On April 14th

Trader Joe's Meals

(anything good you made from there)

or just quick and healthy meals.

International Night (March 2010)

Entrée Crepe
Judy Beck (Demo)

2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
¾ cup + 1 Tbsp. cup flour
½ t salt
1 T melted butter

Combine all ingredients in blender for about 30 seconds. Scrape sides and cream for an additional 5 seconds. If electric mixer is used, blend all ingredients to smooth, creamy consistency.
Cover and refrigerate. When ready to use, stir and blend, adding milk to thin or flour to thicken to proper consistency. 16 – 18 6 inch crepes.

Dessert Crepe

Entrée crepe adding 1 T melted butter
1-2 t sugar
1 t vanilla

Blend with entrée crepe ingredients and follow recipe instructions.

Crepe Suzette

¼ cup butter or margarine
½ tsp. grated orange peel
½ - ¾ cup orange juice
2 Tbsp. sugar
14 crepes

In a skillet, heat butter, orange peel, orange juice and sugar to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil and stir 1 minute. Reduce heat. Fold crepes into fourths and place in hot orange sauce, turning crepes once.

Lemon Dream Crepes

½ cup butter
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
½ cup lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt
1 ½ cups sugar
3 egg yolks, beaten
3 whole eggs, beaten
1 cup heavy cream
18-20 crepes

In a medium sauce pan, melt butter: add lemon peel, lemon juice, salt and sugar. Stir in beaten egg yolks and whole eggs. Cook over very low heat, beating constantly with a whisk, until mixture is shiny and thick. Cool. Whip cream. Fold one-half of the whipped cream into lemon mixture and fill cooked crepes. Fold over. Top with remaining whipped cream.

Chicken and Mushroom Crepes

½ lb. of mushrooms
3 chicken breasts
2 Tbsp. onions
2 cups of milk
3 Tbsp. flour
4 Tbsp. butter
½ tsp. salt
1 cup sour cream
1 cup cheddar cheese
2 cloves garlic
½ cup Swiss cheese (opt.)
15 crepes

In large saucepan, sauté mushrooms and chicken. When chicken is cooked add finely chopped onions and garlic and sauté for one minute at medium heat. In sauce pan, melt 2 Tbsp. butter, add flour, stir until blended. Slowly add milk, cook until thick. Add Swiss cheese and sour cream, stir and remove from heat. Pour 2/3 of this mixture into chicken of this mixture into crepes. Place crepes in casserole dish. Cover with the remaining cheese sauce. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Cook 15 to 25 minutes at 350.

Chile Relleno Casserole
Megan Bodily

9 x 13 baking dish: to serve 9-10

2 Cups of ½ & ½ (milk will work fine)
4 eggs
2/3 cup flour
6 – 4oz cans of whole chilies (one large can 27oz works)
1 lb grated each cheddar and jack
16 oz can tomato sauce


Spray Pam in baking dish
Beat milk with eggs and flour
Combine cheeses, reserve ¾ cup for top
Clean and seed chilies, butterfly lengthwise o pen

Layer chilies, cheese, then egg mixture- two layers
Top with tomato sauce, then sprinkle with reserve cheese
Bake @ 350 degrees for 1 hour.


Italian Penne Pasta
Jonna Carlile

8 ounces penne pasta (whole wheat or regular)
16 ounces mild italian sausage
1 each onion
6 cloves garlic
4 cans Italian-style tomatoes -- (diced)
1 cup red cooking wine -- (found in vinegar section of
grocery store - optional)
2 cups heavy cream
1 cup parmesan cheese -- (divided)

Brown italian sausage, onion and garlic together. (I buy the ground mild
italian sausage in the wrapped tube. If you use links, peel off the casing
before browning).

Add italian tomatoes. I usually pulse mine in the food processor first, as
it gives more body to the sause, and my family tends to pick out the
tomatoes if they're in large chunks. Next add the cooking wine (if using).
Simmer 30 minutes.

Add cream, heat through. Then add 2/3 c. grated parmesan

Cook pasta, rinse, and add to the sauce. Serve with 1/3 c. grated parmesan
sprinkled on top.

Note: the first night the sauce is rather thin and runny - which we love to
dip fresh french bread in as part of the meal. The second night the liquid
will have all absorbed into the pasta - still tasty, just a different
consistenc


Fish Tacos
Elizabeth Champion

Any type of fish
cabbage
tomatoes, chopped
limes
garlic sauce
corn tortillas
salsa

Cut any type of fish into small chunks. (We've even minced up calamari steaks). Saute fish in oil, butter, and LOTS of minced garlic for just a few minutes. DO NOT OVER COOK. That's what makes fish rubbery and fishy smelling. Slice cabbage as thin as possible so it's shredded. Heat corn tortillas so they're soft. The easiest way is to wrap about 8-12 in a paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds. Layer tortilla with fish, cabbage, and tomatoes. Drizzle on garlic sauce and squeeze on lime juice. You can also add salsa as a topping.

