Food goodness

You know what I love about this cookbook? Everything in it is good, and relatively easy to make. These cookies? Are amazing. from Mama Now Cooks Like This 4 Tbsp. butter 1 3/4 c. chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet) 2 eggs 3/4 c. sugar 1/2 c. flour, less 1 Tbsp. 1/4 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. salt 3/4 c. chocolate chips (I used bittersweet) 1/2 c. chopped pecans (I used walnuts) Melt butter and 1 3/4 c. chocolate chips in microwave. Whisk eggs and sugar until light and fluffy; add chocolate. Let cool. Sift flour, baking powder and salt together and add to chocolate mixture. Add chocolate chips and pecans. Put bowl in fridge for 15 to 20 minutes. Roll into balls; freeze in parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375. Don't thaw dough. Bake in oven 10 to 11 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before moving to cooling rack.

I've been doing a lot of baking today for this weekend, and I've got absolutely no motivation to actually cook dinner. So I threw this in the slow cooker today, and we're going to eat it tonight with olives, tomatoes, pita and tzatziki . The recipe is shamelessly stolen from here . 1/2 pound ground lamb (they didn't have ground lamb today, so I used ground beef) 1/2 pound ground turkey 2 t oregano 1 t paprika 1/2 chopped onion 3 cloves minced garlic (I just smashed it) juice from 1 lemon Chop up the onion, and 3 cloves of garlic, and put them in the bottom of your crockpot. In a small mixing bowl, combine the two kinds of ground meat with the paprika and oregano. If your spices don't have a fresh smell anymore, or if you think they may have been purchased in the 90s, consider buying fresh bottles for this dish. Make a little meatloaf with your hands. Put the meatloaf log on top of the chopped onion and garlic in your crockpot. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the

Geoff saw this recipe and article in the NY Times, and decided that he needed these cookies. And since my dad also wanted chocolate chip cookies, I made two batches. These things are awesome. To my way of thinking, the main differences are the flours and chocolate, and the refrigeration time. While these things are camping out in your fridge, use the time to stock up on milk. Trust me, you'll need it. Chocolate Chip Cookies Adapted from Jacques Torres Time: 45 minutes, plus 24 hours' chilling 2 cups minus 2 tablespoons (8 1/2 ounces) cake flour 1 2/3 cups (8 1/2 ounces) bread flour (I used all-purpose flour) 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt (hmm....forgot this completely. interesting. oh well) 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter 1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) light brown sugar 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (8 ounces) granulated sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract 1 1/4 pounds bittersweet chocolate disks or

Sorry I'm late to this game. I was out of the country for awhile. So, Heather showed me how to make this once, and I may have butchered her original instructions, but this is the way I now make it. I think it's close to her version. I often make this when I can't find anything else to make, but sometimes I get into a phase where this is all I want to eat for lunch every day for a week. 1. Cook some soba noodles. Sometimes I throw in some veggies with the noodles, such as broccoli or zucchini. Red peppers would be good if you like them (I don't personally). 2. While noodles are cooking, make peanut sauce. Start with a couple of spoonfuls of peanut butter. Add a splash of vinegar (rice wine or balsamic work well), a splash of soy sauce, a dash of red pepper flakes, dash of garlic powder, dash of ground ginger, and a bit of honey. 3. Drain most of the water from the noodles. I usually save just a touch of water to thin the peanut sauce. Add the peanut sauce to ho

I'm craving cheese lately. And Ernie came home the other day and said he really wanted a hamburger. So, I wanted to make cheeseburgers, but I didn't want the cheese to run off the burgers onto the grill. So we made these tonight instead. Very tasty, and I bet they'd be good with turkey in the place of ground beef. Maybe I'll try that the next time. 1/4 cup shredded Cheddar cheese 1/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese 1 pound 90%-lean ground beef 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper Preheat grill to medium-high or preheat the broiler. Combine Cheddar and Gruyere in a small bowl. Gently mix beef, Worcestershire, paprika and pepper in a large bowl, preferably with your hands, without overworking. Shape into 8 thin, 4-inch-wide patties. Mound 2 tablespoons of the cheese mixture on each of 4 patties, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Cover each with one of the remaining patties. Crimp and seal the edges closed. To grill: Lightly oil

