Recipe

3 cups broken “Cool Ranch” Doritos chips
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1 - 1-1/4 oz. package taco seasoning mix
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup chunky taco sauce, or salsa
2/3 of a 15 ounce can whole kernel corn, drained
8 oz. (2 cups) shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cover the bottom of [...]

 
Click the arrow to view PolyBore’s work.  A true innovative mind has produced a wonderful tribute to we web log writers.  Thank you very much!
      

Today I contemplate secret matters.  Private thoughts beginning to take shape in my mind.  That after all these years I would want to break away to find more inspiration.  To paint and write in a place of ambiance.  These walls close me in, just as the bars on a tigers cage.  The place I believed [...]

Ingredients: 1 cauliflower, salt, 50 grams butter, 50 grams flour, 500 ml milk, nutmeg, pepper, 100 grams grated cheese, 1 smoked chicken breast, parsley
Cook 1 cauliflower cut in florets in boiling water with salt until done. Make a roux by melting 50 grams butter. Add 50 grams flour and fry briefly. Add gradually [...]

Autumn is here and it the season for soup! This chowder is made from a base that I use for several other soups. Sometimes I also start with Swanson’s chicken broth. I like to use Wondra flour as a thickening agent because it makes such a smooth paste.
This soups smells wonderful while it is cooking and it tastes even better.

Chicken Potato Chowder

Broth Base:
6-8 cups water
4-6 chicken breasts
1 tsp salt
1 tsp basil
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp pepper

Soup:
strained broth base
1/4 cup Wondra flour or cornstarch
1/4 cup water
cooked and shredded chicken
8-10 small cooked new potatoes, chopped with skins on
1 - 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn
1 - 1/2 tsp salt (you may want to increase this to your taste -it needs a lot of salt)
1- 1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 -3/4 cup half and half

1. In a medium saucepan, stew chicken in water with spices until tender. This will take about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook potatoes in a larger saucepan until done.
3. Remove the chicken once it is cooked onto a platter to cool slightly. Strain the broth into the pot of potatoes. Bring to a boil.
4. Add additional spices and corn. Combine Wondra flour and water with a wire whisk to form a paste. Add to the boiling broth. Add more if necessary to achieve the desired thickness.
5. Add half and half.

Stew chicken with spices for about 30 minutes:

Remove to cool:

Strain chicken broth into the pot of potatoes once they are tender:

This is why I like to strain the broth:

In a separate bowl, combine the flour and water with a wire whisk. Then stir it into the boiling soup and allow to thicken.

Add half and half for flavor and creaminess:

Mmmm… a nice comforting bowl of soup on a lovely autumn evening. It’s hard to improve on that scenario.

Making oven roasted home fries with onions ROCKS! The other day, I just had a few Yukon Gold spuds and a purple onion to work with.  It wasn’t my usual combination, but sometimes I just gotta work with what I have on hand, right?  That’s usually when most of us make our best meals.
I was [...]

Living in East Texas, there’s plenty of All-You-Can-Eat Catfish joints.  I believe it’s a state law to have one catfish restaurant in every East Texas town.  However, the closest “seafood” restaurant is 40 minutes away and it’s Red Lobster…
If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.
Mix that with my newest food item [...]

Arnold Bakeries has introduced four new varieties of breads packed with whole grains and other heart and body-healthy ingredients while keeping the breads low in calories and high in taste. Of the four, I received Grains & More Double Fiber Bread and Grains & More Double Protein Bread for review.
The Double Protein Bread has, [...]

You know how you see these holiday specials that show how to make treats for Halloween but they show it to you the DAY before Halloween (I’m not mentioning names…MARTHA!).
Well, how is THAT supposed to help me?  Unlike you (MARTHA!) I don’t have 30 yards of muslin, 2 pounds of fresh truffles and a container [...]