Garlic Sauce (a.k.a. Champion's Caesar Salad Dressing)

2 eggs
2 cloves garlic (Rick puts in 4+)
1/3 cup vinegar
10 shakes of salt
6 shakes of pepper
1 cup olive oil

Place all ingredients except oil in blender and turn on high for 1 minute. Turn down to medium and SLOWLY drizzle in olive oil. Be patient. If you pour the oil in too fast, the dressing won't thicken. Will keep in fridge for weeks but garlic strength will weaken.

Traditionally the white sauce on fish tacos is a yogurt sauce but we prefer our Caesar salad dressing.
Spanish Rice
Mariah Garcia

2 c long grain rice
2-4 T Oil
¼ th to ½ chopped onion
1 small can of tomato sauce
3 Cups water (I just fill up the small empty tomato sauce can up three times. One less dish )
1/8 to ¼ of a green bel pepper
Garlic salt to taste

1. On med high heat add rice and oil and brown.
2. Add your chopped onion. Stir. This is where you may need to add oil. If you don’t have enough in there it will start to burn so make sure you have enough oil to cook the onions. I usually leave the onions in for about 30 sec to a minute.
3. Add your tomato sauce and water, stir.
4.Add garlic salt. I just sprinkle it on then give the water a taste to see if I have enough salt or not. If I had to guess on the measurement I would say ½ tsp to 1 tsp. You just have to taste it. If it tastes like watery tomato sauce, it needs more salt.
5. Add bel peppers and bring to a rapid boil. Stir one last time then cover and simmer on low for 20min.

SWEET CORN TOMALITO
Heidi Little

- 4 cups frozen corn, thawed
- 1/3 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup masa harina (maseca)
- 1/2 cup corn meal
- 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Cream softened butter together with sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add milk and masa and mix well.
3. Use a blender or food processor to puree 2 cups of corn until smooth. Add pureed corn to butter/masa mixture and mix well. Add corn meal, baking powder, salt and remaning corn and mix until combined.
4. Pour mixture into an ungreased 8x8-inch baking pan. Cover with foil and place it into a 9x13x2 baking pan. Add hot water to the larger baking pan until it is about 1/3 full. Bake for 1.5-2 hours or until corn cake is firm in the center. Let it sit covered for 10 minutes before serving. To server, scoop out 1/2 cup portions with a large spoon.


Ginger and Green Onion Chicken
Melanie Mak

2 cooked chicken breasts shredded
1 Tablespoon Ginger finely chopped
10 stalks green onion finely chopped
salt to the taste
4 tablespoons Oil

Heat oil in a wok. Add chopped ginger into the hot oil and stir-fry for 1 minute. Stir in chopped green onion and continue to cook for 2 more minutes. Add the shredded chicken breasts and salt into the mixture of chopped ginger and chopped green onion. Mix well and cook about 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve with rice.

FLOUR TORTILLAS
Mary Vega (Demo)

6 Cups of Flour
1/2 Tablespoon of Salt
1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Powder
3 Tablespoons of Shortening
2 Cups of Hot Tap Water

Yeild: 3 dozen

Add Flour, Salt, Baking Powder in a large bowl. Stir the dry ingredients, then add the Shortening and mix into the dry ingredients and sitr it around so that the shortening breaks up. Then add the hot tap water to the dry ingredients mix with your hands until the dough feels right to roll out. You can add as much flour as needed if the dough is too wet or water if it is too dry. Adding more flour or water does not change the recipe. Give the dough a good beating. Make the dough balls as large or small as you want, dip each dough ball into flour before rolling out. Make sure you have a hot griddle but adjust the temperature as needed so as not to burn the tortilla and not to low because then the tortilla will not cook or taste as good as they should. The first tortilla usually doesn't look right or taste as good as the ones to follow. The more often you make tortillas the better the taste. Also you can tweek the recipe to suit your taste buds. Store leftover torillas in a plastic bag with one end open because of the moisture in the bag and put in the refrigerator. The leftovers keep their flavor for a week or longer. Buena Suerte (good luck).


Irish Soda Bread
Carol-Ann Wedlund

• 4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for currants
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken
• 1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1 cup dried currants or raisins

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.
With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the currants/raisins with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. It will be very wet.
Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an X into the top of the bread with a serrated knife. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.
Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.


Optional: Serve with Cinnamon Butter: 1 1/2 sticks of butter with 1/2 tsp of freshly grated or ground cinnamon.