I'm pregnant. I want to eat a ton of pickles. And when I'm not eating pickles, I want to eat cucumbers. With lots of salt. This is sort of a cross between pickles and regular cucumbers. I got the idea after eating something similar at my friend Holly's in-laws' house a few weeks ago. And then my friend Crystal told me how she marinated her cucumbers, and I put this together by taste. 3-5 cucumbers, peeled or not (however you like), sliced thick 1 sweet onion several whole cloves of garlic, peeled olive oil vinegar (I used white vinegar, Crystal says she likes red wine vinegar) kosher salt and pepper Place the sliced cucumbers in a bowl, sprinkle generously with kosher salt and pepper. Put sliced onion on top, and garlic. Add enough vinegar to the bowl to cover first layer of cucumbers. Pour healthy drizzle of olive oil on top (maybe 1/3 c. or so). Cover vegetables completely with ice water. Cover bowl, shake to combine. Let sit in fridge for at least 2 hours. The longer

I'm still exhausted from our trip to DC yesterday, and it was sort of gray and rainy today, so I figured it was a good day to make soup. An even better day to make soup in my slow cooker, because it means I don't have to babysit it while it bubbles away on the stove. And, because we really ate a lot of junk yesterday (even if the take-out had a bunch of vegetables in it), I wanted to make something predominately vegetable tonight, too. This soup fit all of the criteria, and was really good. And gave me an excuse to go to Trader Joe's to buy cheese this afternoon. Here's the original recipe , on a site Gwen and I have both been checking out recently. And here's how I did it, based on what I read in some of the comments. There's not much that can go wrong with broccoli and cheese together, in my mind. This was good, easy and Gaby gobbled it up. I'll be making it again. 1 qt chicken broth (or vegetable) 2 cups milk (I used 2%) 2 16 oz bags of frozen broccoli fl

It was at the G-zer home, during a summer home from college, that I first tasted mu shu. The cabbagey, eggy filling! The delicate pancakes giftwrapped in foil! The tiny plastic cup of sweet plum hoisin sauce! The filling wrapped in the pancake and topped with the sauce was like a little heavenly Chinese fajita and I had no idea such delights existed. In my own family home we ALWAYS ordered the same two take out items from H0ng K0ng Garden -- mu gu gai pan, a chicken, broccoli, water chestnut & snow pea dish, and another dish that was entirely composed of spicy green beans. I liked both, but my awareness of the take out menu ended there! Ever since that night with the G-zer fam, I've been a little obsessed with mu shu. This recipe called specifically for baby bok choi and shiitake. Despite my meal planning and iron clad grocery list, I frequently become distracted shopping with my li'l girlfriend, Sasha, and this time, I bought big bok choi and portobello (I know, I

From everybody likes sandwiches . I made these as a bread instead of muffins (no muffin cup liner thingies; too lazy to wash difficult muffin pan) and it was delicious, but a little too dense and healthy-tasting even though I'd done half regular whole wheat flour and half white. Next time -- and there will be a next time, because the fresh-cherries-in-baked-goods idea is quite sound -- I will invest in some pastry flour as the recipe suggested. 2 c whole wheat pastry flour 1/2 t salt 1 T baking powder 1/4 c brown sugar 1 c fresh pitted cherries, chopped [I did more than this, and did not chop very finely]] 1 egg 3/4 c skim milk 1/2 t almond extract [[I substituted vanilla]] 1 t vanilla 1/4 c melted butter 1. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. In a smaller bowl, mix together the egg, milk, vanilla, almond extract and melted butter. 2. Dump the cherries into the flour mixture and then add in the liquids. Mix until everything has blended together. 3. Grease 12 muf

