Calling All Gourmets

Took a day trip to the Washington, DC area to visit with relatives and had intended to leave Calling All Gourmets TB there but found the cache container was too small! (we didn't have time to try an alternate location because we ran out of daylight and had to get back to NC). Any way, CAG TB had a good time in Washington and had its picture taken with his TB buddies at the new World War II Memorial - will send pic later. Logged the visit in Washington (Alexandria, VA) since it did make the trip and will place it in a local cache here within the next couple of days to get it moving again!
Madcachn'
Zebulon, NC

Retrieved this bug today on a VERY hot, humid, & stormy North Carolina day - temperature index was 105 degrees! PHEW! Braved the thunder and poison ivy to grab "Calling All Gourmets" for a trip the week of July 5th to Washington, DC (I'll send pics later!) Here's my recipe - (people say this is THE best squash casserole they have ever had!):
SQUASH CASSEROLE
2-3 CUPS COOKED YELLOW SQUASH (drained well)
1 SMALL PKG PEPPERIDGE FARM SEASONED STUFFING
1 STICK MARGARINE
1 MED. ONION (finely chopped)
2 CARROTS (grated)
4-6 OZ. SOUR CREAM
1 CAN CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP
SALT & PEPPER

Boil squash until tender and drain well. Sautee carrots & onions in margarine until tender. Combine squash, carrot and onion mixture, sour cream, soup and 1/2 pkg. of stuffing until well blended and add salt & peppper to taste. Pour mixture in casserole dish & sprinkle top with some of the stuffing mix. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until top is browned.

Yes, there are a LOT of calories, carbs, fat, etc., in this recipe but, I guarantee it's worth every gram! Even people that don't like squash LOVE this stuff! Happy eating!

Picked it up today; we'll move it along shortly. Meanwhile, a recipe I can quote from memory

Purp's Lazy Day Fajita Marinade
- 1-3 pounds of fajita meat (skirt steak, flank steak, even top round works)
- 1 750ml bottle of cheap red wine, the more tannic the better.
(we often use a bottle we liked but didn't drink fast enough)
- 2 limes
- 6-8 cloves of garlic
- A dash or two of mesquite or hickory liquid smoke
- Some spicy hungarian paprika
- Some black pepper

This recipe is very much a personal taste sort of thing. If you don't like as much of a particular ingredient as we do, you can cut back. If you like something way more than we do, feel free to pump it up a bit.

Pick your marinade pan. If you use a deep enough pan (like a loaf pan) and can get the meat entirely submerged you don't have to worry about turning them in the marinade; otherwise, you'll need to flip everything about halfway through marinating.

Pour in the wine. Taste it. If your face doesn't pucker, it's not tart enough. Now slice the limes to sixths or eighths and squeeze each piece into the wine, dropping the squeezed bit in after. I dare you to taste it now. [;p]

Push all the garlic through a press onto a small plate or something (a tupperware lid works well for me). Toss three quarters of it into the marinade. Keep the rest handy.

Toss in a couple of dashes of liquid smoke. Stir a little. The marinade is done; now it's time for the meat. Lay it all out flat and sprinkle some spicy paprika, black pepper, and/or cayenne to taste. No, don't taste it right now! Just kinda think about how much you like those spices to flavor your food and wing it. Remember that a little goes a long way.

Now sprinkle about half your remaining garlic on the meat and rub all that good stuff in. Flip it and repeat. Press more garlic if you need to. It's good for you. 😁

Drop the meat into the marinade in the morning and have great fajitas that afternoon with nearly no effort. I like to leave 'em soaking at least four hours at room temperature or overnight in the fridge.

Grill or broil like a steak, slice 'em up fresh off the grill, and add tortillas, onions, peppers, sour cream and guacamole ... you're set!

We'll move the bug along next weekend as we're heading to Yosemite.

I picked this up before I discovered the goal. Here is one dish that is easy, and very good. I am partial to rhubarb, and I love to share, so enjoy!

RHUBARB SURPRISE PUDDING
(Reprint from 1973 cookbook)
4 c. rhubarb, cut up 1 tsp. baking powder
3/4 c. sugar 1/2 c. oatmeal
1/4 c. butter 3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. flour 1 T. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk 1/2 c. boiling water
Spread cut rhubarb over greased 8-inch square pan. Blend 3/4 cup sugar with butter. Add flour, baking powder, salt, and oatmeal. Stir in milk and spread over rhubarb in pan. Combine 3/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Sprinkle over batter. Pour boiling water over all. Bake at 375 degrees for 1 hour. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream.

Woops, I forgot to log this find....
I think I will try to take it to the Russian River...some how seems appropriate for spoon river.

The recipe:
When you make ramen noodle soup, add in a hand full of frozen peas, shrimp, green onion, left over meat or chicken, then crack an egg in the pot. Put a lid on it, and turn off the heat. Serve when the egg is done as much as you like it to be.

[This entry was edited by Haicoole on Wednesday, March 17, 2004 at 5:35:19 PM.]