Scoop out avocados. Add garlic, squeeze lemon, and mash until smooth. Add tomato. Stir, then season to taste. Cover if not serving immediately!

Notes:
I frequently half this recipe, depending on how loud the tummy rumbling is or if we are having guests. We serve this with Tostitos nacho chips warmed in the oven, cheese melted over top. Lately we’ve also had it in a wrap sandwich with turkey and sprouts and inside steak fajitas.

Who is Zoltan you might ask? His whole title was Zoltan the Adequate, and he was a very nice entertainer at a Renaissance fair. He had a rat, and between shows, Mecandes somehow got a conversation and this yummy recipe out of him.

I plan to post my collection of recipes here, so that friends far and wide can have access to them. I enjoy cooking mostly from scratch, baking in bulk and I’m not much of a casserole person, though I’ve found a couple gems. Stop by when you smell something good.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk and pepper. Stir in bread, mozzarella and cream cheese. Set aside.

In a 10 inch ovenproof skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Saute onion, zucchini, mushrooms, red pepper, garlic, and oregano for 2 to 3 minutes or until softened. Remove from heat; pour in egg mixture and mix well. Arrange the tomatoes over the top. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 25 minutes or until egg mixture is set and golden. Cut into wedges and serve. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Notes:
Left off zucchini – couldn’t find them in winter – and tomatoes
Added bacon bits to the top

3½ cups (packed) icing sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla (artificial is fine)
¼ pound butter (margarine is possible, but butter works better)
1 cup chopped, toasted walnuts (optional)

In 1½ quart mixing bowl, stir sugar, cocoa, salt, milk and vanilla together. Mixture is too stiff to thoroughly blend all dry ingredients. In one-cup glass measuring cup, melt butter in microwave and pour over sugar mixture. Blend thoroughly.

Microwave on high for two minutes. Bottom of the bowl should feel warm. Stir vigorously until smooth. No need to beat. Stir in nuts if desired.

For fudge squares, pour into 8×4x3 inch loaf pan lined with double thickness of waxed paper. Let ends of paper extend over ends of pan.

Chill at least one hour in refrigerator (can take up to 2-3 hours before it is totally hardened). Loosen around sides of pan with dinner knife. Lift fudge out of pan by grasping extending ends of waxed paper and lifting out. Turn out onto cutting board. Remove paper and use sharp knife to cut into one inch cubes.

Bake white cake as directed in two – 9” cake pans. Cool completely.

Clean cake pans, and place cooled cakes in them. Prick each cake with fork at ½“intervals.

Dissolve each flavor of Jell-O separately in 1c of boiling water and carefully spoon each over one of the cake layers. Chill for 3 – 4 hours.

Dip one cake pan in warm water for 10 seconds and turn out onto serving plate. Top with 1 cup icing. Un-mold second cake layer and place carefully on first layer. Frost everything. Chill and Garnish.

Notes: Found this in an ancient magazine, but the photo looked very appealing for kids. When sliced, the Jello looks like large color drippings inside the cake. Can’t wait to try it for our son’s birthday. We’ll be doing red and blue – whatever flavors they may be.

From the DVD for the BBC television production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

2 cups (1/2 liter) granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) water
1 lemon, the peel cut into strips, the juice squeezed and strained
1 orange, the peel cut into strips, the juice squeezed and strained
4 tablespoons (60 ml) unflavored powdered gelatin
2 tablespoons (30 ml) confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon (15 ml) cornstarch

Dissolve the granulated sugar in half of the water over medium heat. Add the strips of lemon and orange peel and the juices. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes. Soften the gelatin by soaking it for 5 to 10 minutes in the rest of the water. Add the gelatin to the sugar syrup stirring well, and boil for 10 minutes, until the syrup reaches the thread stage.

Strain the mixture into shallow dampened pan or onto platters, and let it set for 24 hours. Cut the candy into 1-inch (2 1/2 cm) squares. Sift the confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch together into a shallow dish. Roll the pieces of candy in the mixture. Store the squares in boxes with more confectioners’ sugar and cornstarch between each layer.

Notes:
I can’t yet guarantee this recipe, but I can say this… it looks better just by the reading than most I’ve seen for this treat. You have to admit it’s got a lot going for it being from Britain. Having failed at this before, I’m going to give it a whirl soon, hoping for the best. Have patience and I’ll report back as soon as I can.

***updated***
As you can see from the photo, this recipe does indeed work! And it’s so cute with the sugar mixture rolled on. The only change I made was to strain the peels from the sugar mixture *before* adding the gelatin. Also, after consulting my Joy of Cooking, I learned that “thread” stage is 215 degrees F. So, I let it boil at that temperature for 10 minutes.