My archaeology professor would call these Sloppy Joan's. Warning: this recipe does not list exact measurements but it sure is good. 1 pkg Smart Ground veggie crumbles 1/4 C minced red onion 1 or 2 handfuls of diced tomatoes (or half a can of your favorite canned diced tomatoes) BBQ sauce/ketchup/Manwich or preferred sloppy joe wet stuff sandwich buns of your choice Sweat your onions in just a smidge of o.o. then add Smart Ground until warmed through. Add enough sauce to preferred sticky sauciness and stir in tomatoes. Serve about 1/4 to 1/2 C on the bun of your choice, I used whole wheat rolls but I bet a yummy ciabatta would be good. Garnish with more onions or shredded cheese if you wish. Serve with your favorite potato salad and/or hot buttery corn on the cob. Eat. Enjoy. *I made my own BBQ sauce however I don't measure the ingredients--I do it all by taste. The ingredients are as follows: ketchup, yellow mustard, minced garlic, molasses or brown sugar (or both), c

This was fantastic, and very easy to throw together. I'll be making this one again, even if Gaby decided the chicken was "too chewy." (it wasn't) from the Barefoot Contessa 4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I used thin breasts, already pounded, because I'm lazy) 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 2 extra-large eggs 1 tablespoon water 1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving Unsalted butter Good olive oil Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressi

Whoops, I lied earlier -- this recipe is from Everybody Likes Sandwiches , not Smitten Kitchen. I love both of them. I've stolen two of these techniques -- the cornstarch on tofu and the making a thick sauce out of coconut milk -- and used them in a bunch of different ways, and they always work great. I am never making tofu without cornstarch again. Also, the Thai chili-garlic sauce? Excellent condiment discovery for $1.99. It's delicious. My one quibble with this recipe is the way the green beans have to be baked in the oven -- they were good, sure, but not worth turning on the oven in the un-air-conditioned apartment. Next time, I'm going to just do the green beans in the stir fry pan with everything else, unless I'm looking for an excuse to turn on the oven this winter. 1 block organic tofu, pressed and cubed 2 T soy sauce 1 t toasted sesame oil 1 t minced ginger 2 cloves minced garlic 1/2 t red dried chili flakes 3 - 4 T cornstarch 2 T vegetable oil Marinate the tof

Gaby and I made these today (they're baking in the oven right now) and they were really simple to put together and the batter tastes so, so good. (admit it, you lick the spoon, too) And really, how can you go wrong with graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallows? From Food Network Crust: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs 2 tablespoons sugar Pinch fine salt Brownie: 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter 4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1 cup packed light brown sugar 3/4 cup white sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1/2 teaspoon fine salt 4 large cold eggs 1 cup all-purpose flour Topping: 4 cups large marshmallows Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and heat oven to 325 degrees F. Line an 8 by-8-inch square baking pan with foil so it hangs over the edges by about 1 inch. For the crust: Lightly butter the foil with some of the melted butter. Stir the rest of the butter together with the crumbs, sugar, and salt in

I was looking for something nutty and sweet to add to my salad today, and these fit the bill. I think they'd also be good just for eating out of the bowl (which I'll probably do later). From the amazing Elise at Simply Recipes 1/2 cup sugar 1 1/2 cups raw walnut halves 1/8 teaspoon coarse salt I also added about 1/4 tsp. cinnamon Preheat oven to 350°F. Use middle rack in oven. Lay walnuts out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 5 minutes. Test for doneness. If not quite toasted enough, toast for 1 or 2 more minutes. Be careful not to burn. Remove from oven and let cool in pan on a rack. Pour sugar into a medium saucepan with a thick bottom. Have walnuts nearby, ready to quickly add to the pan at the right time. Cook sugar on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon as soon as the sugar begins to melt. Keep stirring until all the sugar has melted and the color is a medium amber. (I added the cinnamon at this step) As soon as sugar is melted and the color is a medium a