A while back I saw this bread that I wanted to try from Gourmet magazine. The photos and description from the author made it one of those dishes that are a must have!!! I must say that it lived up to its reputation since it was absolutely delicious. It is indescribable!!! I have no way of knowing if I have made this bread true to form not having a Russian grandmother in the wings but I hope it is a fair facsimile. As Irene Dunn said in the movie “Love Affair” with Charles Boyer, “The things we like best are either illegal, immoral or fattening.” This bread has copious amounts of cheese and melted butter baked on at the last minute…so ENJOY!!!!!!!!!!

Khachapuri is more like a stuffed pizza than a bread. In the remote mountains of Georgia, the star ingredient of this bread is the firm but creamy salted cow’s-milk cheese called sulguni. A blend of Havarti and mozzarella will give you a similar velvety texture. The cheese is pressed into a ball and wrapped with the dough. It is then pressed out into a pizza pan essentially becoming a flat cheese stuffed bread dough.

Shelley Wiseman a food editor from Gourmet magazine set out to make her own version of Khachapuri that she had tried on her trip to Georgia. This is not the State of Georgia in the United States but located in the Caucasus region of the former Soviet Union. Georgia has a style of cooking that has a closer relationship to that of the Middle East than to that of Russia. They use a liberal amount of fruits and nuts together with meat and poultry…walnut and plum sauces are a favourite that I have seen. The region has many varieties of bread that vary in taste and texture from village to village.

Festive dinners in Georgia start with a large variety of zakuski (hors d’oeuvres).The value of you as a host is determined by the length of your zakuski table which is usually set outdoors. A zakuski table consists of many varieties of cheese, vegetables, pickled garlic cloves, and sprigs of coriander and tarragon set alongside platters of smoked sturgeon, caviar, sliced hard sausages, pickled mushrooms and plums. Georgians take enormous pride in the wines they produce at home, so, as many as twelve different kinds of wine may also adorn the table. Vodka, drank “neat” ( ice cold and in a single gulp) from tiny glasses might also be available along with the local version of champagne.

**Georgian Cheese Bread**

2 -1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast (a 1/4-oz package)
7 T warm water (105-115°F)
1- 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
3/4 tsp salt
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 lb (1 cup) Havarti cheese, coarsely grated
1/4 lb (1 cup) salted mozzarella, coarsely grated
1 tsp unsalted butter, melted

Equipment: a floured pizza pan (at least 12 inches) or a floured large baking sheet
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Sprinkle yeast over warm water and stir in 1 tablespoon flour. Let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes. (If yeast does not activate, start over with new yeast.)

Stir together salt and remaining flour in a large bowl, then stir in egg and yeast mixture to form a dough. Turn out dough onto a well-floured surface and turn to coat with flour, then knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form into a ball and dust with flour. Let dough rest in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap, punching down with a wet fist every hour, at least 2 hours and up to 3.

Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in middle.

Turn out dough onto floured pizza pan, turning to coat, then flatten with your fingers into a 7-inch disk.

Toss together cheeses and press into a compact 3-inch ball with your hands. Place ball in middle of dough, then gather dough up around ball of cheese, squeezing excess dough into a topknot. Press down on topknot with a damp fist to press cheese out from center. Continue to flatten dough and distribute cheese evenly, pressing outward from center, until dough is an 11-inch disk. Cut a 6-inch X through top of dough to expose cheese. Bake until pale golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Brush surface of dough with butter and bake until golden and cooked through, 3 to 5 minutes more.

Serve cut into wedges.

NOTE: Dough can be made 1 day ahead and chilled in bowl (for a slow rise), covered with plastic wrap. Punch down and bring to room temperature before proceeding with recipe.

Just a friendly reminder to get your dish into our World Food Day Event by the deadline October 16th. We are attempting to bring the world a little closer together by raising awareness of the problem of world hunger even in our own neighbourhoods. The blogging community spans the globe so we would like you to submit a recipe which represents your country that would feed at least 6 people. You can send something that is a family favourite or a regional favourite that uses local and perhaps seasonal ingredients. Jen of

To find out more about how you can join Ivy, Giz and myself in this event click here .