Carnival of the Recipes-#62

Welcome to Fishtown Chatter-This is a nightime look at the lovely Beaufort, N.C. waterfront. Come visit the blog and better yet, come visit the loveliest town on the N.C. coast-you'll never be the same.

I am happy to host this week's Carnival of the Recipes. While you're here, take a look around, visit my blogroll and also check out the sites of the bloggers who were so generous in their submissions. There's a ton of talent out there waiting to be discovered. It's been a time of transition at the Carnival and last week's last minute changes caused by
Beth's "Pork Only Decree," (in retaliation for the English Council's absurd banning of Piglet in a lame attempt at political correctness), did not hamstring Ala in the least-she did her typical great job and we hope she visits our lovely Outer Banks again next year. Ala-make sure you hit some of the world famous pork barbeque joints that dot eastern NC between I-95 and the coast (or as Philadelphians call it "the shore!" Some of the recipes that didn't make it in time for last week's Carnival will be included here.

Beth has turned the reins over to Puntillious and I thank him for the easy to understand instruction and guidance. He has been keeping an eye on things- focusing on lining up the next set of hosts. He peeks in this week with a dish that can watch you while you eat it-
Eyeball Soup-it's bulging with goodness.



He got the idea from Martha Stewart and I would say his is preferable-here's a pic of hers that seems to feature a cockroach, that most likely hid out in her orange jumpsuit from Alderson Federal Prison while she was preoccupied perfecting her recipe for stir-fry condoms or engraving her roommates shank. I don't think the cockroach would touch this:

James Lileks has a something to kickoff a new Gallery of Regrettable Food right there!

No real themes struck me-I'm caught in no man's land between last week's Pigs and next weeks Ghosts-so in classic English major style I'll wing it, starting off with some tasty treats featuring the southern favorite-Yardbird.

Professor Bainbridge on Wine graces us with Slow Cooker Coq Au Merlot, what he calls a "low stress variant on the traditional Coq Au Vin." It features free range/organic chicken thighs-I don't think our Piggly-Wiggly carries these so I will attempt it using limited range thighs.

A veritable cockfight has erupted between two competing healthy entrees-PractiGal Marie submits a no-nonsense Chicken and Squash Stew-a lot of food with just 5 grams of fat and she squares off with Martha Hudnall's Autumn Chicken Butternut Squash Stew from A Weight Lifted.

More poultry-in-motion here continuing with Chicken Artichoke Crepes sent to us by The Deputy Headmistress at The Common Room. The recipe call for the construction of 36 crepes which seems like a lot but apparently she cooks for a family of 9, which explains that.

Mensa Barbie offers a smart variation to the standard yardbird with Stuffed Chicken Truffle as the main course in what she calls "a lovely little patio dinner, for two." And lovely it is: Take a look.
That's all the chick right now except for one I've put in the ethnic category.

SEAFOOD

This category is broadly defined to include anything that resides in water, fresh or salt and includes fish, crustaceans and reptiles.

First the fish- Sesame Encrusted Salmon painstakingly set forth by BJ at Quite Early One Morning. The recipe not only covers the main event but a variety of dipping sauces. Take a look at the salmon steaks-absolutely gorgeous!
Tilapia with Cajun Spices is next sent by Cookie (a/k/a Betsy LT) at My Cooking Blog.

Approximately 1 lb tilapia filets (about 4 thick filet pieces)
1 1/2 tsp Oregano
3 tsp Chili powder
3/8 tsp Cayenne pepper powder
3/4 tsp Salt
3 Tbsp Butter
5 Tbsp Lemon juice

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Prepare a 9" x 13" glass baking dish by spraying the sides with non-stick cooking spray (I used PAM).

Measure out spices & salt, then mix them together. Set aside.

Melt butter with lemon juice in prepared baking dish (in microwave) or melt on top of stove and pour into baking dish.

Pat fish filets dry. Dip each filet into the butter lemon mixture, then sprinkle with the spices and rub the spices onto the fish's surface (although it's messy, it seemed like using my hand was the best tool for the job), flip over the filet and repeat the process on the other side. Use the same method for the remaining fish.

Bake at 450 degrees F about 15 minutes or until the fish flakes (and appears opaque). 15 minutes has been about right.

