The Recipe Thread!

[PlaneJane22]

Okay, so food talk is pretty common during chat, but whenever people share their great recipes, I never bother to write them down. Hence the thread! The can be Lost inspired (101 ways to roast wild boar) or family pleasers. Share your secrets folks. I'll start!

Hungarian Goulash

My family is from Transylvania and this is how we make it. There are regional differences. The best goulash has to be made in a cauldron over an open fire. If you're camping, the scent of it tends to draw other campers into popping by and saying hi! I'm not sure of quantities, I guess it depends on how may you're cooking for, so these are just guesses and really, it's a stew so it only has to be about right.

1 Large onion chopped.
2 Green peppers chopped into large chunks
3-4 Cloves of garlic minced (optional)
1-2 lbs of stewing beef or pork cut into chunks
Bacon (optional)
Hungarian Paprika (sweet or spicy, do try to get real Hungarian Paprika, the other stuff just doesn't compare)
Salt
Pepper
A couple of Bay Leaves and some marjoram (again the marjoram is optional)
4 Large potatoes cut into chunks
3 carrots cut into chunks

1. Saute the onions, garlic and pepper in a little oil.
2. Add the beef/pork and bacon and brown.
3. Once the meat has been browned nicely, add salt, pepper and about a level tablespoon of paprika, stir quickly, and then add water and brink the mixture to a simmer. Be careful with the paprika because it can burn.
4. Your mixture should be a deep orange colour, if it's not, add a bit more paprika. You can also add a couple of bay leaves and some marjoram.
5. Let it simmer for a good long while over low heat (as you would any stew) so that the meat becomes tender.
6. Once the meat is cooked, and needs just a bit more simmering to become more tender, add the potatoes and carrots.
7. Keep simmering until the potatoes and carrots are soft, then serve with crusty bread for dipping!

The secret to that unique goulash taste is the peppers, which will have blown to smithereens by the time you finish and thickened the stew and lots of quality paprika. Anyone who tells you to put tomatoes or tomato paste in their goulash is talkin' crazy talk!

Enjoy!

[Grimme]

How about a very easy recipe that is delicious... Crock Pot Hot Dogs and Buns.

You just put the hot dogs in a crock pot, set it on "high" for 55 minutes. (You don't have to worry about putting the hot dog juice in or anything like that, just the hot dogs themselves)

Then, after 55 minutes, add the hot dog buns in on top of the hot dogs and leave them in there for 5 minutes. This makes the buns "steamed".

The best part is that this cooks itself while you can do other things for that hour.

[melinda26]

Those both sound great! My husband is the cook in our family. However, my family is great with dip. Try this! 1 lb of cottage cheese, 1 lb of sour cream, 2 hidden valley ranch dip packets. Makes wonderful dip for chips, carrots, or celery!

[AndThePickles]

PlaneJane, My parents moved here from Hungary about 25 years ago, and That is one of the best recepies, and I know what you mean by the tomato paste. LOL And you can't forget about The chicken paprikas, yuuum! Whenever I visit my family in Hungary, by the time I come back I'm a million pounds heavier from all that good cooking!! LOL

[PlaneJane22]

OMG. I just spent the weekend at my mom's. Not of the good. I'm already pleasantly plump and that Hungarian food is just making me plumper.

[DriftWood]

I Cup Water (boiling)
I Box Sugar-Free Jello
1 Cup Cold Water
I Humungous Tub of French Vanilla Cool Whip

Mix jello into boiling water, stir 2 minutes or until arm gets tired (whichever comes first), add cold water, chill 6-8 hours, remove from fridge, throw out, eat tub of Cool Whip.

Serves 1.

[Lady Zoltar]

I couldn't resist.... Be the hit at your next pot luck!

http://tinypic.com/k3plgKitty Litter Cake

CAKE INGREDIENTS

1 box spice or German chocolate cake mix

1 box of white cake mix

1 package white sandwich cookies

1 large package vanilla instant pudding mix

A few drops green food coloring

12 small Tootsie Rolls or equivalent

SERVING "DISHES AND UTENSILS"

1 NEW cat-litter box

1 NEW cat-litter box liner

1 NEW pooper scooper


Prepare and bake cake mixes, according to directions, in any size pan.

Prepare pudding and chill.

Crumble cookies in small batches in blender. Add a few drops of green food coloring to 1 cup of cookie crumbs. Mix with a fork or shake in a jar. Set aside.

When cakes are at room temperature, crumble them into a large bowl. Toss with half of the remaining cookie crumbs and enough pudding to make the mixture moist but not soggy.

Place liner in litter box and pour in mixture.

Unwrap 3 Tootsie Rolls and heat in a microwave until soft and pliable. Shape the blunt ends into slightly curved points. Repeat with three more rolls. Bury the rolls "decoratively" in the cake mixture. Sprinkle remaining white cookie crumbs over the mixture, then scatter green crumbs lightly over top.

Heat 5 more Tootsie Rolls until almost melted. Scrape them on top of the cake and sprinkle with crumbs from the litter box. Heat the remaining Tootsie Roll until pliable and hang it over the edge of the box.

Place box on a sheet of newspaper and serve with scooper. Enjoy! :x

[SabaceanBabe]

How 'bout something seasonal?

Christmas Holly (or, you know, Winter Holly, if you don't celebrate Christmas :D )

Take 1 stick of butter and melt it in a saucepan with 3.5 cups of mini marshmallows. Once all is melted together, stir in green food coloring until the shade is pleasing to the eye. Add 3 cups of corn flakes and stir until coated. Drop by spoonsful onto waxed paper. Stick red hots on the resulting "cookies" at random (try to do this every 3 or 4 cookies, though, or they don't stick so well). Allow to "cure" for 24 hours for best results (but, if you're like me and just can't wait, they're just as tasty eaten straight from the spoon, skipping that waxed paper middle man).