The strawberries were buy one, get one container free in the store yesterday, and I've been looking for an excuse to get my ice cream maker out, so that was really all I needed. This is super easy to make, and if I haven't said it before -- if you eat a lot of ice cream (and I do), there's nothing that beats homemade ice cream. Especially in the summer. Our little canister ice cream maker was not that much money, and it really is perfect for what we need. from The Ultimate Ice Cream Book 3 heaping cups strawberries 1/4 tsp. salt 1/3 c. sugar (we actually used 2 Tbsp. more than that) 2 large eggs 1 1/2 c. half and half 1/2 c. heavy cream 1 tsp. vanilla extract Puree the strawberries with the salt in a food processor or food mill. There should be about 2 cups of puree. Set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the sugar into the eggs until thickened and pale yellow. Set aside. Bring the half and half to a simmer in a heavy medium saucepan. Slowly beat the hot half and half int

I made this potato salad a couple of weeks ago when we went to Sylvia's for her birthday. It was easy to put together, and a big hit at the party. from Ina Garten 3 pounds small white potatoes Kosher salt 1 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup buttermilk 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill Freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup chopped celery 1/2 cup chopped red onion Place the potatoes and 2 tablespoons of salt in a large pot of water. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are barely tender when pierced with a knife. Drain the potatoes in a colander, then place the colander with the potatoes over the empty pot and cover with a clean, dry kitchen towel. Allow the potatoes to steam for 15 to 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, buttermilk, Dijon mustard, whole grain mustard, dill, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Set aside. When the potatoes

This is the more downscale standby, because it does not require any fresh vegetables (or anything fresh at all, actually). Cook pasta, any shape, whatever. Drain and return to the pot. Heat some olive oil and saute some onions and garlic (or not). Throw in some chopped tomatoes or spinach or frozen peas (or not). Throw in a can or two of chickpeas. Pour in a little lemon juice or white wine vinegar. Cook until heated through and chickpeas are softer. Throw chickpea mixture on top of pasta and grind fresh pepper on top of it -- more than you think you need, although people could also do this individually to taste. Put some fresh herbs on top (or not) (oregano and basil are both good, but definitely not necessary). Top with way too much grated cheese and serve.

Upon Shannon's request, this is the first of my two default dishes (and neither of them is as creative as Kate's vegetable soup, which sounds really good and I am definitely going to try). Stirfry is the slightly more upscale old standby, since it requires that I actually have non-expired tofu and decent veggies in the fridge. Press the tofu. It is tempting to skip this step, but you will regret it -- I learned a technique from Smitten Kitchen that is going to be my permanent go-to tofu treatment now: press and cube the tofu, then toss it in a baggie full of cornstarch (I actually have some weird wheat substitute because the hippie store didn't have cornstarch). Fry the tofu in a pan with some olive oil, making sure to flip each cube individually after the down-facing side is golden brown. Boil water for noodles -- I usually like soba or rice noodles with stirfry -- or couscous. While the tofu cooks, take all the vegetables in your refrigerator and cut them into bite-sized

I always forget about making these until it's the summer and we're grilling. They're super easy, good with hot wings (that's where I originally learned to make them) or any other kind of grilled meat. Or by themselves, actually. White or red potatoes, sliced very thin Cooking spray Lawry's seasoned salt or kosher salt (or really, whatever you'd like to season them with, I guess) Place the thin potato slices on a non-stick baking sheet (or spray a baking sheet before you place the potatoes), spray with the cooking spray, then season. Bake at 400 degrees until they're the desired crispiness.