This be a Tilapia-
Crabmeat Au Gratin is my own submission-I've picked some blue crabs twice this week, although not enough meat for this recipe:

1 stalk celery
1 cup onions, chopped fine
1/4 lb butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 can evaporated milk
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red peppers (cayenne)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 lb crabmeat
1/2 lb grated American cheese

1. Saute onions and celery in butter until wilted.
2. Blend flour in well with this mixture.
3. Pour in milk gradually, stirring constantly.
4. Add egg yolks, salt, red and black pepper.
5. Cook for 5 minutes.
6. Put crabmeat in a bowl suitable for mixing and pour the cooked sauce over the crabmeat.
7. Blend well and then transfer to a lightly greased casserole and sprinkle with grated American Cheese Bake at 375 for 10- 15 minutes or light brown.

Dale at Mostly Cajun wins the award for the most ambitious submission-Alligator Sauce Piquant. I stopped here-"Procure and dispatch the ‘gator. Disembowel and skin. Chop up the meaty parts. Set aside."


A Pork Chop recipe was late for submission last week-This is dedicated to the English Council that thinks this little cartoon character is the anti-christ. It comes to us from RomeoCat at Cathouse Chat. I vote the avatar to be the finest this week and is a fitting salute to the English Council.



ORANGE VEGETABLES- Three submissions in this category, one veggie, one bread and one dessert: Cathy at CFO-Chief Family Officer sends us Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes.

Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
Serves 2 as an entree or 4 as a side dish

2 medium sweet potatoes
2 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled (optional)
8 oz. frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar or jack cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

1. Use a fork to poke holes in each sweet potato. Microwave the sweet potatoes on high for 8 minutes, turning them over after 4 minutes.
2. Preheat your oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees or prepare your broiler. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. (Be careful because the potatoes will be extremely hot.)
3. Scoop out the potato halves, leaving a 1/4-inch thick border so you don't pierce the skin.
4. In a bowl, mash the potatoes. Combine potatoes with bacon, broccoli, and cottage cheese.
5. Scoop the potato mixture into the shells. Top each shell with 1/4 cup shredded cheese.
6. Bake for 15 minutes or broil for 5 minutes, or until the cheese melts and browns on top. Top with chopped parsley and serve.

Christine at Morning Coffee and Afternoon Tea pulls these beautiful Pumpkin Scones from her oven.
And finally, a great Halloween Pumpkin Cake from Caltechgirl of Not Exactly Rocket Science-sounds delicious but there is something else on her blog that caught my eye and to this Wake Forest Alum is almost as good:


"WE ARE THE WORLD,WE ARE THE CHILDREN"-MICHAEL JACKSON, CIRCA 1985
Speaking of suckage-This overhyped bag of cliches-the 80's version of Kumbaya sucked as much as it's author and lead singer-curious how he mentioned "the children." But these Ethnic Recipes do not suck-they, in fact are terrific.

Let's start with Thai: Three submissions this week, the first from Martin at Ego-Cassava Thai Dip Sauce.
Ingredients:

* 3 tablespoons fish sauce.
* 2 tablespoons of lime juice. Looks Great:
* 1 garlic clove, finely chopped.
* 3 chile pepper fruits, chopped

Mix the ingredients together in a bowl. Serve together with cassava / yuca chips.



Second is a straggler from last week sent in by Mrs. Lost Budgie and comports with last weeks theme-FREE PIGLET! THAI PORK SATAY (with Satay Peanut Sauce). No link provided so here it is:
FREE PIGLET! THAI PORK SATAY (with Satay Peanut Sauce)

Pork (shoulder) slice into thin strips (thick 1/2 inch
x 1 inch wide x 3 inches long) for skewering on
bamboo. 2 lbs. pork.

INGREDIENTS for Marinade

Coconut milk 1/2 cup
Curry powder (Hot) 2tsp
Turmeric powder 1/2 tsp
Sugar 2 tsp
Soy sauce 1/2 tbsp OR
salt 2 tsp
Vegetable oil 2 tbsp

- Mix all marinade ingredients together.
- Mix the sliced pork with the marinade.
- Let pork marinade for at least 2 hours (better if
overnight or even 24 hours)
- Skewer each pork slice with bamboo skewer. (Soak
the bamboo skewers in water for one hour)
- Grill over a low BBQ until done. Charcoal or wood
fire is better than propane. Brush coconut milk on
both sides while grilling and the satay pork will stay
moist while cooking.
- Serve with peanut sauce for dipping and cucumber
salad on the side. If you are lazy, the salad can be
replaced by pickled cucumber slices.)

