Carnival of Recipes #43 is HERE!
UPDATED 6/12/05 to fix the link to Shawn's Country Lima Beans!
UPDATED 6/11/05 to add another recipe that got lost!
*Doing a little happy dance* We've got recipes! We've got LOTS of recipes, and I have the day off. That's a reason to celebrate if you ask me.
I took the day off so I could take my time with this - because, you see, I wanted to do a little research on each of this week's chefs so we could all get to know them a little better. See what a good hostess I am? "Tell me a bit about you..."
So without further ado, we present Carnival of Recipes #43! Ta-da!
We start, as at all good meals, with drinks.
ArmyWifeToddlerMom, she of the eponymous blog, shares an easy recipe to make that refreshing fruity alcoholic treat, Sangria. Hey, invite all your friends over, this is a great party beverage. Oh, and if you know of any sort of position that would be appropriate for this three-year-old job-seeker, drop her a line... *wink*
Appetizers, anyone?
Do you call this an appetizer, or a main dish? I'm voting for appetizer. Hubby-head is a fan of beef jerky, and probably likes other types of jerky too - but it's a bit tougher to find anything other than beef in the stores. Mr. Completely tells us that good alder smoked salmon jerky isn't hard to make, and "boy, is it worth it!" He shares his time-tested methods here... Mr. Completely is apparently a gun and fishing enthusiast - quite the manly hobbies (no offense meant to the lovely and talented SarahK)... but even if you're not, you should go check out his blog - if nothing else, for this joke.
Owlish, of Owlish Mutterings, shares with us the recipe for his grandmother's Bread and Butter Pickles. And, appropriate for the Carnival of Recipes, while nosing about his virtual living room, I found this food meme - for you memeaholics, something else to write about!
And since I don't have a lot of them this week, I'm classifying this recipe as an appetizer as well. David at Daily Pundit has concocted a recipe for Red-Hot Double-Decker Quesadillas. Once you figure out the metric measurements, these look spicy and spectacular. And, again for you memeaholics, David takes his turn at answering the book meme that's been making the rounds here.
Soups and salads are interesting things. You could have them with your meal, or as your meal. You pick.
The Pragmatic Chef is a new contributor this week to the Carnival of Recipes... TPC presents a Hearty Summer Salad recipe that is sure to be a spicy, savory hit as a cool summer side or as a meal in itself. With peppers, corn, black beans and pinto beans, it looks filling and fab! TPC is the proprietor of Desert Island Foods, and the blog (his? hers? I'm not sure!) is packed with intriguing recipes and food tidbits. You've got to go check it out.
Dave at The Glittering Eye, as usual, has an exotic recipe to share with us. This week it's his favorite cold soup, a tangy concoction called Okroshka. Oh, hey, it's garnished with bacon! Mmm. Dave also has a thoughtful piece up about the war in Iraq, his reasons for not supporting it, and the reason he thinks it's critical that we succeed.
Virgil, of The Redneck Gourmet, has a very different soup for us - a hearty, hot, meaty offering called Dutch Noodle Soup, complete with homemade sausage-stuffed noodles. Making this would be an all-afternoon production, but it most definitely looks worth the time it takes. Virgil's blog has a grand assortment of great-looking recipes, so if you're not in the mood for soup, there's much more to choose from at his site.
And now, for the main attraction:
Marsha from A Weight Lifted gives us Sloppy Joe Wraps, which can be made with either lean ground beef or ground turkey for a nice low-fat dish. She's also got a fantastic post up, with which I heartily agree - you'll do better losing weight if you don't diet.
Jim at FrazzledDad shares his FrazzledDad Fajitas - a quick and easy variant that he suspects will irritate the Authenticity Police, but it looks yummy and that's enough for me! The Frazzled One is a stay-at-home dad (which explains the frazzled part) who is studying software development (which would most likely frazzle me). He's also got some advice for those of you whose vocation involves doing presentations.
For your grilling pleasure (or many other uses), Brian at Memento Moron presents Monkey Meat Marinade. Fear not, he didn't actually use it on monkey meat - but I suspect the reason for the name is that it would make even monkey meat taste spectacular. He also shares a barbecuing technique he tried out on Sunday, which apparently turned out quite well. Perusing his blog, I found this lovely post about light and shadow - a subject many an artist and photographer has pondered at length.
Romeocat from CatHouse Chat has a really easy - a really super easy - recipe for Mexican Chicken. I mean, three ingredients, and one of them is chicken. How's that for easy? And it does look entirely delicious. Of course, with a name like Romeocat, you'd expect some catblogging - and of course, here we have it. Aww, cute kitties!
A little more involved, but still very simple, this Summer Chicken from Annamaria at the cutely-named bunny? looks flavorful and fantastic. She also has done some recent catblogging - with absolutely adorable kittens. Awwwww!
