Indian Okra

Okra. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

I dedicate this recipe and post to my dearest father. A man of phenomenal stomach powers, he is able to eat anything remotely edible save one small thing. Okra: those mucilaginous green pods of moist and somewhat sticky proportions. As a child, instead of monsters in my closet, there were okra stories of horror. Until now, memories of the slimy fuzziness deterred me from the Southern veggie. Because of my father, I didn't even know what this vegetable looked like until today at a ripe old 21 years. It looked at me, this fuzzy jalapeño, and I pinky-promised it's pathetic existence would go unnoticed, no more.

3 TBSP butter
1 med. onion, diced
1 lb sliced, fresh okra (1/4 inch slices...see picture if you were as confused as me)
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
salt to taste

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, cook til tender. Stir in okra, tomatoes, and seasoning. Cook and stir for a 2-3 minutes, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, until okra is tender.

Note: Make sure to soak your cut up okra in vinegar for about 15 minutes to relieve the slimyness beforehand.

Cinnabon Replica

The scrumptulescent sugar/cinnamon mixture is what makes this delicious treat unforgettable

I used to hate shopping for clothes as a kid. Hated it. My very patient mother would lead me through each store in the mall, and when our minds (my mother) and bodies (me) were exhausted, she rewarded me with half a Cinnabon. All those cursed stores were suddenly worth it. My mouth is watering just remembering it. I found a recipe I believe mimics this tastiness perfectly. Good luck fellow cinna-lovers.

1 cup warm milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 tsp yeast

1 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 TBSP cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

Frosting

3 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp salt

Dissolve yeast in warm milk. Mix in sugar, butter, salt, and eggs. Add flour and mix well. Knead into a large ball. Put into greased bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 hour in oven. Meanwhile, combine sugar and cinnamon. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled (about 30 minutes).

Preheat oven to 400'. Bake rolls about 15 minutes in oven until golden brown. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls and proceed to heaven.

Caramel Corn (Missionary Caramel Corn)

This stuff makes a great home theater treat. Too bad it's always gone before the movie trailers finish! This version of caramel popcorn will definitely stay gooey until it's gone. The 'mallow addition creates a light and fluffy popcorn coating that will have you craving more. A word of caution...you might eat the whole bowl yourself. Trust me. I speak from experience. *ashamedly hanging head*

5-6 cups popped, unsalted, unbuttered popcorn- (amount depends on how gooey you like your popcorn)
1 stick butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
10-12 large marshmallows

In a large saucepan melt butter, add sugar and marshmallows. Stir quickly until marshmallows melt into a thick, light brown mixture. Pour on top of popcorn and quickly stir in until all 'corns are coated.

*The name "Missionary Caramel Corn" comes from the recipe's origin. My father served a LDS mission in California, and got this recipe from someone on his mission. Apparently it was a big hit!

Stuffed Acorn Squash

Doesn't that perfectly cooked mushroom just scream, EAT ME!?

In case an acorn squash happens into your possession, choose to forgo the traditional brown sugar/butter method and mix it up! My very-hard-to-please roommate took one skeptical taste of this scrumptious stuffing and her eyes bugged. In a good way. After scraping her squash-crust bowl clean, she begged me to make this again. Heh heh. Mission accomplished. :)

1 acorn squash, cut in half and seeded
3 TBSP butter
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 1/4 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp parsley
1/2 cup cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350'. Place squash cut side down in glass dish with the dish bottom barely covered in water. Cook in microwave for 20 minutes. It should be almost tender. Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan and add celery and onion. Sauté about 4 minutes, or until tender. Stir in mushrooms and cook 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and parsley. Spoon the mixture in the squash-middles and cover with aluminum foil. Cook 15 minutes in the oven. Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Stick back in the oven until cheese is golden brown on top.

Roast Chicken with Balsamic Bell Peppers

This was a pleasant surprise. My roommate chose a couple healthy recipes for us to try (on yet another health kick...hopefully this one lasts more than a week), and the last couple attempts have failed miserably (think grilled popcorn chicken and teriyaki pineapple gone horribly wrong). So, much to my surprise, my tentative taste buds were thrilled when this very healthy dish was a hit!

1 tsp salt, divided

1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed

1 tsp pepper, divided

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried oregano

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

2 TBSP olive oil, divided

2 cups thinly sliced red bell pepper

1 cup thinly sliced green bell pepper

1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 cup chicken broth

1 TBSP balsamic vinegar

Note: On account of having only the most basic ingredients, I didn't put in the fennel seed OR rosemary. And it still tasted completely awesome. Do with that knowledge what you will.

Set oven to 450'. Heat a largish skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 3/4 tsp salt, fennel seeds, 3/4 tsp pepper, garlic powder, and oregano in a bowl. Brush chicken with a bit of oil, and rub spice combination into chicken. Put 2 tsp oil into skillet and add chicken. Cook for 4 minutes (until browned). Turn chicken over, cook 1 minute. Place chicken in a greased baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes or until done.

Heat remaining oil in pan. Add bell peppers, green onions and rosemary; sauté 3 minutes. Stir in broth and scrape those yummy flavorful brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir in vinegar, the remaining salt and pepper, and cook 3 minutes (stirring frequently). Serve over chicken!

Tomato and Basil Soup (5 Stars)

Once upon a time, I went to Zuppas and had the most amazing Tomato Basil Soup of my life. I've tried to recreate it ever since that fateful day, and this is the closest I've ever got. Reader's sidenote: This summer I had the pleasure of attempting to nurture a infant basil plant. It was a humbling experience, as I killed it before it actually produced large, usable leaves. I used the tiny leaves I could glean to make this soup. The fresh basil is the finishing touch that makes this soup so incredibly fresh and flavorful.

1 TBSP olive oil
1 med onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
About 4 large fresh tomatoes, diced in small chunks
5 cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup loosely packed basil (fresh) thinly sliced (if you must, 1 1/2 TBSP dried)

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Add onion and garlic and sauté until softened (about 5 minutes). Add tomatoes and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Cook until slightly thickened (about 25 minutes). If the soup isn't as thick as you'd like, shake a container filled with 1 TBSP cornstarch and 3 TBSP water, and add to the simmering soup. It should thicken up beautifully. Puree about half the chunky soup and add back to the original soup. (I like a little chunk in my soup, but if you're a smooth-soup kinda person, just puree it all.) Season with salt and much pepper. Stir in basil. Serve immediately with toasted bread!

Note: Doesn't make a whole lot...because the water boils down a ton...

Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's been a while since I posted a recipe. I'd like to say I have a good excuse, but in reality, summer laziness prevails. My apologies to the loyal followers of this blog. All 2 of you. With no further ado, let's discuss ALMONDS! I love almonds. I really do. Too bad the college budget doesn't allow many nuts to inhabit the dark spaces in my cupboard. These yummo bites differ from normal cookies on account of the crunchy texture of roughly chopped nuts. Thanks to Taste of Home for this recipe!

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup sliced almonds

Cream butter and sugars in a mixing bowl. Beat in egg and vanilla. Dump in the flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix togetha very well. It may seem a bit more goopy than normal cookies, but trust me. The chunks will keep the cookie from oven-melting. Stir in chocolate chips and almonds. Drop by a teaspoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375' for 9-11 minutes. Enjoy the nutty goodness.