strawberry frozen yogurt (for ice cream maker)

http://elise.com/recipes/archives/007244strawberry_frozen_yogurt.php


Ingredients
3 cups sliced fresh strawberries
3 Tbsp lemon juice
2/3 cup to 1 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you want the result, and how sweet your strawberries are to begin with)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup whole milk
1 1/2 cups full fat yogurt (if use low or non fat, then add 2 Tbsp cream)

Method
1 Place the strawberries, lemon juice, salt, and sugar in a medium saucepan. Heat on medium heat, stirring, until the sugar has completely dissolved. Use a potato masher to mash up the strawberries as the mixture is heating. As soon as all of the sugar has completely dissolved, remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.

2 Stir in the milk and yogurt, until completely incorporated. Place the mixture in the refrigerator, and chill for at least an hour, preferably several hours, until completely cold, before proceeding.

3 Process the mixture in your ice cream maker 20 to 25 minutes. Eat immediately or keep in freezer until served.

Tortilla Soup

ingredients:
1. 2 onions (one purple, one yellow0
2. one green pepper
3. hot peppers (to taste - i used about 8 oz)
4. 3 cans vegetable stock
5. one can crushed tomato
6. cheddar cheese
7. tortilla chips
8. salsa
9. sour cream
10. 2 tbs crushed garlic cloves
11. 3 tbs cumin
12. one can whole kernal corn (11-12 oz)
13. canned black beans (11-12 oz)
14. 2 tbs olive oil
15. one avacado

directions:
1. chop onions and all the peppers
2. sautee with oil, garlic, and cumin for 5 minutes
3. add tomato
4. add stock
5. boil for 20 minutes
6. add corn and beans
7. boil for another 5 minutes
8. serve with sour cream, cheese, salsa, and tortilla chips

French Toast (From Epicurious)

Ingredients:
3 eggs
6 tablespoons half and half
1 tablespoon sugar
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 3/4-inch-thick slices soft-crusted French bread or egg bread


2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1/4 cup powdered sugar
Warm maple syrup (optional)

PreparationBeat eggs, half and half, sugar, 2 teaspoons cinnamon and vanilla extract in 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish to blend. Add bread and turn to coat. Cover and chill until bread absorbs egg mixture, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 day.

Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add bread and cook until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to plates. Combine powdered sugar with remaining 1 teaspoon cinnamon and sift over toast. Serve with maple syrup, if desired.

Red Velvet Cake

adapted from epicurous.com

Cake
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour (sifted, then measured)
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon red food coloring
1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 large eggs
1/3 cup vegetable oil

Frosting
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups powdered sugar




PreparationFor cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 1 1/2-inch-high sides. Sift sifted flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into medium bowl. Whisk buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl until well blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition. Beat in dry ingredients in 4 additions alternately with buttermilk mixture in 3 additions.

Divide batter between prepared pans. Bake cakes until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 27 minutes. Cool in pans on racks 10 minutes. Turn cakes out onto racks; cool completely.

For frosting:
Beat cream cheese and butter in large bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla. Add powdered sugar and beat until smooth.

Place 1 cake layer, flat side up, on platter. Spread 1 cup frosting over top of cake. Top with second cake layer, flat side down. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.)

Pan-Seared Tuna with Ginger-Shiitake Cream SauceBon

From Epicurious.com/ Bon Appetit February 1999



Ingredients:
6-ounce tuna steaks, each about 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons peanut oil
3 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, chopped
8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps sliced
6 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
Lime wedges (optional)
Fresh cilantro sprigs (optional)

Preparation/Directions:

Preheat oven to 200°F. Sprinkle 1 side of tuna steaks with pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Place tuna steaks, pepper side down, in hot oil and sear 2 minutes. Turn tuna over and continue cooking to desired doneness, about 2 minutes for rare. Transfer tuna to rimmed baking sheet; keep warm in oven.

Add butter, sliced green onions, cilantro, ginger and chopped garlic to same skillet and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Mix in mushrooms and soy sauce and simmer 30 seconds. Add whipping cream and simmer until sauce lightly coats back of spoon, about 3 minutes. Stir in lime juice. Spoon sauce onto plates; arrange tuna atop sauce. Garnish with lime wedges and cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Pecan Pie

Crust
1 Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust, softened as directed on box
Filling
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups pecan halves or broken pecans
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted




DIRECTIONS
1. Heat oven to 375°F. Place pie crust in 9-inch glass pie pan as directed on box for One-Crust Filled Pie.
2. In large bowl, mix brown sugar, cinnamon, flour, corn syrup, vanilla and eggs until well blended. Stir in pecans and butter. Pour into crust-lined pan.
3. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until filling is puffed and pie is golden brown. Cool completely, about 2 hours. Store in refrigerator.

broiled tuna steak

from cooks.com

4 tuna steaks, about 1 inch thick (2 lbs. total weight)
Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
4 sprigs fresh thyme, chopped or 1 tsp. dried
1 tsp. fresh grated or dried powdered ginger
1 sliced clove garlic
2 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. olive oil

In a mixing bowl blend the salt, pepper, ginger, garlic, thyme, soy sauce, lemon juice and olive oil. Brush the mixture all over the tuna steaks. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand 1/2 to 1 hour until ready to broil.
Broil on rack under broiler about 4 inches from heat source, about 3 minutes per side, or grill on high (cover closed) 3 minutes per side. Leftover marinade can be heated and served over steaks.