I made Tricia's Maniladas - they were very good. Cheated by using used Herdez Tomatillo sauce.

Maniladas with White Cheese and Roasted Tomatillo Sauces
Recipe courtesy Sunny Anderson

Ingredients

1 (8-ounce) package manicotti shells
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 Vidalia onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (we roasted a small chix & used about 3 cups cubed meat both white & dark)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 cup sour cream

For the Tomatillo sauce:

1 pound tomatillos, quartered
1 small red onion, quartered
1 jalapeno, halved
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the cheese sauce:

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups heavy cream, room temperature
2 cups grated fontina cheese
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Salt

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Boil manicotti in salted water for 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water and set pasta aside.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Saute onion until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute more. Remove pan from heat and mix in chicken, tomatoes, cilantro and sour cream. Set aside.

To make the Tomatillo Sauce:

Place tomatillos, onion, jalapeno and garlic in a baking dish. Toss with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatillos turn golden around the edges and are soft, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and blend ingredients together until smooth. Use reserved pasta water to thin sauce, if necessary. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

To make the cheese sauce:

In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add flour and cook 2 minutes. Whisk in heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Add cheese and nutmeg and stir until melted. Season sauce with salt, to taste.

To assemble:

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Stuff manicotti tubes with chicken mixture and assemble in a 9 by 12-inch baking dish. Pour cheese sauce over the top. Bake 30 minutes until cheese is bubbling. Pour tomatillo sauce on Maniladas before serving.

Okay guys....I made the Glazed Lemon Sour Cream Cake tonight. I am saving the cake for Friday night dessert but OMG!!!!! I could pour the glaze in a glass and drink it! Such lemony lusciousness!!

I had trouble moving the glazed cake to a plate, tho. It is SUPER moist after all that glaze soaks in. Took some serious "maneuverin'"!

I'll report back.....

Linda

I made the GLSC Cake and it's super! I substituted Lemoncello for the lemon juice.

I had green beans and portabellos in the crisper so I googled and came up with this. It was pretty good.

Green Beans and Portobello Mushroom Saute

Recipe courtesy Rachael Ray

* 1 1/4 pounds green beans, trimmed and cut in half
* Coarse salt
* 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 onion, chopped
* 2 portabello mushroom caps, halved and thinly sliced
* 1/2 cup dry sherry

Simmer green beans in salted boiling water 5 minutes. Drain green beans and return skillet to moderate heat. Add oil and butter to the pan. Add onions and saute 2 to 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Saute mushrooms 3 to 5 minutes with onions, add green beans back to the pan. Heat green beans through and add sherry. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

I made this one. It had received rave reviews. If I were to make it again I would use more wine and reduce more to thicken. Actually I probably will not make it again as there are many similar which are much better. Sauce was to thin and watery and it was low on taste IMO.

Chicken with Sun-dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Gourmet 2002
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 1/2 pound total)
 1 tablespoon olive oil
 4 garlic cloves, minced
 1/4 cup drained sun-dried tomatoes (packed in oil; 1/2 ounce), patted dry and coarsely chopped
 3/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
 1/4 cup dry white wine
 3/4 cup chicken broth
 1/4 cup heavy cream
 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
Pat chicken dry and season with salt and black pepper. Heat oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown chicken, turning once, about 6 minutes total. (Chicken will not be cooked through.) Transfer with tongs to a plate.
Add garlic, tomatoes, and red pepper flakes to skillet and sauté, stirring, until garlic is pale golden, about 1 minute. Add wine and boil, stirring and scraping up brown bits, until reduced by half, about 1 minute. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil, covered.
Add chicken to skillet with any juices accumulated on plate and simmer, covered, until just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer chicken with tongs to a platter and keep warm, loosely covered with foil. Stir cream and 2 tablespoons basil into sauce in skillet and bring just to a simmer.
Transfer sauce to a deep heatproof bowl or 1-quart glass measure and purée with an immersion blender until almost smooth. (Alternatively, blend sauce in a standing blender. Use caution when blending hot liquids.) If necessary, add water to thin to desired consistency, then season with salt and pepper.
Serve sauce over chicken and sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons basil.

Beverly

I intended to say in the post above that I used some of the fresh garlic that Annie sent me. The garlic was delicious in it, but even it couldn't save this recipe. I intend to try another one with garlic and sun-dried tomatoes and get back.