I've been meaning to post this for ages, but I don't actually use a recipe and I still don't have the measurements for it. It's a wonderfully forgiving dish, though, so doesn't need much of a recipe. Throughout the seasons you can substitute apples or berries or whatever fruit you want, altering the amount of sugar you use for the sweeter fruits. I use about 3 stalks of rhubarb for the two of us. In a bowl, mix the rhubarb (cut into 1/2 inch - inch pieces) with light brown sugar, a pinch of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg and/or ground ginger. The idea is that when it cooks, the sugar will melt and the juice from the rhubarb will be lovely and gooey and sticky. If you want, you can drizzle a couple of tablespoons of water over it (I sometimes do and sometimes forget - it's just a bit thicker and stickier without the water). Transfer that mixture to a baking dish (it doesn't matter if it's shallow or deep - it depends on how much delicious crunchiness you

Sunday nights at our house are always the same - vegetable soup using up whatever veggies are leftover from the week, fresh bread (made in our bread machine) and cheese. All I do is melt a large spoonful of butter in a saucepan, and saute a chopped onion and maybe some garlic. Then I add whatever vegetables we have - usually a couple of carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, pepper, etc. I always throw in a potato for thickness. I allow the veg to cook in the butter for a few minutes and then add water and powdered stock - just enough to cover everything. I let it simmer away for about half an hour and then blend it with the hand blender. Served with warm bread, it's delicious. Any leftovers are frozen or eaten for lunch during the week. Justin doesn't like vegetables and can't really cook, but he loves this meal, and he's learned how to make it. I love it because it's healthy, vegetarian, and a good way to use up vegetables that are looking a bit sad. And I get Sunday night

I can remember being a kid and my mother making a huge pot of pinto bean soup. At the time it seemed so exciting -- we loved the soup and it seemed like it was a big deal for her to make it. Now that I'm older, I realize how simple and easy it is, which is probably why Mom made it. Plus, cheap. There's definitely no recipe for this. But here's how I do it. One bag pinto beans, rinsed and picked over. Put the beans in a pot, cover with water and let soak overnight. When you're ready to cook them, drain the beans and rinse again, then put in a different pot. To that pot you can add: One onion, diced A few cloves of garlic, minced, or a generous sprinkling of granulated garlic Cumin, if you like. 4-5 slices of bacon, cut into bite-sized pieces a ham hock, if you've got one. Salt (how much you use will depend on if you use ham/bacon or not) Cover all this up with water, and turn the heat on low. And cook until the beans are done. The amount of water you use will determi

I've been cooking a bit more lately, and trying different recipes. Which got me to thinking in the kitchen tonight about some of my tried-and-true recipes that haven't made an appearance in my kitchen lately. I'm figuring I'm not the only one that's got these recipes that have never made it on the blog, may not have measurements, but are what you turn to when you need something quick, easy, good, filling, comforting, etc. So I ask you, what's yours? I'll post mine in the next couple of days, and hope you'll post yours, too. (can you tell I'm trolling for new recipes?)

adapted from a Tyler Florence recipe 1 pound linguini 4 tablespoons butter 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling 1 large shallot, finely diced 5 cloves garlic, minced Pinch red pepper flakes, optional 20 large shrimp, about 1 pound, peeled and deveined, tail on Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup dry white wine 1 lemon, juiced 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley leaves Cook pasta according to package. Drain the pasta reserving 1/2 cup of water. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) until the shallots are translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper; add them to the pan and cook until they have turned pink, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the pan; set aside and keep warm. Add wine and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons oil. When the butter has

... and ham and swiss, but don't tell Laurel about that part. Preheat oven to 350. CREPES: 1 C milk 3/4 C whole wheat flour 2 eggs pinch of salt Whirl the above until smooth using a mixer or blender. The recipe suggests letting the mixture stand for an hour or in the fridge overnight. I didn't do that and they tasted fine to me. Lightly butter a 7" nonstick pan or griddle, pour a scant 1/4 C of the batter into one corner of the pan and then tilt pan in a circle to coat the entire bottom evenly. Allow the surface of the "up" side of the crepe to just dry before flipping with a spatula to briefly finish that side against the pan. The lovely original "down" side of the crepe is meant to show when the crepes are filled. Butter pan between crepes if necessary. Stack crepes on a plate until ready to fill. CREAMED SPINACH: 1 T butter 1/2 onion, sliced [1/3 C sliced mushrooms] 3 T whole wheat flour 1 C milk 1 Qt chopped spinach pinch salt & pepper pinch nu

