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 Seafood-stuffed Lemon Total time: Approximately 35 minutes.
2 large lemons
1 cup chopped or shredded COOKED seafood
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 full scallion, chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 stalk of celery, diced (about 2 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon ground dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Cut each lemon in half the “short” way, so that each side can be cupped in a hand. Using a spoon, scoop out most of the fruit. Don’t dig deep!!!! If you cut into the rind, you’re likely to get some real bitter bites. The best way to do this is to just use a hand juicer to flatten the insides of the lemon. (I froze my leftover lemon juice in the ice cube tray, one tablespoon per cube.)
In a medium bowl, mix together meat, cheese, breadcrumbs, onions, celery, dry mustard, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.
Stuff each lemon half as tight as you can with the stuffing.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown.
I used 5 large prawns, a handful of crab meat, and a handful of tuna (leftovers from sushi night, fried in a pan). I was originally planning to put an egg in the mix to hold it all together, but I forgot. The filling was plenty moist and held together well, though, so I left the egg out of the recipe. Unless your meat is really dry, I see no reason to add an egg.
I baked my stuffed lemons in my cupcake pan.
 Röschti with bacon, onions, and cheese Total time: Approximately 1 hour.
Adapted from Amy Pollien’s Röschti.
3-4 large potatoes, shredded
1/2 c butter (or less), divided
2 Tbsp olive oil (or less), divided
1 c shredded cheese
2 full scallions, diced
4 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
In a large mixing bowl, gently mix shredded potatoes, cheese, scallions and bacon.
Heat 1 Tbsp of oil and 2 Tbsp butter (or more) in a large and deep cast iron or nonstick pan on medium heat. Add the entire contents of your mixing bowl and press down firmly with a spatula.
Cook uncovered on medium-low heat for 12-15 minutes. Flip “out” your Röschti onto a plate or platter. Add another Tbsp of oil and 2 more Tbsp butter (or more) to the pan. Slide your Röschti back into the pan, uncooked side down. Press firmly and cook uncovered for another 12-15 minutes.
I quartered and boiled my potatoes for about 10 minutes, then cooled them for 30 minutes before trying to shred them. It wasn’t so bad.
I strongly encourage you to read Amy’s post instead of following my directions.
 Bacon wrapped around chipotle lime chicken, with rice and salsa. Oops, forgot my beans! Total time: 40 minutes.
2 large chicken breasts, halved
4 slices of bacon
1-2 cups honeydew salsa
1 tsp ground chipotle powder
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 a lime, juiced
Preheat oven to 400.
Combine chipotle, oil and lime juice in a bowl or plastic bag. Add chicken breast halves and coat well. Set aside.
In a lightly greased baking dish, spread out the salsa evenly. Wrap bacon slices around chicken breast halves and place on top of salsa. Bake uncovered at 400 for 30 minutes or until the juices run clear.
Seen here served with Elise’s Spanish Rice and honeydew salsa.
 Honeydew Salsa Total time: Approximately 1 hour.
5-6 large slices of honeydew melon, skin on
1 large onion, skin on
2 jalapeno peppers
1 lime
1/2 c cilantro, divided
Cut the onion and jalapenos in half (long way for jalapenos). Grill or Broil onion, peppers, and half the melon slices until the edges just start to char. Flip or turn them until all sides are this way. Remove from heat and let cool.
Remove the outer layers of the onion and melon skin, discard. Chop two slices of onion and place in food processor or blender. Add jalapenos, cooked melon, and half the cilantro, puree until smooth.
Chop up the remaining raw melon and cooked onions and place in medium mixing bowl. Add puree and remaining cilantro, mix well. Squeeze in the juice of one lime, mix well. Chill for at least one hour before serving.
Makes about 3 cups.
I don’t normally like fruity salsa, and I never thought I’d make some, but I have this honeydew itching to be eaten, and I’m running out of ideas. I imagine you could use cantaloupe, pineapple, mango, or some other sort of fruit. This was startlingly good.
Total time: 8 minutes.
Adapted from the back of the jar.
http://www.bgfoods.com/recipes/detail.asp?RecipeID=122359&BrandSiteID=176
1/2 c molasses
1 c ketchup
1/4 c vinegar
1/4 c dijon mustard
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1 tsp ground chipotle pepper
Mix well.
I did pulled pork sandwiches again; added a pound of pork and 1 cup of water and let it sit on high in my crock-pot all day. And, again, I had to boil it down to get rid of the extra water. This sauce is ready to dip as is, but it tastes better heated up, and it made for a pretty awesome sandwich.
 Spicy Grape Wonton Dessert Total time: 4 hours.
The Daring Cooks‘ October challenge of phở and dessert wontons comes from Jaden of the Steamy Kitchen.
2 cups seedless grapes, halved or mashed
1/2 an apple, finely chopped
Juice from one lime
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
water
4 Tbsp flour, divided
1 egg, whisked (optional)
1 Tbsp butter, melted
Combine the first 6 ingredients in a saucepan. If necessary, add enough water to almost reach the top of the fruit (I used 1/2 c, but it all depends on the width of your saucepan!).
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer covered for 30 minutes.
Mix 2 Tbsp flour and 1/4 cup of water until most or all of the flour is dissolved. Slowly stir into fruit mix. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until your compote feels slightly thick.
