
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbs Mapple sirup
4cups of flour
1 Tbs Yeast

Add garlic powder about 1 to 2 tsp
And Herbes (italian or herbe de provence)

Put on dough or pizza dough setting in bread machine.

Black Bean Salsa

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can sweet corn, drained
1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
(optional to substitute 1 can chopped tomatoes)
1 green or red pepper, chopped fine
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1-2 green onions, chopped fine
1 cup italian dressing

mix all and let chill. Serve with tortilla chips or pita chips

Lentil spread

Eat with crusty bread

2 cups of water
3/4 cups dried lentils
Cook 45 mn and mash

1 tbs olive oil, heat and add
2 chopped shallots
1tbs garlic
cook 2mn

Add everything together plus
1tsp salt
1/2 cup chopped pealed tomatoes
2 Tbs chopped green onion
1 1/2 chopped fresh basil

Grilled Greek Chicken

4 pd chichen peices
1/2 cup olive oil
3 cloves of garlic chopped
1 ts salt
1 Tbs fresh chopped rosemary
1 Tbs fresh chopped thyme
1 Tbs fresh chopped oregano
2 lemons juiced

Marinate overnight
Cook on the grill

Spicy baked chicken (masaledar murghi) Indian

Yield: 6 servings

2 pounds Chicken pieces
1 tablespoon Ground cumin seeds
1 tablespoon Paprika
½ tablespoon Cayenne
1 tablespoon Turmeric
½ tablespoon Ground black pepper
2 teaspoon Salt
2 Cloves garlic; mashed
6 tablespoon Lemon juice
3 tablespoon Vegetable oil

Coat chicken pieces with ingredients.
Let marinate for a few hours.
Bake in oven @ 350 covered for 45mn to 1 hour.
Removing lid the last 10mn of cooking put on broil.

Perfect with Basmati rice, a veggi side, and toasted pita bread.

Sarah Johnson