Extra Schmaltz!

I made this dish up a couple years back. It's really easy, but tasty as well. Large quantity okra, rinsed, then chopped. Or from a freezer bag. Jalapeno(s), diced (to taste!) Large quantity(3-6 cloves, depending on size) garlic Onion, diced Tomatoes, diced Boneless skinless chicken, in chunks Chicken broth (preferably real, but you can get away with cubes. Just not as tasty) Sweat onions in pan, add chicken, jalapeno, and garlic and tomato. Cook on low until chicken is mostly cooked. Add okra and enough chicken broth for a stew-like consistency, cook until okra is no longer woody. Serve over rice.

I made this a while back and forgot to post the recipe. Hopefully I'm remembering it right. It was my first time using dried baby lima beans and it turns out they have a nice buttery texture, just right for soup. The only sausage I had on hand was bratwurst and it actually came out well, but you can use any other kind. For fresh herbs I used marjoram and thyme. If you like, you can make this a tomato-ey soup by adding tomato paste and diced tomatoes, or you can add greens at the ends for a vegetable soup. The sausage can be omitted to make it vegetarian, but be sure to increase the spices. 1 lb. baby lima beans, soaked, rinsed, and drained 2 large sausage links, or equivalent in pan sausage 1 onion, diced 4 celery ribs, diced 2 carrots, diced 2 Tbsp. butter 1 tsp. crushed red pepper 2 Tbsp. fresh herbs of choice, minced 1-2 garlic cloves, minced salt & pepper 2 Tbsp. cider vinegar 1 Tbsp. ketchup water to cover Begin by sauteing the onions, celery, and carrots in butter in a he...

Hooray! We finally got a grill and we put it to use immediately. Crisp, succulent cauliflower seems to be in season around here so we threw some on the grill. I make this in the winter too, using the oven. Simply cut up a cauliflower into fairly large chunks, brush with oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. Roast it in a hot oven (450) with a run under the broiler, if need be, or on a charcoal grill. It may take some time, so be patient. The steaks simply had salt and pepper on them and were fantastic. There may be hope for my steak-making skills yet. Look forward to more grill recipes! *** In other news, I finally found some rhubarb at one of the farmers' markets around here and I set out to make a strawberry-rhubarb pie. It sure looked good when I finished baking it... ...but, alas, it didn't thicken up enough and was also rather tart! Reflecting upon what went wrong, I realize that I only used 3 Tbsp. of thickener instead of 4 because I lost count, and I probably...

There's not actually that much wine in this, but that's really the predominant flavor. It's really a light tasting (not 'lite' calorie-wise) gravy, not too overpowering. Produced originally by randomly throwing stuff together: 2-3 Tbs butter 3-4 Tbs flour 3-4 cloves garlic, minced 2-3 shallots, minced 1/4 (or so) cup milk 1/2-3/4 c. beef stock couple dashes white wine salt pepper Melt the butter, and add the garlic and shallots. Cook for a couple of minutes until softer. Whisk in flour, cook until roux darkens a bit. Whisk in milk until fully mixed. Slowly whisk in beef stock until reaching desired consistency. Add a couple of dashes of white wine, and a couple turns of the pepper grinder.

I often wind up with leftover pasta and struggle to find ways to use it. This recipe is a great way to use it with stuff you probably have around the house, and doesn't involve heating up the kitchen at all. If your noodles are stiff from being in the fridge, microwave them for a minute or run them under hot water before adding the dressing. I recommend using chunky-shaped noodles, but if you use spaghetti I would chop it up a bit first. If you don't have a green pepper, you could use celery or broccoli middles or any crunchy veg. Dressing : Juice of 1 lime or lemon 2 Tbsp. tahini 1-2 cloves garlic ~1/4 c. olive oil 2 1/2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. white pepper pinch cayenne (optional) Salad : 2 -3 c. cooked pasta 1 can tuna, drained and in pieces 1 green pepper, diced 1/2 onion, diced chopped fresh parsley (optional but recommended) In a food processor or blender, blend together the lime juice, garlic, tahini, and seasonings (make sure the garlic is pulverized well). Drizzle in the oliv...