David from third world county has a similarly easy chicken dish - Chicken Santa Fe. He uses a pre-packaged seasoning mix, but suggests (if you have the time and inclination) making your own and using fresh garlic and onion to balance the flavor to your tastes. This chicken is baked with rice and sauce, so it's nearly a complete meal right there. He's also sharing with us his top six reasons to blog (you'll have to read the post to see why there's only six). I think he's trying to start a meme - looks like fun, want to play?
Thai anyone? Merri of Merri Musings shares a stir-fry Thai Pork Tenderloin and Long Beans that looks like it will cook up quick and easy, and satisfy your Thai cravings. Merri is part of the Cotillion, a gathering of intelligent, beautiful, conservative female bloggers, and is one of the hosts for this week's Cotillion Ball, their weekly carnival. Go see what the brainy and beautiful ladies of the Cotillion have been writing about this week.
The always-entertaining Rory (a.k.a. KimchiTheKid) of What Not to Do in Asia presents a nearly frightening photoblogged experience with a sandwich he refers to as What not to cook ™ : Aberration Sandwich. Read it at your own risk. *grin* Rory and his pals have some wild, wild times - and he posts a lot of pictures. This is my favorite of his recent posts, some of these photos are quite well-done and just lovely.
ALa at blonde sagacity is another lovely lady that knows how to cook - every recipe she's entered in the Carnival has looked amazing, and this Blue-Cheese Chicken Po-Boy is no exception. I'm thinking about lunch right now, and this is definitely making me hungry. ALa muses that Howard Dean was almost right when he said Republicans all look the same - see for yourself.
That feisty Christina from Feisty Repartee has two luscious-looking dishes for us this week. First up is a Bacon-Wrapped Stuffed Trout that will have Hubby-head drooling at one glance of the ingredients. Crab - mmm. And bacon! Mmmm! Sign me up! Christina has started a great fiction-writing project called Take Two, in which five bloggers each week are challenged to write a 1,000 word short story based on an assigned scenario. Check out this week's offerings here - looks like a fun idea, and I hope it keeps going. Any writers among the Carnival's readers, go see Christina and sign up.
Kris at Anywhere But Here is cooking up some Indian food this week - we have a recipe for Lamb Vindaloo (which could also be done with chicken or shrimp), and a Sag Paneer that looks much like the Palak Paneer at Hubby-head's and my favorite Indian place in Phoenix. I'm seeing a trip to Maharaja Palace in my near future. While I was poking around at Kris' place, I found this deeply personal reflection on that feeling of walking in a fog. I feel you, sister. I've been there, often.
For those too busy to make a complicated meal, crockpot cooking is often a God-send. Marie at PractiGal has a crockpot-style BBQ Chicken recipe that looks like it would fit the bill for a tasty meal with minimal effort. She's also got a great idea for an invention that I could certainly use - couldn't you?
Here's a pasta dish that goes beyond your basic spaghetti - Donna over at Pajama Pundits presents Creamy Pomodori al Zucchini for your gastronomic pleasure. I've decided I'm going to help Donna out in her quest to be on the first page of Google search results for "where is my cell phone?" - because I like her style.
Allan of Inside Allan's Mind has let us inside his recipe book for this week's offering of Halibut With Lemon-Caper Sauce, as well as a side dish of Spinach in Brown Butter. I bet I'm not the only one who would love to go over to Allan's house for dinner. *Drool*. Allan's also been catblogging - what a good-looking kitty. Have I mentioned that I love kitties? :)
BJ from Quite Early One Morning posits that this White Trash Carbonara is better than your traditional Pasta Carbonara. And indeed, it's got bacon (!) - who am I to argue? While you're visiting BJ, check out this thought-provoking piece on feminism and taking one's husband's last name. Sometimes it's not as much a matter of principal as it is practicality, IMHO.
Elisson and his lovely bride, from Blog d'Elisson, share with us one of their favorite recipes from their newlywed days: King Ranch Chicken. With a name like that, one might expect it to contain ranch dressing, but it doesn't - what it does have is tortillas, cheese, creamed soups and a kick. It looks like I may have to add this one to the menu very soon. And just in case you haven't had enough? More catblogging.
Greek food often has some interesting names - Spanakopita is one that I always found baffling, until I saw a description of what it was. Now I'm dying to try it, and the Countertop Chronicles obliges us with a delectable recipe for the Greek spinach and feta treat. Countertop has also begun fitness blogging (see posts #1, #2 and #3) and is soliciting suggetions and feedback from the Carnival readers. Blogging about weight loss often seems to be a good motivator, especially when you've got friends who are willing to keep you accountable.
