Old Fashioned Bread Stuffing

Extended Life for: Bread On December 11th we hosted an impressive Holiday feast for some of our great American friends and some dear international students. Of course an important aspect of the tradition Holiday fare is stuffing - this recipe is from the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook which really is a great go-to for all our American traditions.

Ingredients:

3 stalks Celery, diced
1 Onion, diced
1/2 cup butter
1 Tbsp. Seasonings of Choice; I used a random poultry seasoning of sorts I found in our cupboard
Pepper to taste
12 cups dry Bread Cubes
1 to 1 1/4 cups Chicken or Turkey broth

Directions:

Cook celery and onion in hot butter until tender. Stir in seasonings and pepper. Place bread cubes in a large bowl, add onion mix and stir. Drizzle with broth until moistened. Transfer to 2-quart baking dish and bake covered for 30-45 minutes at 375.

Cardamom Red Banana Bread

Extended Life for: Red Bananas On many occassions, I have the true joy of creating something entirely new and exciting. However, it is a rare occassion that my new dish is of the "baking" category. The chemistry of baking powder, salt, baking soda, heat, etc. far surpass my understanding. Baking something new, for me, is generally a matter of a simple substitution. This recipe however was a mix of my basic banana bread recipe plus a common concept/ingredient I continually came across when searching for red banana - that is the cardamom. For bread, I almost always use my bread machine, so this recipe is suited for such - however, I'm sure you could adjust the recipe to work in the oven.

Ingredients:

3 large Eggs
3 Tbsp. Oil
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1/4 cup White Sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
4 small Red Bananas (or yellow ones should work as well)
1/4 cup Butter
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 tsp. Cardamom, ground

Directions:

In a wok or skillet, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Add bananas and cardamom heat for 3-5 minutes. In bread machine; place eggs and oil in bottom of pan followed by dry ingredients with banana mixture on top. Bake according to bread machine directions.

Sweet Vermouth Elk Stew

Extended Life for: Celery, Carrots and Tarragon
Ingredients:

1 lb. Elk Stew Meat
2 Tbsp. Butter
2 Tbsp. or so Flour
6 cups Fountain of Youth Tea, or Beef Broth
1 1/2 cups Sweet Vermouth
4 small-medium Potatoes, washed and diced
1 1/2 cups Carrots, diced
1/2 cup Celery, diced
4 cloves Garlic, minced
2 tsps. Tarragon, minced
1 Bay Leaf
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce
Salt and Pepper to taste
Additional water or broth to taste

Directions:

Sear elk meat in butter in a stock pot. Add flour and thicken butter and elk fat, gradually add tea or broth, allowing broth to thicken. Add additional ingredients; vermouth, vegetables and spices, bring to boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for about 2 hours. Serve with crusty fresh bread and enjoy!

Taco Soup

Extended Life for: Romaine Hearts and Cilantro Some dear friends of ours introduced me to the idea of including crisp lettuce as the base for a bowl of Taco Soup. With that in mind and a desire to feed friends while at the same time using up a small abundance of lettuce, I decided to make a pot of delicious Taco Soup to be served over Fritos and Lettuce. A meal that was nothing short of excelente!

Ingredients:

2 cans Tomato Sauce

1 can Pinto Beans

1 can Black Beans

1 can Kidney Beans

1 can Corn

1 can Diced Tomatoes

1 cup of Salsa, your choice

1 cup diced Onion

3 cloves Garlic, diced

Handful of chopped Cilantro

Romaine Heart, chopped

Fritos

Shreaded Cheese

Sour Cream, oprtional

Directions:

Place first 10 ingredients in a stockpot and heat through. Serve over lettuce and fritos with cheese and sour cream on top.

Birthday Tacos

Extended Life for: Lettuce, 7-layer Bean Dip

I have no secret for Tacos. I simply wanted to let the blog world know and remind myself in the future, that on occassion, with our scavenged materials, I can make the basic meal of millions - good ole tacos. Even better, we were able to enjoy them with two lovely Harrington sisters in celebration of the birth of the youngest.

Slow-Cooker Applesauce

Extended Life for: Apples

Two of my favorite kitchen concepts are the slow-cooker and old-fashioned goodness. This recipe is a fabulous combination of both. This is an uber-simple formula for super-delious flavor that will leave you feeling satisfied and un-invaded by chemicals and perservatives.

Ingredients:

4 Apples, peeled, cored and quartered

3/4 cup Water

1/4 cup Sugar

Directions:

Place all ingredients in the slow-cooker. Heat on low for 3-4 hours or until tender. Run through a blender, enjoy with a sprinkling of cinnamon and/or nutmeg.