This one-dish recipe accomplishes three valuable things: a) uses frozen convenience foods, b) uses fresh summer vegetables, and c) feeds you tastily and quickly. I use packaged turkey kielbasa (the regular kind seems unnecessarily greasy to me), but it would be good with Kramarczuk's Ukranian sausage. You can omit and substitute ingredients according to what you have--I'm simply posting it how I made it last night as inspiration. I try to fry the ingredients more or less separately, but if you're feeling lazy and unconcerned by things getting mushy you can put it all together at once. 1 package potato & onion pierogies 1 turkey kielbasa, in 1/4" diagonal slices 3 small yellow summer squash, in 1/4" slices 3 shallots, minced coarsely 1 tomato, diced 1 handful of fresh herbs, chopped (I used marjoram and parsley) a few glugs Vermouth or white wine S & P oil for frying Use your biggest frying pan and add a thin coating of oil. Fry the kielbasa in a single lay...

This is a super easy stir fry with an unforgettable flavor. In Thailand, 'Holy basil' is typically used, but in the US most people make it with 'Thai basil'. (Now that I've tried the holy basil, I think that Thai basil is better.) You can use any mild meat, like chicken or pork, and either chop it small or buy it coarsely ground. It's traditionally served with an egg that's been fried until crisp in a fairly deep pan of oil, though eaten simply with rice it makes a respectable meal. 1-2 bunches Thai (or Holy) basil, stems removed 3-4 Tbsp. stir fry oil (less if using nonstick) 1.5 lbs chicken or pork, ground or chopped finely 3 cloves garlic, minced 2-5 hot chilies (to taste), sliced thin 3 large shallots (or substitute 1 large onion), sliced into thin strips 2 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. fish sauce 4 Tbsp. black soy sauce* OR 3 Tbsp. regular soy sauce + 2 Tbsp. brown sugar Heat the stir fry oil in a large pan until it's really hot. Add the garlic and stir, cooking j...

I just made this the other day, and I like how it turned out, so I figured I'd post it. I've yet to try Lillian's Southern Style Greens, but this seems like an easy second best: Greens (I used collard, though something a little less tough might be good) Bacon grease (1 Tbs. or so - this really adds a lot of flavor, though you could use butter I suppose, it just wouldn't be very good) Brown Sugar (1 Tbs. or so) Apple Cider Vinegar Option: Red pepper flakes Chop the greens into reasonably sized chunks. Throw into hot bacon grease. I added a shake of red pepper flakes at this point. Cook for a little bit, then add a small amount of brown sugar. Cook a bit longer, then add more apple cider vinegar than you think is necessary - the brown sugar really takes the sting out. Cook until done. I've been saving bacon grease in a salsa jar, rather than our weird old family standby of aluminum cans - this way, I can seal it, keep it in the fridge, and use it later for cooking.

Hello Extra Schmaltz readers! I've created another blog to record my gardening endeavors for future reference. It's mostly for my own use, but you might find it of interest. Here's the link: Lillian's Gardening Notebook . I'll be back to posting recipes once I get all my seeds planted.

So this should take the cake as one of the easiest recipes posted so far. It's actually related to all of the fataayir recipes Lillian has been posting - this is one particularly popular variation that is good for a quick breakfast item, or for something to impress guests with: 1 can Pillsbury biscuit dough Za`tar spice mix (available at Arabic grocery stores) Olive Oil Mix the za`tar with the olive oil until it forms a liquidy paste. It will need to be liquid enough to be easily spread on the dough. Roll the biscuit dough out into large, thin circles. Crimp the edges by pinching around the perimeter (not strictly necessary, but looks cool). Spread za`tar olive oil mix on top. Bake at 350, but near the end of the cooking time, be really careful not to burn then, since there's a thin line between done and cremated. You can obviously use any topping you want - traditionally, this shape is used with the za`tar paste, or with that crumbly, salty white middle eastern cheese, with a ...

Alex linked me to a website with Middle Eastern recipes and videos (accompanied with very entertaining musical choices) called Mimi Cooks . The recipes all look good, and I stumbled across this one for Sfeeha: Meat Pies. It was uploaded with "When Doves Cry" by Prince, which is one of my favorite songs so I knew the recipe would be good! :P The website author, from Bahrain, calls these 'sfeeha', but Alex calls them 'fataayir' (often spelled 'fatayer'), so I'll go with the Levantine name for consistency. I think they can also be called 'manaish'. Basically it's a simple dough topped with a savory filling and baked. They're often sold as street food. This is a recipe for meat filling, but there are many others including spinach, zaa3tar (herb and sesame mix), potato, cheese, etc... If I try other styles out I'll post the results here. Check out the original site for video! Meat Fataayir served with tomato salad, pickle, and bulg...