Aeryk at Geek Can Cook (hee! great name) presents us with an east-meets-west marinade for Campfire Kebabs - sweet, salty, sour and spicy, and great for home grilling or bringing along for your camping trip. Geek Can Cook is a brand new blog - just begun last week - but his other recipe post, Veal Loin Chops Marsala, looks fabulous as well. Here's hoping Aeryk keeps up the great recipe blogging, and keeps entering the Carnival!
Added 6/11/05: Mmmmmeat! Kevin at Technogypsy has the perfect plan for smoking a truckload of various meats - Atkins dieters, here's your dream meal *wink*. Kevin's been submitting some great ethnic recipes lately, which makes me want to... umm... go to some of our local eastern European restaurants, since it's so much easier than cooking at home. Heh. If your curious about Kevin, one of his students has provided us with a portrait of him - or at least his psyche. I'm thinking that I don't want to get on his psyche's bad side.
What's a fantastic meal without some fantastic side dishes?
Kevin at the aptly-named Seriously Good is sharing his roasted tomatoes recipe with us. If you're not up for roasted tomatoes by themselves, this post also includes a Baked Club sandwich recipe including some of those tantalizing slow-roasted tomatoes. And bacon! Mmm. Kevin is a personal chef in the Knoxville, Tennessee area. Seriously, folks, what a treat. Stop by his blog for other recipes, because if you're not in Tennessee, you still have the opportunity to eat like this.
Shawn at Everything and Nothing always has good stuff for us in the Carnival. This week she offers up Country Lima Beans - now, don't say you don't like lima beans. Try them first. These have bacon! Mmm. She also shares a column from a Mississippi chef about living in the South, which almost makes me want to move there. Miss O'Hara, who already does want to move there, would most likely agree.
Last but (hopefully) not least, there's this spectacular-sounding Extraordinary Mac & Cheese. OK, I submitted it, so of course I think it sounds spectacular. I can't wait to try it. For a special bonus, your hostess has also provided you with a handy list of ingredient substitutions, for when you start making one of these fabulous recipes and discover that you don't have something on hand.
And to finish up, a little something sweet. Or several somethings.
The wonderful muse at me-ander presents a simple recipe for 1, 2, 3 cookies. These appear to be a type of cookie bar and are designed to be customized to your taste. The only trick is you have to have a kitchen scale so you can measure the ingredients by weight - so go get yourself one, because this looks like a great recipe to let your creativity shine. Muse has been musing a bit today about upgrading appliances and computers - I'm also of the "if it ain't broke, why buy a new one?" school of thought... although I do admit to being tempted to swap out cell phones when they come out with newer ones, better, smaller and with more features. But I have resisted - I don't need a camera phone, I have a great digital camera. And why, pray tell, would I need my phone to take itty bitty, grainy, dark videos? Hubby-head, however... well, I keep him on an allowance. Otherwise we'd be upgrading something on a weekly basis *wink*.
More cookies! Taleena at Sun Comprehending Glass is baking up Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, with raisins to boot. I prefer my oatmeal cookies with chocolate chips instead of raisins, but I don't think I've ever had them with both. Interesting! She's also serving up a review of last year's movie version of the Bard's Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, Joseph Fiennes, and Lynn Collins - I haven't seen this one, but I must rent it now. I love Shakespeare.
While it sounds like something rather umm... naughty... Christine at Morning Coffee & Afternoon Tea has done some research on Spotted Dick and has concluded that... well... it probably was named after what you think it is. But nonetheless, it's also a tasty dessert, and she's got a recipe for Pineapple Spotted Dick with Toffee Sauce if you'd like to try it in your own home without the embarassment of asking for it in public. Christine has also been pondering lately about how it seems that tea-lovers also seem to be cat-lovers. There are some great feline fancier links, go take a peek!
The Feisty One has submitted a second scrumptious offering, this time Zabaglione (Italian Dessert Pudding). Ohh, it looks rich and delicious, with Amaretto and the strawberries and dark chocolate garnish... This is one talented chef, folks.
DeputyHeadmistress over at The Common Room is sharing two tasty mulberry desserts with us today: Mulberry Rhubarb Shortcake and Mulberry Muffins. There are a handful of other links included to mulberry recipes as well, including Mulberry Jam and Mulberry Almond Coffee Cake, which definitely intrigues me. I am a coffee cake fan. The HeadGirl reports that the family has begun listening to audiobooks of the Narnia Chronicles - the Kenneth Branagh reading of The Magician's Nephew sounds like it would be quite a treat (although truly I love all of the books, and any of the narrations would be welcome in my home).
Punctilious from Blogoram has a simple Cinnamon Roll recipe that parents of young children can use to get their kids involved in helping to make dinner. I can just imagine a 2-year-old in the kitchen, making "cimmanon rolls". Aww. Also over at Blogoram, UML Guy is pontificating about resisting genocide. Sounds like a heady subject, I might just need a cinnamon roll to munch on while reading the rest.