Beverly

Tracey_oh posted this recipe on the Pir Recipe thread and I made it for Smokefest desert yesterday. OH MY WORD it is fantastic! I used a jar of homemade mango raspberry jam for the filling, real whipped cream instead of cool whip and added just a bit of almond extract to the topping since I like it.

Definitely recommended!

Alexa
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Fruit In Crust Cheesecake
Tracey_Oh on the CF
Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup quick cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 cup fruit preserves
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1 cup heavy cream whipped, with a bit of confectioners sugar added to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In medium bowl, combine flour, oats, baking powder, sugar and butter. Mix until crumbly.
3. Reserve 1 cup crumb mixture, set aside. With remaining crumbs, pat onto bottom and sides of 9 inch pie pan.
4. Spread fruit preserves over unbaked crust and top with reserved crumb mixture.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool.
6. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, vanilla, milk and confectioners sugar. Blend until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream. Spoon into baked pie crust. Store in refrigerator

I made smoked beef ribs for the first time on Saturday - for that matter, it was my first time to use a smoker. They turned out fantastic - my DH in particular was in rib heaven - he had them for dinner on Saturday, breakfast yesterday and a post dinner snack last night. The dogs were also quite appreciative LOL.

I'm posting the recipe and instructions that I used - for a newbie like me they were detailed enough that I got great results.

Becky

* Exported from MasterCook *

Aromatic Beef Rib Rub

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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This rib rub recipe contains lots and lots of spices and herbs for a rich, full flavor. To put together the rub, combine 3 tablespoons of onion powder with 3 tablespoons of white sugar, 2 tablespoons of garlic powder, 2 tablespoons of Old Bay® seasoning, 1 tablespoon black pepper, 2 teaspoons of celery salt, 2 teaspoons paprika, 2 teaspoons oregano, 1 teaspoon kosher or canning salt, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon powdered sage, and 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg.

Combine all of the ingredients well. This will make about one cup of rub, which should be plenty for two racks of beef ribs. Apply a light coat to the ribs and rub it in. Now, sprinkle on another coat, shaking off what doesn't stick. A light coating is all you need. You could put these on the smoker now, but its better to let them rest overnight in the fridge, so the flavors can get into the meat.

Smoked beef ribs will need six to eight hours of low temperature cooking to reach their ultimate state of perfection. Shoot for a smoker temperature of 225 degrees for the entire smoke session. Oak or pecan is perfect for smoking these big boys.

Four hours into the smoke, take a look. Flip the ribs over, and check the water level in the pan if you're using a water smoker. In two hours, look again and test for doneness. Grab a side-by-side pair of ribs and pull them away from each other. If the meat tears easily, they're done.

If you like, you can baste the smoked beef ribs with a thinned down bbq sauce during the last half hour of smoking. A mix of half sauce and half apple juice or beer is fine. Just don't let the baste burn. Sugar burns easily, and it would spoil the taste you've been working so hard to achieve.

Now that they're done, separate the slab into individual ribs, and serve 'em with your favorite sauce. It's time for the real fun to begin

Source:
"http://www.smoker-cooking.com/smokedbeefribs.html";
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I was so excited to find golden beets at the farmers market last weekend! I have been saving this recipe and was finally able to make it. It was really good! You could use red beets, too.

Roasted Beets with Pine Nuts, Dill, and Red Onion

2 pounds golden beets
1/2 cup water
1 cup thinly vertically sliced red onion (about 1 small)
2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 450°.
Leave root and 1 inch of stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Place beets in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; add 1/2 cup water to dish. Cover and bake at 450° for 40 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain; cool. Trim off beet roots; rub off skins. Slice each beet into 8 wedges.

Combine beets, onion, and remaining ingredients in a bowl, stirring gently.

CALORIES 79 (32% from fat); FAT 2.8g (sat 0.3g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.9g); IRON 1.1mg; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 21mg; CARBOHYDRATE 12.6g; SODIUM 236mg; PROTEIN 2.2g; FIBER 3.4g

Cooking Light, AUGUST 2006

Linda

I made this for dinner last night and they were delicious! For sure a do over. I did skewers of chicken and seperate skewers of veggies.

