Pilaf of Rice and Split Peas

After a weekend of picking at whatever is around, in addition to regular meals, and celebrating an early Thanksgiving with all the kids, it has to be back to normalcy for us. You have to love the holidays, but they are never waistline friendly!

We try to eat meatless meals during the week, whenever we can, while still making them healthy and tasty. Our employees from India are teaching us some wonderful vegetarian meals and they take relatively little time to prepare. I have prepared this ahead of time so I can just pop it into the oven when I get home from work and heat it through. This, along with some Naan and a salad is quite fortifying on its own, but you could serve it as a side dish with some kabobs for a summer cookout.

Pilaf of Rice and Split Peas

1/2 cup yellow split peas

2 cups Basmati rice (Or other long grain rice)

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

4 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 large onion, peeled, cut in half lengthwise, and then cut crosswise into fine half rings

2 tsp grated peeled fresh ginger

1 tsp crushed fresh garlic

5 Tbsp plain yogurt

Salt

1/8-1/4 tsp red chili powder (cayenne pepper)

2 Tbsp unsalted butter cut into small pieces

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp milk

1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander(cilantro)

1 Tbsp finely chopped fresh mint

2-4 fresh green chilies, very finely chopped

1/2 tsp. garam masala

Sort through the split peas for any stones and wash in several changes of water. Leave to soak in enough water to cover it by 3-inches for 1-1/2 hours.

Wash the rice in several changes of water. Leave to soak in water to cover by 2-inches for 30 minutes.

Put the split peas and it soaking liquid into a pan. Add 1/4 tsp turmeric and bring to a boil. Cover, leaving the lid slightly ajar, turn the heat down and simmer for about 30 minutes or until it is almost tender but the grains are still whole. Drain.

Heat the oil in non-stick frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, put in the onions. Stir and fry them until they are a rich reddish-brown color and crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and spread out on a plate lined with paper towels. Put the ginger and garlic into the same oil Stir and fry until lightly browned. Now put in the remaining 1/4 tsp of turmeric and 1 Tbsp of the yogurt. Stir and fry until most of the liquid in the yogurt evaporates and the remaining particles brown lightly. Add the remaining yogurt 1 Tbsp at a time and cook in the same way, Now put in the drained split peas, 1/2 tsp of salt and the chilies powder (cayenne). Stir to mix. Saute the peas for about 1 minute.

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Bring 12 cups of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 Tbsp of salt and stir. Now put in the drained rice and bring to a boil again. Boil vigorously for 5 minutes or until the rice is about 3/4 cooked. It should retain a slim, hard, inner core. Drain the rice and empty half of it into a wide, oven proof casserole pan.

Cover the rice with the split pea mixture and cover that with the remaining rice. Spread the browned onions and bits of butter over the rice. Sprinkle the lemon juice and milk, fresh coriander, mint, green chilies and garam masala over the top. Cover tightly, first with foil and then with a lid and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Stir gently to mix before serving. Serves 6.

SNICKERS COOKIES

You have to give these a try! I have had a very busy week and now our whole family is here.


This is going to be a fun weekend. But before I get way to busy to at least post something, I thought I would give you something easy. Here is another wonderful way to get rid of the Halloween candy. These are so easy and the kids will love them. But it is hard to stop at one!


Enjoy your weekend!!

SNICKERS COOKIES

3/4 Cup Peanut Butter (Smooth)
1 Bag of Mini Snickers Bars
1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 Cups Bisquick Baking Mix
1 Tsp Vanilla
Baking chocolate bar melted or choc chips melted ( I add a little vanilla)

Preheat oven to 375. Mix the Peanut Butter with the sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add the Bisquick and vanilla and mix until well blended.
Unwrap Snickers
Scoop approx. 1/2 Tbls of dough,flatten a bit and then wrap the dough around the snickers. Roll in your hands to smooth out. Place on cookie sheet approx. 2 in. apart.
Bake 8 - 10 minutes
Melt chocolate. Once the cookies are cool to the touch - dip the top of the cookie in the chocolate.

Fun With Fennel

Over the last couple of years, I have found that fennel is something that is so easy to use and has many uses. I was afraid to try it, use it....it looked odd...what could you do with this weird looking root? So, I left it alone. Until one day I found a recipe for a fennel and apple salad. I tried it and I was hooked. Which led me on my quest for other ways to use this fragrant and mild tasting....what...vegetable?

Well, it is found in the vegetable bin in the produce aisle, but fennel is actually an herb AND a spice! It is related to parsley and resembles dill! It is a native to the Mediterranean and introduced throughout Europe by way of Italy. All plant parts are edible: roots, stalks and leaves, with the spice coming from the dried seeds. The vitamin C found in fennel bulb is directly antimicrobial and Vitamin C is needed for the proper function of the immune system. It is a good source of fiber, a very good source of folate which is a B vitamin and a very good source of potassium, a mineral that helps lower high blood pressure. Fennel's aromatic taste is unique, reminiscent of licorice and anise. Fennel's texture is similar to that of celery, having a crunchy and ribbed texture.

The French, Italians and English use fennel as an herb to season fish. In Italy fennel is also used to season pork roasts and spicy sausages (think salami). The seeds can season breads (like rye) and cakes and it is also used in Chinese five spice powder.

So why do YOU need to know this?? Because I am going to post a few of my favorite fennel recipes over the next few weeks to show you its versatility and hope that if you haven't tried this before, you will!

To start, I am posting a hot dip that is perfect for the holidays. You can have this done in less than half an hour, start to finish. Or make it up a day ahead of time and pop it in the oven for 10-15 minutes before your guests are scheduled to arrive. If you love the hot artchoke dip, this is a new alternative! Bob Apetit!