Cool completely. (I let mine cool on the stove for an hour, in a bowl on the counter for an hour, and then in the refrigerator for a third hour. You could probably pop it straight into the refrigerator and save yourself 90 minutes.)
Preheat oven to 350. Place one teaspoon of compote in the center of your wonton wrapper. Sprinkle compote with flour. Fold creatively, and use the whisked egg to seal them shut. Baste the folded wonton with melted butter.
Bake at 350 for 13 minutes or until golden brown.
I used my cupcake tin because I wasn’t sure of any possible explosions that might occur. 🙂 I could have probably used my cookie sheet and done 30 at a time instead of just 12.
My grapes were Concord grapes. I’m not really interested in revealing how many hours it took me to remove the seeds from four very large bushels of grapes. Let’s just say I’ll never do it again, and I don’t recommend you do it, either. #^_^# Just use seedless grapes or another type of fruit.
Yes, I’ve left out my version of phở, intentionally, based on a personal view that the internet is an oyster from which anyone may slurp the succulent meat.
 Pork and cabbage stir fry Total time: Approximately 40 minutes, plus rice or pasta cook time.
1 lb pork
1/2 head of cabbage, sliced
1 onion, sliced
1 carrot, julienne sliced
3 Tbsp tamarind paste
2 Tbsp ginger root, julienne sliced or minced
2 Tbsp peanut oil
1 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp sambal oelek
Heat oil on medium heat, add garlic and ginger, heat through. Add onions and cook until clear (about 5 minutes). Add pork and cook through (5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your pieces). Add tamarind and sambal oelek and coat everything thoroughly. Add carrots and cook one more minute.
Place cabbage evenly across the top of the pan. Cover tightly and simmer 10-15 minutes (depending on how crisp you want the cabbage to be). Mix well and serve.
I could pass this off as a Thai stir fry. Easy.
 Apple Porkchops II (Uncooked) Total time: Approximately 1 hour 15 minutes.
1 lb boneless pork chops
1 apple, cored and sliced
1 onion, sliced
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup ginger root, sliced julienne style or grated
2 Tbsp butter, divided by the number of pork chops
salt and pepper to taste
cinnamon and sugar (optional)
Preheat oven to 375.
In an oven-safe baking dish, evenly space dollops of butter. Place the sliced ginger root on top of the butter pieces. Layer the sliced onions on top of the ginger. Place pork chops to cover the piles of butter, ginger and onion. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Lay apple slices on top of the pork chop piles. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Cover and bake 45-60 minutes (thicker chops may take up to 90 minutes).
I was halfway through devouring my dinner when JB asked if I’d taken a picture. Of course not; I was unable to resist the aroma.
 Scalloped potatoes in 9x13 dish Total time: 2.5 hours.
Adapted from Scalloped Potatoes and Onions at AllRecipes.
Stop right here if you don’t own a mandoline. You may continue without a mandoline ONLY if you have patience to rival Kesuke Miyagi.
5-7 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
3/4 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sour cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
Preheat the oven to 350.
1. In a greased 9×13 baking dish, layer potatoes and onion.
2. In a saucepan, melt the butter; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add broth, sour cream, salt and pepper; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thick and bubbly.
3. Stir in milk and paprika. Pour over potatoes.
4. Cover and bake 90 minutes or until tender.
I uncovered my dish at the 85 minute mark and ended up just keeping them in there until they browned. My guess is it was a total of 2 hours (120 minutes). I probably “overbaked”, but they were still really saucy and soft, with almost no crispness.
The original recipe didn’t call for milk. I wasn’t going to use milk at all, but I just felt like I had way more potatoes than the original recipe called for, so I added a cup of milk to be on the safe side. If you’re using a smaller baking dish, don’t bother with the milk; the steam from having a covered dish produces plenty of moisture.
 Ready for grilling or dipping! Total time: 1 hour.
1/2 cup peaches or other fruit (or ketchup)
1 onion, peeled and diced (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup red vinegar
1/2 cup water and 2 tablespoons brown sugar OR 1/2 cup fruit liquid*
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp brown mustard
1 Tbsp ground chipotle pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* If you’re using fresh fruit, you’ll want to stew them first. We’ll use the leftover water from the stewing as the water and sugar.
To stew fruit:
Bring 3/4 cup water and fruit to a boil, then cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Drain, but keep the water. Set aside fruit.
Heat onions in 1 Tbsp of oil over medium heat until onions turn “clear”. Add lemon juice, vinegar, fruity water (or water and brown sugar), mustard, salt, all three peppers, and remaining vegetable oil. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered 20 minutes.
In a small food processor or blender, puree the fruit. (I used leftover peaches!!)
Add fruit and Worcestershire sauce to the onion mixture. Bring to a boil and then remove from heat. Allow the mixture to cool some (about 10 minutes). Puree all of it.
Refrigerate any unused portions up to 2 weeks.
This makes just under 2 cups of barbecue sauce, enough for 5 large chicken breasts. Maybe you like the chunks of onions, maybe you don’t. I love onions, but I like my sauce to be smooth.
This barbecue sauce is ready to eat once it’s finished boiling. The flavor *does* change once it’s cooked into the meat, but it’s only a very slight change.
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