Fried Green Tomatoes

Dry mixture: 2 1/2 cups flour 1 1/2 cups fine corn meal
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper salt and pepper
Wet mixture: 1 large egg 1c.buttermilk
1 tsp baking powder 5 tsp baking soda
Cut 4-6 large green tomatoes @1/4 - 1/2 inch thick
Dip in wet mixture then in dry. Hold on wire rack (up to half an hour is okay)
Fry in 350 degree vegetable oil til nicely brown and crisp ... turn once.
Drain oil on brown paper bag. Serve immediately.
Serve with any chutney, pickled watermelon rind (yum!), or sweet and sour sauce.
Trader Joe’s Mandarin Orange sauce is the best!!!
Despite what the movie shows, these really do not travel at all!

Peas in a Creamy Sauce

I recently typed this recipe up for a friend so I thought I would share it with you guys too. It comes from one of Madhur Jaffrey's Indian cook books. It such a rich and delicious way to eat peas.

Peas in a Creamy Sauce serves 4-6, total prep time about 15 minutes, cooking time about 3minutes.

Ingredients
1/4t sugar
1/4t ground cumin
1/2t garam masala
3/4t salt
1T tomato paste
2T water
3/4 heavy whipping cream
1T lemon juice
1/4-1/2t cayenne pepper
2T chopped cilantro
1T fresh hot chilis (finely chopped)
1/2t cumin seeds (not ground)
1/2t mustand seeds (not ground)
10-20oz. frozen peas (defrosted and drained)

Directions:

Sauce:
Combine sugar, ground cumin, salt, caynenne, garam masala and tomato paste in a small bowl. SLoly add 2 T of water, mixing as you go. Add cream, mix Add lemon juice, cilantro and chili, mix and then set aside.

Peas:
In large skillet heat 3 T oil. When hot add 1/2t cumin seeds and 1/2t mustard seeds...toast (cook stirring until fragrant)...when seeds begin to "pop" add the peas and stir fry for 30 seconds. ADd sauce, cook over medium heat for 2 minutes. Serve warm with rice or with other favorite Indian dishes.

Notes:
I do not usually add the chilis because I don't care for them
I often leave out the cilantro because I don't always have it
The recipe does not seem to suffer greatly without those two ingredients.
Also, the whole seeds could probably be left out without it being a huge deal, but they do add nice additional flavors and a little texture too.

Enjoy!

Mom's Latkes

Makes @20 small latkes

6 medium-size potatoes,pared
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
2 medium-size onions,grated
2 tsps salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
dash paprika
1/2 cup flour
vegetable oil

Grate potatoes (I prefer a medium grate); place in a large bowl with baking soda; toss to mix. Squeeze off any excess water with hands.
Beat eggs in large bowl; stir in potatoes, onion, salt, nutmeg,and paprika. Sprinkle flour over top; stir in.
Pour 1/4 inch depth of oil into heavy skillet(or electric fry pan) and heat.
Drop spoonful of potato mixture for each latke into skillet; flatten slightly with back of spoon.
Fry slowly, turning once, 3 minutes, or until crisp and golden. drain on paper towels; keep warm.
Serve with sour cream or applesauce and love!
xxx MOM

Crispy Baked Kale with Gruyere Cheese

Jenni and I discovered this last fall and we just love it! Gruyere cheese can be a bit pricey but it is really yummy. You can substitute any alpine style cheese like swiss. hugs... Mom

Croutons:
Sourdough bread, crust removed, torn into 1/2 pieces, 2 cups;
tossed with 1 Tblsp extra virgin olive oil; toasted on cookie sheet 350 degrees for 8 minutes; set aside to cool
Kale:
1 medium shallot,minced
1 small onion,thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds kale, large stems discarded, leaves chopped
1 tsp chopped thyme leaves
salt and freshly ground pepper
In large deep skillet, or heavy pot, heat 1/4 extra virgin olive oil
Saute shallot, onion, garlic 7 minutes over moderate heat until soft stirring occasionally
Add kale, cover, cook about 15 min. til tender over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally
Stir in thyme, salt , pepper to taste
Transfer to 8x10 baking dish

Topping:
1 and 1/4 cups shredded gruyere cheese (or swiss) @3.5 ounces
sourdough croutons

Bake: 350 degrees @20 minutes 'til cheese is bubbling and croutons are golden; let stand 5 minutes and serve

You can make this ahead of time; just skip last baking and refrigerate overnight; keep croutons in airtight container.

Sweet Greens

Hi girls. Great idea! Here’s my first contribution! -J

Greens
Bring 3 inches of water to a boil in a saucepan.
Take half of one head of kale.
Chop off the thick part of the stalk.
Rinse and roughly chop leaves.
Add greens to water, stir until bright green and let cook
2 minutes.
Drain greens and place in serving bowl.

Sweetness
In small bowl combine 1 TB olive oil, 1 TB real maple
syrup, ½ TB balsamic vinegar, or any quantity you
want in ratio of 1:1:1/2.
Whisk together until blended.
Pour over greens and toss thoroughly.

Serve! Enjoy! Easy! :)