CalTechGirl's dad is having a birthday, and over at Not Exactly Rocket Science, she's sharing the recipe for his birthday Super Fudgy Chocolate Cake. Fudgy? Cake? Count me in! When it comes to the 2008 presidential election, though, count me out - I'm not ready to think about politics again just yet (I'm still recovering from the last one). If you're up for the challenge, go check out the questions she's been pondering.
Jay at Accidental Verbosity knows how to get on my good side - cheesecake. Or more deliciously, Fresh Blueberry White Chocolate Cheesecake. If I make this, my brother will be there in a flash and will not leave the kitchen until every crumb is gone. He's a cheesecake fiend. Jay apparently agrees with Hubby and I about last night's episode of Hit Me Baby One More Time - The Knack deserved to win, in a big way. But the idiotic studio audience selected "Vaniller Ice" (we heard it as Vanilla Rice too). What's wrong with these people?
That's it for this week! Thanks so much to all our fabulous chefs for submitting these recipes, and to Beth for allowing me to host this week. Next week's host is the spunky and sparkling Michele at Meanderings. Make sure to get your recipes ready!
Oh, you lovely, lovely lady!
Stupendous job!
Thank you for all the hard work.
; )
Posted by: Christina | June 10, 2005 at 02:37 PM
Impressive effort with the recipes..and I like your site in general
Posted by: Virgil | June 10, 2005 at 02:57 PM
WOW! This must have taken you forever! What a great job --I can't wait to look through all the links...thanks!
Posted by: ALa | June 10, 2005 at 03:04 PM
Thank you ever so much for the link love. Considering from whom I got the marinade recipe, and the part of the world where he was born, you never know just why it's called Monkey Meat. ;-)
Posted by: Brian B | June 10, 2005 at 03:13 PM
Great job! Thanks for the nice words.
BTW, I'm a fella. I guess I have to put a bio together...
TPC
[but my Mom calls me Scott]
Posted by: the pragmatic chef™ | June 10, 2005 at 04:03 PM
Wow, what a post! And this week's recipes all sound superdelicious! I need more time (and a faster metabolism) so I can try out all these delish dishes. Good stuff, maynard! :)
Posted by: Christine | June 10, 2005 at 04:20 PM
Holy smokes, great job with the postings! It's very impressive that you took time to peruse folks' blogs and put a bit about each.
Thanks for your hard work!
Posted by: Jim Holmes | June 10, 2005 at 04:28 PM
Thanks so much for making all of us look so good. I, too, appreciate the time you took to get to know us and share your findings. I have been drooling since I pulled up your post. So many recipes, so little metabolism!
Posted by: Merri | June 10, 2005 at 06:31 PM
Good work... That must have taken eons to type.
Posted by: Rory | June 10, 2005 at 06:52 PM
Songstress, you did such a splendid job - and it's obvious you looked around each blog you feature. Wow! Serious dedication! It certainly paid off with this chapter of the Carnival.
Beautifully done. Thank you!
Best,
R'cat
Posted by: Romeocat | June 10, 2005 at 07:00 PM
Great job - thanks for all of the work. It was fun to get to know everyone a little better since they've been feeding me for so long! ;)
Posted by: Shawn Lea | June 10, 2005 at 09:02 PM
I am off of my Migraine deathbed, and took a brief look....WOW, you went the extra mile. I believe this is the first time my site has been referred to as Eponymous....I might have to use that in a side bar quote, when I figure out how that is done.
Posted by: ArmyWifeToddlerMom | June 10, 2005 at 09:18 PM
Fantastic Carnival, I love it! I can't imagine the time you put into it. Next week's menu has been adjusted accordingly, but all the other great links you've included are going to cut down on my cooking time!
btw - this is first time I've been accused of having style :-)
Posted by: Donna B. | June 11, 2005 at 01:47 AM
Wonderfully done. Thank you!
http://me-ander.blogspot.com/2005/06/another-recipe-carnival.html
Posted by: muse | June 11, 2005 at 11:44 AM
Good morning, Deni,
I read your most recent blog this morning. Your honesty in speaking of difficulty in saying , "He is good to me..."needed to be said. So often, grief is wrapped in platitudes. You have a way of transprting us to times and places where we have had to express similar honesty
The turn of events which has occurred in your life has come close to all of us here at the church. As your story has unfolded for us, I have been sorry that I did know you and Jason better. What a gift you have been to each other.
Than you for sharing yourself with us.
John Nordstrom Sr.
Posted by: John Nordstrom | August 12, 2008 at 08:23 AM
Sounds intersting.. Sometimes I just have to go with my exotic range I have a nice joke for you) Why do birds fly south for the winter? It's quicker than driving.
Posted by: shuttshevealt | November 02, 2008 at 03:58 PM
keep up the good work!
Posted by: Dan | November 05, 2008 at 03:07 AM