HOT FENNEL DIP

Ingredients
· 4 slices bacon
· 3 medium fennel bulbs* (8 oz. each)
· 2 cloves garlic, minced
· 1 8-ounce jar mayonnaise
· 1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream
· 1 4-ounce package crumbled blue cheese
· 20 dried whole black or pink peppercorns, crushed (an easy way to do this is to put them in a little zip lock bag and pound them with a meat mallet), finely shredded Parmesan cheese (about 2 tablespoons), fine dry bread crumbs (about 2 tablespoons, Radishes and/or Belgian endive leaves

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 400 degree F. In a skillet cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon; set aside.
2. To prepare fennel, cut off and discard upper stalks of fennel. Remove any wilted outer layers and cut a thin slice from the fennel base. Wash fennel and cut in half lengthwise; remove core. Cut crosswise into very thin slices.
3. Add fennel and garlic to drippings in skillet. Cook over medium heat about 10 minutes until fennel is just tender and begins to brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Add mayonnaise, sour cream, blue cheese, bacon, and peppercorns to fennel; mix well. Divide mixture between two 16-ounce oven-proof crocks, souffle dishes, or other oven-proof dishes. In a small bowl combine Parmesan cheese and bread crumbs; top mixture in each crock with Parmesan mixture.
4. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes, or until just heated through and tops are light brown. Do not overbake. Serve with radishes and/or Belgian endive leaves. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

AND THE WINNER IS.....

Michele from Creative Writings 101! She won the October giveaway from Blogspark for the sportsbag and goodies from PinkTogether.com and the Susan B. Komen Foundation!

Congratulations and your gift is on its way!

Getting Back to Normal and other Musings....and a Drink!

First, I would like to thank all of you who sent get well wishes to me. I am finally starting to feel like I am human again. Whatever this was, it knocked me out. My husband waited on me...the kitty hardly ever left my side in bed. I felt...well, half-baked! You know the feeling when you cut into something that you THINK looks done and then, BAM...in the middle, it is soggy? Well, that was me. But the worst has passed and I am now able to prepare for our daughter's visit this week. Yes, my friends, timing IS everything!

Second, I hope you all had a great Halloween! The evening was not a nice one here...peppered with rain and quite chilly. But the kids and their parents were troopers and going from door to door. We saw about 250 kids. Or I should say, my husband had the honors! I watched from an upstairs window.

So now we start to prepare. Our middle daughter is paying a week-long visit with her husband and 22-month old, Morgan. Next weekend, the house will be singing...did I really say singing?...with the sounds of our other 2 coming in with their families. That means we will have 3 little ones, 6 and under running around. Our kitty is going for a visit to grammy and grampy's house as the commotion would be too much. And she deserves a little vacation too. My parents love her and she loves them so it is a match made in heaven! Our grandsons are a little older and they like the kitty, are very gentle with her and they play. But Morgan is a terror with her Yorkie, so why tempt fate with putting a cat in front of her?

This is the only time this season that we will all be together, as holiday plans are going to separate us at some point or another. We are going to make it our Thanksgiving celebration. The hubs and I are trying to plan a little something different for food other than a traditional turkey and I think we are doing a couple of turkey breasts. I have been looking through magazines for some new ideas for sides and have a few in mind. Everyone is going to pitch in to help, so it should be fun.

Now the plan is to start off the cooking with something warm and cozy. The basic recipe comes from Southern Living.

WARM CITRUS CIDER

Bring one gallon apple cider; 2 cups orange juice; 1/2 cup lemon juice; 1 orange, sliced, 1 lemon , sliced; 1-1/2 tsp. whole cloves; and 3 cinnamon sticks to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minures. Discard solids. Garnish with an apple slice, if desired, Serve hot. Makes about 4-1/2 qts. (Now my plan is to add a little Calvados (apple brandy) to the mix. I'm sure rum would work equally as well. )

This would be a terrific after ski or sledding party beverage and you can definitely keep it non-alcoholic especially where there are younger members or non-drinkers in the group. How about after a day of going to cut down the Christmas tree? This will certainly warm your insides!

For today, I am still going to kick back a little when I feel tired. I may try to make a small supper. One positive is that I lost 8 pounds being sick. I wanted to lose 5!! Not this way of course, but it is incentive!!

SICK, SICK, SICK

I haven't been around for the past couple of days as I have been sick with the flu...and I already had a flu shot about a month ago. All I can think of is that it is H1N1. But since I am not compromised in any other way, I am not seeing severe symptoms. But this is truly how I have felt...OK and looked! I'll be back up to snuff in a couple more days!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!

Lemon Shortbread Bars...Buttery Good!

I got this recipe out of my Cooking Pleasures magazine. It is a dense and very good cookie. When I decided to make these, I realized that I was out of lemons but had an orange. Well, it's citrus, so I tried it. The result was excellent. The orange flavor is just so subtle. Now if you make the recipe and put it in a 15x10-inch rimmed baking sheet sprayed with PAM, you get a thinner bar. Bake them for 25 minutes or until golden. Drizzle with melted white chocolate and let stand until set. This was a suggestion in the magazine. Since I used orange flavor, I used melted milk chocolate. You might also dip these in chocolate, at an angle on one end would be pretty. I am thinking of adding this to the Christmas cookie platter, and use colored sanding sugar for the top on some of them.

Lemon Shortbread Bars
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened, cut up
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil; spray foil with cooking spray. Whisk flour, 1 cup of the sugar, lemon peel and salt in large bowl.
2. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Press dough into pan; sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
3. Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and top is golden brown. Cool on wire rack.
24 bars