1 chicken, cut into parts
Chicken stock (optional)
½ can of roux
2 large onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 stalk of celery, chopped
1 lb. plain smoked sausage, sliced into coins
Cajun seasoning
Salt/pepper
Garlic powder
Onion powder

Fill a large soup pot 1/3 full of water and/or chicken stock. Heat to boiling and add roux, stirring constantly for 5 – 10 min until all clumps of roux are completely dissolved. Stop stirring and allow the roux mixture to boil until it is frothing. Once this starts, let it continue for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add chopped sausages and vegetables, holding back a small handful of the green onions. Give it a stir and then season. Let it all come to a boil again, turn the fire down to medium and cook down for 30 minutes. Add chicken, return to boiling, turn fire to medium and cook for 45 minutes until chicken is cooked. As chicken is cooking, skim off any brown imperfections or excess oil and discard.

Keep fire on medium to low heat. Remove and cool chicken, then de-bone the meat and return it to the pot. Taste the gumbo and season again, if necessary. When seasoning is perfect, add in the reserved fresh green onions about ten minutes before serving. Serve over white rice in bowls.

Notes:
Be very sure to purchase plain smoked pork sausage without cheese or Italian herbs. Check the ingredients list if the name is ambiguous. Herbs will wreck the flavor of the gumbo.

A large soup pot means something 6 to 8 quarts in size.

Either homemade or canned chicken stock can be used, but the canned stock might be salty so I would not include salt in the first seasoning. I usually used a half and half combination of water and stock to start the gumbo.

I often used all dark meat to make this gumbo – chicken legs with the back attached – but it is traditionally prepared with the whole chicken. You choose according to your family’s taste. Any combination of parts equal to the weight of one chicken would work.

My dad’s rule of thumb for seasoning was one good sprinkle across the entire surface of the pot. So the first time the recipe says to season – give a good sprinkle of Cajun seasoning and a lighter sprinkle of the salt, pepper, garlic and onion powders as they are all contained in the Cajun seasoning. Once the chicken is cooked and the recipe says to season again, the gumbo usually needs salt and Cajun spice. Mine usually got a bit more of all the other seasonings as well, but it depends on what you give it the first time. It will be a learning process to get your taste buds adjusted to which seasoning is needed, but try to make it taste like mine and when unsure, give a pinch of one thing, let it cook for ten minutes and taste again to see if you got it right. If not, add a different one and repeat the cooking and tasting again. Too, remember that individuals can always add more hot sauce and Cajun seasoning to their own bowls. You do need a certain amount of spice to give the gumbo it’s proper flavor but there’s no need make it very spicy in the pot, especially if you’re serving children.

The brown “imperfections” I mention in the recipe looks like brown goop on the surface. Sometimes there is very little and sometimes there is a ton, but it should come out before serving. Regarding the oil, there should be only a thin layer so remove any more than that.

Anywho I’ve been toying with the idea of trying again, especially since both the little ones will be in school in the fall three days a week. And I got a tip that’s a little bit of an inspiration this week. A friend of mine was doing a HUGE batch – eight loaves, two times over. She must have a huge freezer and a lot of energy, but what caught my attention was that after the dough’s first rising – as she was separating one very large pile of dough into individual loaves – she weighed each piece on a kitchen scale, lined with a small piece of wax paper.

I asked her why, and she says that it’s to ensure that every loaf bakes evenly. For her particular recipe that was all whole-wheat, she says that each loaf weighs two pounds. Eight loaves of equal weight helps her to be sure that nothing is wasted by being undercooked or burnt and helps manage such a large batch. Seems pure genius because anyone can do this with their own favorite bread recipe – as each might weigh slightly different. It’s also insurance for the times when little helpers are in the kitchen. Something I’ll always remember and hope is helpful for you.

She just returned from a spring fling over there and brought me a treat! Harrod’s English tea… in its own adorable little tin! I wish I’d been to England to fully appreciate the celebrity of the company, but I have an inkling that its akin to Community coffee from Louisiana. A speciality for which the name equals the place.

Inside the tin, a shiny gold foil bag greeted me just before I popped it open to enjoy my first cup. It was great, thanks you know who you are. How lucky too that I’d just made a batch of yogurt scones. Even I know that tea and scones are the quintessiental English pairing. My recipe for scones comes from Evelyn Raab who writes the column Cooking with Kids for Today’s Parent magazine, published off- and online. Her article May Day has everything you need to know about serving a truly English tea, including the scones. Many of my favorite recipes come from her kitchen, and a long perusal through the recipes online would be a couple hours well-spent. I find something amazing everytime I drop by. Today that happens to be her Father’s Day meal and BBQ ideas. Ssh, don’t tell Mecandes!

While I’m on the tea kick, make a southern version for yourself too. We call it sun tea, and yes, the most important ingredient is a beautiful sunny day. My third batch this spring is out on the deck as I type.

No joke, ladies. Next time you have chicken to go, leave the not-so-juicy breast meat for chicken salad sandwiches the day after. Tonight I used Popeyes fried chicken, skin and all. Chop fine, then toss with mayo, a dash of lemon juice, my secret ingredient – a dollop of cream cheese – and season as needed with garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Yum!!!