Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Cocktail Hour on Rachel Maddow

This first one is a flaming punch made by Josie, who was our bartender at Drink

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy



she is super awesome

This clip has three cockail recipes that were made at the white house

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Curried pumpkin black bean soup

Curried Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup(ish)

(so, when I cook and not bake, I am not the best at measuring. this is my best guess as to what is in this)

Definately in the soup
-1 can pumpkin puree
-1 can black beans (not drained)
-4 cloves garlic minced
-1 bay leaf
-1 individual container greek yogurt (I have a bunch left over from trader joes, so it is going in everything until we use it up)
-1 large white potatoe cubed (this would also be good with a sweet potato but I was too tired to cut one up)

Other stuff that i am mostly guessing at the measurements for
1/2 cup vermouth
2 cups veggie broth
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 onion chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp dried thyme
1 or 2 cups egg noodles

Here is what I did

Heat the oil in the pot and cook up the onions, garlic and bay leaf until they brown (maybe toss in a pinch of salt)
then add the pumpkin, vermouth, broth and potatoes
bring to a simmer
Then add the yogurt and spices and stir well to incorporate
Then add the black beans and noodles and cook until the noodles and potatoes are soft

YUM!

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

mushroom and eggplant strogonoff

1 medium eggplant cubed
1-1/2 pounds mushrooms, cut into thick slices 1/3-1/2 inch
2 individual containers greek yogurt
4 cloves crushed garlic (or to taste)
1 tablespoon paprika or to taste
1 tsp nutmeg (or to taste)
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup dry vermouth

In a cup, mix balsamic vinegar and white wine for sauteeing. Add crushed garlic to this mixture, and use this to saute eggplant until it is nice and soft (15-20 minutes at medium, and saute heat).

Add mushrooms to mixture and sautee until they release their juices. Then add yogurt, paprika, nutmeg, thyme, salt and pepper to taste, and cook 5-6 minutes until sauce has thickened and veggies are heated through. Add additional water if sauce is too thick, and do not overcook.

Serve over rice or noodles.

Makes plenty for 4-6 hungry people. Recipe can be halved.