Rosemary Ranch Chicken Kabobs
Rated:

Submitted By: Theresa Spencer

Prep Time: 50 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour
Servings: 6

"This rosemary ranch chicken recipe is so delicious, tender, and juicy the chicken will melt in your mouth. Even the most picky eater will be begging for the last piece."
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup ranch dressing
3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 teaspoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to
taste
1 tablespoon white sugar, or to taste
(optional)
5 skinless, boneless chicken breast
halves - cut into 1 inch cubes
DIRECTIONS:
1. In a medium bowl, stir together the olive oil, ranch dressing, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary, salt, lemon juice, white vinegar, pepper, and sugar. Let stand for 5 minutes. Place chicken in the bowl, and stir to coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers and discard marinade.
3. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 8 to 12 minutes, or until the chicken is no longer pink in the center, and the juices run clear.

I was having the same ideas as Annie at the same time, and made a new recipe for Cinnamon Buns. It was a Cook's Country recipe, and I wanted to see what the difference cornstarch in the dough would make. I was very impressed, and the dough was beautiful, easy to make and roll out. Although these aren't my grandmother's cinnamon rolls, the recipe was actually less involved than those, and very good. We're still eating them, savoring them one at a time. I'll definitely make these again. Here's the recipe:

Dough
3/4 cup whole milk, heated to 110 degrees
1 envelope (2 1/4 tsp.) instant or rapid-rise yeast
3 large eggs, room temperature
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp, salt
12 Tbs. unsalted butter, cut into 12 pieces and softened

Filling
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 Tbs. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
4 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened

Glaze
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 Tbs. whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

1. For the dough: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 200 degrees. When the oven reaches 200 degrees, shut off. Line 13-by-9-inch baking pan with foil, allowing excess foil to hang over pan edges. Grease foil and medium bowl.

2. Whisk milk and yeast in measuring cup until yeast dissolves, then whisk in eggs. In bowl of stand mixer fitted with dough hook, mix flour, cornstarch, sugar, and salt until combined. With mixer on low, add warm milk mixture in steady stream and mix until dough comes together, about 1 minute. Increase speed to medium, and add butter, one piece at a time, until incorporated. Continue to mix until dough is smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl, about 10 minutes. Turn dough out onto clean surface and knead to form a smooth, round ball. Transfer dough to prepared bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in warm oven. Let rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours.

3. For the filling: Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in small bowl. Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Roll dough into 18-inch square, spread with butter, and sprinkle evenly with filling. Starting with the edge nearest you, roll dough into tight cylinder, pinch lightly to seal seam, and cut into 8 pieces. Transfer pieces, cut-side up, to prepared pan. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise in warm spot until doubled in size.

4. For the glaze, and to bake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk cream cheese, milk, vanilla, and confectioner's sugar on medium bowl until smooth. Discard plastic wrap and bake buns until deep golden brown and filling is melted, 35 to 40 minutes. Transfer to wire rack and top buns with 1/2 cup glaze. Cool 30 minutes. Using foil overhang, lift buns from pan and top with remaining glaze. Serve.

Make ahead: After transferring pieces to prepared pan in step 3, buns can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for 24 hours. When ready to bake, let sit at room temperature for 1 hour. Remove plastic wrap and continue with step 4 as directed.

For Labor Day weekend I made a Harvest Apple Challah, from King Arthur Flour. Yum! I liked it so much I made another. Both are gone now! The link below gives step by step directions with pictures.

Another good one in this months Southern Living is Bow Tie Pasta with Sausage. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients

* 1 (12-oz.) package farfalle (bow-tie) pasta
* 3/4 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 4 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
* 1 (14 1/2-oz.) can chicken broth
* 1 (9-oz.) package fresh spinach*
* 6 ounces crumbled feta cheese
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 4 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Prepare pasta according to package directions.

2. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes or until meat crumbles and is no longer pink. Add onion, and sauté 5 minutes. Add garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in vinegar, and cook 3 minutes. Add chicken broth; cook 5 minutes. Stir in spinach and next 3 ingredients; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Stir in hot cooked pasta, and serve immediately.

*Fresh baby spinach may be substituted.

I was watching Alton Brown (NOT my favorite host) making Tres Leches (I added the "s" at the end of Leche) Cake and on the same show, he did Dulce de Leche.

Oh yum!!!! If I get a chance, I'll take a picture & post it here, before it allll disappears into our tummies!

Since I can only put in one link--and I did that for the cake recipe--the website for the Dulce de Leche recipe is http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/dulce-de-leche-recipe/index.html

Okay, here's the photo. I figured I should take it tonight and not dawdle about it.