INGREDIENTS for Satay Peanut Sauce

Red curry paste 1 tbsp
Coconut milk 1 cup
Sugar 2 1/2 tsp
Tamarind juice or lime juice 2 tsp
Peanut butter - smooth. 2 tbsp

Cooking Satay Peanut Sauce

- (Medium heat) Put coconut milk in a saucepan, heat
up then add curry paste and fry until fragrant.
- Add sugar and tamarind juice (or lime juice) and
continue frying for another one or two minutes.
- Add peanut butter, stir and fry with low heat,
simmer until it thickens.

Last but not least, one that snuck in under the wire this morning is from Jeff at Trub. The Sediment of Life. He provides us the makings of Tom Kha Kai otherwise known by us that speak fluet Thai as Thai Chicken and Coconut Soup. This week was my first time at his site-take some time there (as with the others)-it's chock full of good stuff.

Yo quiero, Mexican


Ask and ye shall receive-These Baked Chicken Fajitas are submitted by Shawn at Everything and Nothing.

Baked Chicken Fajitas

One of my favorite quick and easy recipes...

1 lb chicken breasts, cut into fajita-style strips
1 green pepper, cut into strips
1 can Ro-Tel, drained
1 med. onion, cut into strips
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp chili pepper
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp salt
Flour tortillas

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray 13x9x2 pan with non-stick spray. Cut chicken into fajita-style strips and put in pan. Add onion and pepper cut into strips. Drain Ro-Tel and add to pan. Mix the spices together with the olive oil and drizzle over mixture, stir to coat evenly. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 min. Serve with flour tortillas.

We interrupt this post so Ellison can instruct us on how to easily get ketchup out of a newly opened bottle. He also provides instructions for squeeze bottles-"Just squeeze, wimp!"


To save a bit of space, we will group submissions of Yugoslavian, Italian and Jewish.
Matzah Balls for soup come to us from Muse at Me-Ander, Potica Bread is served up by Roxanne at Melange-here's what a slice looks like:
She also has an interesting quote underneath this recipe post:

Having a child is to decide forever to have your heart go walking outside your body. - Elizabeth Stone

Poppa's Italian Soup comes to us from the lady at The Common Room who, as we noted above, has to cook for nine-looks great for a fall day.

INDIAN FOOD

I have a special spot in my heart for Indian food. One of my best friends, Vin is from Bangalore, a small village of 8 million. She does not have a blog, but pursuant to my request has sent in two great dishes:

Green Beans with Leeks

1/3 Cup Olive Oil
5-6 garlic cloves crushed
2-3 teaspoons Fresh Thyme
Fresh Lime
1 Leek
1 lb fresh green beans
Salt & Pepper

Mix the crushed garlic cloves with the oil. Add in the fresh thyme. Cut white part of the leek and discard the dark green portion. Mix the leek with the green beans. Coat the green beans/leeks with the oil mixture in a shallow baking dish. Salt and Pepper to taste. Bake at 350 F for 25-35 minutes (depending on desired crunchiness). Mix the green beans occasionally while cooking. After removing from the oven, squeeze a half a lime over the beans, mix and serve.

White Chili

Cooked Shredded chicken
Chicken Broth
1 can Northern White Beans
1 can Canelloni White Beans
1 can Navy Beans
1 can white corn
1 can green chilies
1 medium onion
6-8 garlic cloves
1/3 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon celery seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste

I cook an entire chicken with enough water to cover the chicken. Add salt, poultry seasoning, celery seasoning and a bay leaf to the water to flavor the broth. You can also use chicken breasts and 2-3 cans of chicken broth.

Saute onions and garlic in olive oil. After the onions/garlic start to brown, add in the small can of green chilies. Add in cooked shredded chicken. Add in drained beans, corn and cumin. Mix well and add in chicken broth (at least 4 cups). Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook until desired thickness. Can serve in a bread bowl.

Also from the Republic of India, the second most populous country in the world, we have a Chicken Curry submitted by Riannan from In The Headlights.

Per usual, we wrap up the Carnival with the Desserts; We have two this week, the first is
Fruit Cocktail Cake prepared and sent to us by Jill Webb at Yellow Snapdragons who humbly proclaims it to be the best cake ever! Last but not least we have Chocolate Chip/Toffee Cookies from my blog friend, the formerly Feisty Girl, soon to be Just.Christina, who presently hangs out at Sadie's place. We hope to see her and her hubby, Dash (Brad) next week in Texas.

Thanks for dropping by-and thanks again to Puntillious for the instructions. My best to Beth during her hiatus. While you're visiting these blogs, please take time to look around. From the Carolina Coast, over and out!