Mocha Sour Cream Ice Cream

3 ounces good unsweetened chocolate (I used Scharffen Berger)

1 ½ cups whole milk

4 teaspoons instant coffee or espresso

1 ¾ cups sugar

2 ½ tablespoons flour

¼ teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, beaten

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cups sour cream

Scald the milk. Dissolve coffee in hot milk. Melt chocolate slowly in a bowl over hot water or in the microwave; slowly add the hot milk/coffee mixture. In a 3-quart saucepan, combine sugar, salt, and flour and mix well. Add eggs and mix well. Pour hot milk very slowly over the egg mixture, stirring constantly. Cook the custard over low heat until the mixture coats the back of a spoon. Strain through a sieve, cool and then chill the custard. Stir in chilled cream, vanilla and sour cream. Churn the ice cream according to the machine manufacturer’s instructions.

Makes ½ gallon

Tomato Sauce with Bacon and Parsley

1 (28 oz) can diced or whole tomatoes (not in puree or sauce)

4 oz bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 medium garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons table salt

3/4 lb pasta

1. If using diced tomatoes, go to step 2. If using whole tomatoes, drain and reserve liquid. Dice tomatoes either by hand or in workbowl of food processor fitted with metal blade (three or four 1/2-second pulses). Tomatoes should be coarse, with 1/4-inch pieces visible. If necessary, add enough reserved liquid to tomatoes to total 2 cups.

2. In 10-inch skillet, fry bacon over medium-high heat until crisp and brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer with slotted spoon to paper towel–lined plate; pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pan.

3. Process garlic through garlic press into small bowl; stir in 1 teaspoon water. Heat garlic and red pepper flakes in bacon fat over medium heat until fragrant but not brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Stir in parsley, crumbled reserved bacon, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

4. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente in large pot of boiling, salted water. Reserve 1/4 cup cooking water; drain pasta, and transfer it back to cooking pot. Mix in reserved cooking water, sauce, and salt; cook together over medium heat for 1 minute, stirring constantly, and serve immediately.

Serves 3, but this recipe is very easy to multiply to make larger amounts.

Iraqi Meat Stew with Peas

4 T butter
2 lbs beef or lamb, cut into ½ inch cubes
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro leaves
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2 medium onions, diced
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen green peas
1 can diced tomatoes (14.5 oz), with their juice
1/2 cup water
2 t cumin
1 ½ t allspice
Salt & pepper to taste

Sauté meat (in small batches) in butter over medium heat until brown, stirring often. Remove meat, and add cilantro, onions and garlic to pan. Sauté until onions begin to brown. Add spices and cook 1-2 minutes. Add back the meat and its juices, tomatoes, water, salt, pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer 40 minutes. Add peas and cook another 20 minutes or until the meat is tender and the peas are cooked. Serve with hot rice or egg noodles.

Lemon Bars

Makes about two dozen 1 1/2- to 2-inch squares.

The lemon filling must be added to a warm crust. The 30-minute chilling and 20-minute baking of the crust should allow plenty of time to prepare the filling. If not, make the filling first and stir to blend just before pouring it into the crust. Any leftover bars can be sealed in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to two days.

Ingredients

The Crust
1 3/4	cups unbleached AP flour
2/3	cup confectioners' sugar , plus extra to decorate finished bars
1/4	cup cornstarch
3/4	teaspoon table salt
12	tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), at very cool room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces, plus extra for greasing pan
Lemon Filling
4	large eggs , beaten lightly
1 1/3	cups granulated sugar
3	tablespoons unbleached AP flour
2	teaspoons grated lemon zest from 2 large lemons
2/3	cup lemon juice from 3 to 4 large lemons, strained
1/3	cup whole milk
1/8	teaspoon table salt

Instruction

1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and line with one sheet parchment or wax paper. Dot paper with butter, then lay second sheet crosswise over it (see illustration 1, below).

2. Pulse flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt in food processor workbowl fitted with steel blade. Add butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then pulse until mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second bursts. (To do this by hand, mix flour, confectioners’ sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl. Freeze butter and grate it on large holes of box grater into flour mixture. Toss butter pieces to coat. Rub pieces between your fingers for a minute, until flour turns pale yellow and coarse.) Sprinkle mixture into lined pan and, following illustration 2, press firmly with fingers into even, 1/4-inch layer over entire pan bottom and about 1/2-inch up sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

3. For the filling: Meanwhile, whisk eggs, sugar, and flour in medium bowl, then stir in lemon zest, juice, milk, and salt to blend well.

4. To finish the bars: Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Stir filling mixture to reblend; pour into warm crust. Bake until filling feels firm when touched lightly, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack; cool to near room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Following illustrations 3 and 4, below, transfer to cutting board, fold paper down, and cut into serving-size bars, wiping knife or pizza cutter clean between cuts, as necessary. Sieve confectioners’ sugar over bars, if desired.

Pantry Chocolate Cake

When you're desperate for chocolate, and you don't have any in the house, you can make this cake from pantry staples.

1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup brewed coffee*
1 Tablespoon white vinegar
confectioner's sugar (optional)


Preheat oven to 350 F. Mix dry ingredients, add wet ingredients and mix well. Pour into greased 8 inch square pan. Bake 25-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

*The recipe card in my mom's index did not say "brewed coffee", just "coffee", and when my sister and I first made this cake on our own as children, we put in 1 cup of Folger's crystals and added some amount of water when the batter looked dry. The cake turned out crunchy from all the crystals and inedible to the adults of the house. However, my sister and I loved it, and we became quite caffeinated feasting on it.

Oatmeal Pecan Pie

1/2 (15-ounce) package refrigerated pie dough (such as Pillsbury)
Cooking spray
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup regular oats
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 large egg whites, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 325°.

Roll dough into an 11-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray. Fold edges under; flute. Combine brown sugar and remaining ingredients, stirring well with a whisk. Pour into prepared crust. Bake at 325° for 50 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely on a wire rack.

from Cooking Light

Banana Bread

I like this one because it's a little more bready than cakey, and it's not super sweet.

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup buttermilk or sour milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Sift dry ingredients together. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, mashed bananas and milk. Combine wet and dry mixtures. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for 1 hour.

Sour milk: 1/2 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to equal 1/2 cup.