I made an apple cake yesterday with a gift of Granny Smith apples from a friend - it's absolutely fabulous so I figured I'd share. I subbed applesauce for half of the oil and frosted it with a powdered sugar glaze - next time I'll add some toasted walnuts too.

Enjoy,
Becky

* Exported from MasterCook *

German Apple Cake I

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories :

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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2 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups apples - peeled -- cored and diced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour one 9x13 inch cake pan.
2. In a mixing bowl; beat oil and eggs with an electric mixer until creamy. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat well.
3. Combine the flour salt, baking soda, and ground cinnamon together in a bowl. Slowly add this mixture to the egg mixture and mix until combined. The batter will be very thick. Fold in the apples by hand using a wooden spoon. Spread batter into the prepared pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 45 minutes or until cake tests done. Let cake cool on a wire rack. Once cake is cool serve with a dusting of confectioners' sugar or with a Cream Cheese Frosting

www.allrecipes.com

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NOTES : Made 9-10-10 Subbed 1/2 cup applesauce for 1/2 cup of the oil, frosted with a powdered sugar glaze.

Oh yay Alexa! Glad you liked the pie. I'm going to be making it this weekend for some company.

I made some pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with butternut squash I roasted since I still can't find any pumpkin! They were pretty good. It's so stinkin' humid here I had to keep them in the fridge and even then they stuck together in the container. The good thing was they were very light colored and so I just told my beyond picky kids that they were cinnamon chocolate chip cookies and they ate them up. If the words "butternut squash cookies" would have come out of my mouth, they would not have come within a mile of them. I also used pumpkin pie spice in place of the cinnamon.

Pumpkin Chocolate chip cookies

1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Directions
1.Combine pumpkin, sugar, vegetable oil, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, ground cinnamon, and salt. Dissolve the baking soda with the milk and stir in. Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and mix well.
2.Add vanilla, chocolate chips and nuts.
3.Drop by spoonful on greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for approximately 10 minutes or until lightly brown and firm.

I made this pasta from Smitten Kitchen - a great "fresh" sauce for this time of year. It was enjoyed by all and was ready in the time it took the pasta to cook:

Linguine with Tomato-Almond Pesto [Pesto Trapenese]
Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen
Adapted from Gourmet

3/4 cup slivered almonds
1 large handful fresh basil leaves
1 to 2 large garlic cloves
Several sprinkles of sea salt
6 ripe plum tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup grated Pecorino or Parmesan
1/4 to 1/3 cup olive oil
1 pound linguine

In a large skillet, saut� the almonds in a little olive oil until toasted. Let cool, then blend them in a food processor or blender until they are in coarse pieces. ("The size of orzo," the original recipe suggests.) Scoop them out of the processor and set them aside.

Put the basil, garlic and a few pinches of sea salt into the food processor and chop. Add the almonds back to the food processor (keeping them separate will keep them from getting too finely chopped as you get the basil and garlic to the right texture) with the tomatoes, cheese and olive oil and whirl briefly. Season it with freshly ground black pepper.

Cook your linguine until it is al dente and could use another minute of cooking time. Reserve one cup of pasta cooking water and drain the rest. Immediately toss the hot linguine with the pesto and mix quickly so that it drinks the sauce up a bit. Add more pasta water if needed. Serve this lukewarm, or at room temperature, with a glass of wine, after you get the baby to bed.

This weekend I tried this new recipe for rarebit over cauliflower from The English Kitchen blog. I had it Sunday night and again tonight and I really like it. I did not use the bread slices under the cauliflower and my mix of cheeses was what I had on hand, but it's very tasty and makes a good dish for a meatless meal. The mixture will keep refrigerated for about 5 days.

Cauliflower Rarebit

Bread slices, toasted, rub with a cut clove of garlic

Cook cauliflower florets 5 min. in boiling water, drain well. (I steamed the cauliflower florets for 5 minutes.)

Cheese mix:

1 cup Gruyere or Swiss

1 cup sharp cheddar

1 cup mild cheddar

1 TB Dijon mustard

2 eggs, beaten

2 TB beer

4 TB cream

1 t. Worcestershire sauce

� t. cayenne

S&p

Mix all in a bowl. Put bread slices on a baking sheet and top with cauliflower, then top with cheese mixture. Broil 5 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Serve hot.

Also good on roasted vegetables or cooked potatoes, baked potatoes, or potato wedges.