Arugula from my garden! I was so proud. This is from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian -- Mark Bittman as usual. 3 c strawberries, hulled and halved or quartered 1 T balsamic vinegar, or more to taste (I used way more than 1 T) freshly ground black pepper and salt 4 c arugula leaves 1 T extra virgin olive oil 1. Toss the strawberries with the vinegar and black pepper in a large salad bowl and let sit for 10 minutes. 2. Add the arugula, sprinkle with salt and toss again. Drizzle with olive oil and toss gently one last time. Taste, adjust seasoning and serve. Variation with goat cheese: Before the final toss in Step 2, crumble 4 ounces of goat cheese over the salad.

I was looking for something to do with some leftover blackberries (from Alissa's wedding! how did I wind up with them in my bag?) that were a little too mushy to be eaten plain, and this soup from Bittman's The Best Recipes in the World fit the bill. He says it's from central/eastern Europe. Cold and delicious, but not much different from eating a smoothie with a spoon. Not that that's a bad thing necessarily. 1 quart blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, huckeberries or a combination, picked over and trimmed as necessary, washed, and sliced if necessary (I used blueberries, blackberries and a few leftover apricots) 1/2 cup sugar, plus more if needed 1 lemon, washed and thinly sliced 1 t ground cinnamon, plus more if needed 1 c yogurt or sour cream, plus more for garnish (I used yogurt) 1. Combine the berries, sugar, lemon, connamon and 1 quart water in a medium saucepan and turn the heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries fall apart, 10 to

These were very easy, and really tasty. from Cooking Light, July 2008 3 large zucchini (about 1 1/2 pounds) 1 cup dry breadcrumbs 1/2 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmesan cheese 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/2 cup egg substitute Cooking spray Preheat oven to 400°. To prepare zucchini, cut 1 zucchini in half crosswise; cut each half lengthwise into 8 wedges. Repeat procedure with remaining zucchini. Combine breadcrumbs, panko, cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish. Dip zucchini in egg substitute; dredge in breadcrumb mixture. Place zucchini on a wire rack coated with cooking spray. Lightly coat zucchini with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve immediately with sauce.

I picked up a few fresh tomatoes at a farm market this weekend, and six ears of corn. So I knew it was time to make this salad. Gaby tested it for me, and then whined for 20 minutes that she wanted more, before dinner. I think that deems the recipe a success. from Cooking Light, June 2008 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind 5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon honey 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears) I used 3 ears, and also blanched them before putting in the salad 1/4 cup thinly sliced basil leaves 1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion I left this out, but I bet it's good with 1 pound lump crabmeat, shell pieces removed 8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices ripe beefsteak tomato 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved Combine rind, 3 tablespoons juice, and next 5 ingredients (through black pepper) in a large bowl, stirring well with a

I crave cherry pie these days. It's not so much the pie crust that I want as it is the gooey filling, with tart cherries and sugary coating. I love cherry pie. I'm not at all inclined to make my own pie at the moment, but we went cherry picking today and I came home with almost 7 pounds of tart cherries. That's a lot of tart cherries. So I made this cherry cobbler, instead. It's awesome. I hope Becky and Holly won't mind if I sample it today before I bring it to the get together tomorrow. Recipe courtesy of Emeril Lagasse Filling: 6 cups tart red cherries, pitted 1 1/4 cups sugar 1/4 cup water (next time, I'll leave the water out. It was fairly runny. Or add more cornstarch) 4 teaspoons cornstarch Topping: 1 cup flour 1/4 cup sugar 2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 3 tablespoons butter 1 egg, beaten 3 tablespoons milk Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a saucepan combine filling ingredients and cook, stirring until bubbling