BERBER CHICKEN AND TOMATO SALAD (source: "The Grains Cookbook" by Bert Greene) A recipe from Morocco. 1 c. bulgur 1 c. chopped, seeded, peeled tomatoes (about 2 medium) 2 c. boneless skinless cooked chicken pieces 3 T. chopped fresh basil 1 t. chopped fresh mint 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/3 c. olive oil 3 T. red wine vinegar salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste chopped fresh parsley, for garnish 1. Cook the bulgur in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain, and set aside to cool. 2. In a large bowl, combine the cooled bulgur, tomatoes, chicken, basil, mint, and garlic. Lightly toss, then add the oil, vinegar, and salt and pepper. Sprinkle with parsley. Serves 4-6. BULGUR\-STUFFED TOMATOES (source: "The Grains Cookbook" by Bert Greene) 4 ripe medium tomatoes 1/4 c. strong homemade chicken stock 2 T. olive oil 1 medium onion, finely chopped 1 lg. clove garlic, minced 1 t. sugar 1/2 c. bulgur 1 t. chopped fresh basil, or 1/2 t. dried 1/2 t. chopped fresh thyme, or 1/4 t. dried 1/2 t. salt 1/4 t. freshly ground black pepper 1/8 t. hot pepper sauce 2 T. freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1\. Slice the top off the tomatoes and scoop out the interiors with a spoon, leaving about 1/4\-inch thick walls. Turn the scooped\-out tomatoes upside down on paper towels to drain. Place the tomato pulp and seeds in the container of a food processor or blender, and process until smooth. You should have about 1\-1/4 cups liquid. Add enough chicken stock to make 1\-1/2 cups total liquid. 2\. Heat the oil in a medium\-size saucepan over medium\-low heat. Add the onion; cook 1 minute. Add the garlic; cook 3 minutes longer. Stir in the tomato mixture and add the sugar, bulgur, basil, thyme, salt, pepper, and hot pepper sauce. Heat to boiling. Then reduce the heat and cook, covered, over low heat until the bulgur is tender and all the liquid has been absorbed, 20\-25 minutes. (Remove the cover and continue to cook if the mixture seems too wet.) Turn off the heat and let the pan stand, covered, for 10 minutes. 3\. Stuff the bulgur mixture into the tomato shells, mounding it high. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Place under a preheated broiler and cook until the tops are golden and the tomatoes are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Serves 4 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BULGUR SLAW (source: "The New Book of Whole Grains" by Marlene Anne Bumgarner) 1 small head of cabbage 1 small green bell pepper 1 small onion 1 carrot 1/2 c. bulgur (or cracked wheat, soaked overnight 1 c. sour cream or yogurt 1 t. onion, finely minced 1 t. salt 1/4 t. pepper 1/2 t. caraway or celery seed Shred cabbage, finely chop pepper, onion, and carrot. Rinse, drain, and refrigerate until ready to serve. Meanwhile, stir together sour cream, minced onion, and stir in dressing. The toasted taste of bulgur is best for this recipe, but cracked wheat or triticale may be substituted with satisfactory results. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ VEGETABLE PILAF (source: "The New Book of Whole Grains" by Marlene Anne Bumgarner) 1 T. vegetable oil 1 onion, chopped 1 celery stalk, chopped 1 carrot, chopped 1/4 pound mushrooms, sliced 1 c. bulgur or cracked wheat 1/4 c. pumpkin, sunflower, or sesame seeds 1 T. fresh parsley or 1 t. dried 1 t. salt 2 c. vegetable or meat stock Saute onion, celery, carrot, and mushrooms in oil until tender. Add bulgur and seeds, stirring until grain is slightly browned. Sprinkle with parsley and salt and add stock, stirring until combined. Cover and simmer over low heat until all moisture is absorbed, about 15 minutes. \-Grainlady

Any pickling cucumber from about 1" to 2.5" in diameter get made into spears or hamburger slices using the same pickle mix that I use for whole pickles. Anything over 2.5" gets used fresh or occasionally made into relish if I have enough time. We prefer dill relish and I use this Dill Relish recipe from NCHFP I usually miss a few when picking and by the time I harvest again they are usually past prime and are fed to the chickens. Chickens prefer the overgrown cukes because they have more seeds.

Another vote for good old fashioned flat pure aluminum cookie sheets. I didn't mesn to imply that warmth was the only cause of spread—just that no matter what you bake on, if the butter is too warm and soft in the dough, you will have spread. That's also why oil doesn't work well in most cookies. Chloebud, what I do know about a long chill/rest time is that the flour soaks up the water from the butter (and eggs if there are eggs). The result is just druthers. The different level of absoption will give you a different texture, though the difference might be subtle. One problem is that in a long soak, gluten will develop more, making your flour choice more important. You need some gluten for loft and chew, but you don't want tough! I know Chloebud has this down. I'm just pointing out some places where the complexity of it all can trip up people who just change things. I can't even fathom how many thousands of lovely cookies I've baked, but I've know people to use the exact same recipes and fail.

With the grated zucchini version, one great thing, is you can use one of those baseball bat sized zucchinis that people tend to leave on your front porch, at least they do around my neck of the woods. You just whack out all the big seeds and grate the remainder. In addition to with pasta, it's yummy spooned on whole wheat toast, with a chiffonade of fresh basil, or dolloped into eggs as an omelet filling. Very versatile. In the grated version, you let the zucchini reduce to an almost jammy consistency, so it sounds like a lot but it really cooks down. I used to have another version that let the zucchini reduce in just a smidge of olive oil, but then you added ricotta, and lemon zest. That was really good too. I cant find the recipe but will just have to wing it one of these days.