After all that talk about pie, here's another family classic that's perfect for when you have a ton of rhubarb and you don't want to make pastry crust or wait for it to chill. This dessert has a buttery shortbread crust and a creamy, custardy filling with the tang of rhubarb. Crust: 1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour 1/2 c. sugar 1/4 tsp. salt (omit if using salted butter) 1 stick butter, soft but not melted Filling: 4-5 c. rhubarb, chopped into 1/2" pieces 1 c. sugar 4 eggs, beaten 2 Tbsp. flour 1 tsp. vanilla 1/4 tsp. salt Preheat the oven to 350. Grease a 9 x 13" baking dish. Crust: Stir the flour, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl and then cut in the butter with a fork or pastry blender until the butter is well-distributed in fine crumbs. Press the crust into a greased 9 x 13" baking dish so that the crust goes halfway up the sides. Prick with a fork and bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. Filli...

Like I said, it's piemaking* season and I've been getting some questions about recipes and techniques. I'm still in training to become the Queen of Pies, but I'll post here what I've learned so far. I'll try to update this post with any other tips and revelations, so refer back to it whenever you're making a pie. Before embarking on any piemaking pursuit, remember that most recipes are written for a 9" x 1.5" (usually metal) pie pan. Our family traditionally uses a 10" deep-dish glass pie pan. Glass heats more evenly, slows baking, and reduces browning compared to the metal pan. A 10" deep dish requires around 2 lbs of filling, while the 9" regular will only require 1.5 lbs. Adjust your recipe and pan choice accordingly. *I hereby declare 'piemaking' to be a real word. Generic Fruit Pie Recipe 2 Basic Pie Crusts 1 1/2 - 2 lbs. fruit pieces 3/4 - 1 1/2 c. sugar, depending on the sweetness of your fruit 3 Tbsp. - 1/4 c. thicken...

I'm posting the pie crust recipe I emailed out to you all a while back for even easier reference. I've gotten good feedback on this recipe, so hopefully it's the definitive one. This recipe makes one crust (bottom or top), so double it for a two-crust pie. Remember that the amount of water you'll need depends on the protein content of your flour and the ambient humidity. Try to keep your ingredients cold and work quickly. Crust can be frozen and thawed for use as needed--just make sure to wrap it thoroughly. 1 1/3 c. all-purpose flour 6 Tbsp. butter 2 Tbsp. shortening or lard 1 Tbsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. salt ~1/3 c. ice water + 1 tsp. white vinegar Measure the butter and shortening and place them in the freezer while you work. Measure the flour, salt, and sugar and fluff together with a fork. Take the fat out of the freezer and cut into small chunks. Mix in using your fingers so that the fat pieces become coated in flour and then start pulling them into smaller pieces. Sto...

This is taken from Lillian's original handwritten recipe. I'm thinking of making it soon, so I figured I'd post it: Ingredients 1 chicken 7 kaffir lime leaves 2 stalks lemon grass Ginger 2 cans mushrooms (straw, etc) 2 cans bamboo shoots, cut into thin pieces 1 can coconut milk Rice noodles Red curry paste Bean sprouts Thai Basil Limes Instructions 1.Fill big pot with the amount of water corresponding to the amount of soup you want(1/2, 2/3, enough to cover chicken) and add: chicken 4 kaffir lime leaves 2 stalks lemon grass 5 big slices of ginger Boil until chicken is fully cooked(~1 hr) 2.Meanwhile: Slice up 2 cans bamboo shoots Slice up 2 cans mushrooms Wash bean sprouts and Thai basil Slice limes 3.Once chicken is cooked, remove it and ALL seasoning items from the stock pot Debone and shred chicken 4.Boil a separate large pot of water for noodles; cook them, drain them, rinse them in cold water and coil them into bowl sized portions and...

So I can't vouch for the authenticity of the recipe, but this is turns out more or less like the deliciousness of a Lao-Thai restaurant back in Madison. I based the recipe heavily on this recipe , though I didn't follow it exactly. The reason for the name is something of a dispute. Some say that it's a pre-drinking/hangover meal, others say that its spiciness causes people to drink lots of cold beer. Also called Pad Kee Mao. Quantities are given as I made it yesterday, YMMV: 1 large white onion (cut into thin slices) 1 large green bell pepper (thin slices) 3-5 cloves garlic a lot of thai basil (leaves separated from stems) 4 large tomatoes, preferably peeled then chopped in large chunks. 1 bulb shallot Thai bird peppers(I used like 4, but they were green and of varying sizes. It should be spicy) 1 pound chicken boneless skinless chicken thighs(cut into thin slices) Wide rice noodles Sauce (I just eyeballed this): Oyster sauce Rice Vinegar Lime or Lemon juice Fish Sauce Suga...