Apricot Cream Cheese Delight

1 3 oz pkg apricot gelatin
10 oz can crushed pineapple
1/3 cup sugar
1 small jar strained baby food apricots
4 oz pkg cream cheese (softened)
1 small can evaporated milk

Combine jello and pineapple (including juice). Heat until mixture simmers. Add sugar, apricots and cream cheese, continue heating, stirring occasionally until cheese melts. Remove from heat and whip evaporate milk until stiff peaks form, fold into apricot mixture and pour into 9 x 13 pan. Chill until firm. Top with chopped nuts. Yield 8 servings

Crock Pot Applesauce

8 to 10 large cooking apples, peeled, cored and sliced or cut in chunks
1/2 c water
1 t cinnamon
1/2 to 1 cup sugar

Put all ingredients into Crock Pot. Cover and cook on Low 8 to 10 hours. (High: 3 to 4 horus). Serve warm with or without cream.

Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

No oven to heat up.

Prick potatoes with fork and wrap in foil. Fill the crock pot with 6 to 12 potatoes. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. (High 2 1/2 to 4). Do not add water.

Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

3 carrots, cut in 3-inch pieces
3 to 4 pound corned beef brisket
2 to 3 medium onions, quartered
3/4 to 1 1/4 c water
1/2 small head cabbage, cut in wedges

Put all ingredients except cabbage wednes in crock pot in order lested. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. (High: 5 to 6 hours). Add cabbage wedges to liquid, puching down to misten, turn to high and cook an additional 2 to 3 hours. Note: To prepare more cabbage than crock pot will hold with large brisket, cook it separately in skillet. Remove 1 cup of broth from crock pot during last hour of cooking. Pour over cabbage wedges in skillet. Cover and cook slowly for 20 to 30 minutes.

Crock Pot Hungarian Goulash

2 lbs round steak, cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 c chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
2 T flour
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 1/2 t paprika
1/4 t dried thyme, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 14 1/2 oz can tomatoes
1 c sour cream

Put steak cubes, onion, garlic in Crock pot. Stir in flour and mix to coat steak cutes. Add all remaining ingredients except sour cream. Stir well. Cover and cook on low 8 to 10 hours. Add sour cream 30 minutes before serving and stir in thoroughly. (High: 4 to 5 hours, stirring occasionally). Serve over hot buttered noodles.

Justus Grilled Eggplant Risotto

This is recipe #200 for this posting and I'm pleased to add a recipe from my favorite chef, Jonathan Justus from Justus Drugstore in Smithville. "A chef in Smithville?" you ask. Don't let Smithville's humble status and remote location disuade you. This is a fantastic restaurant. This recipe is featured in the August 2008 Food and Wine Magazine...

1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 1/2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 T unsalted butter
1/4 c finel chopped onion
2 T minced shallot
1 T minced garlic
1 1/2 c arborio rice (10 ounces)
1/4 cup dry white wine
3 c hot vegetable stock or broth
1/4 c heavy cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 T minced flat-leaf parsley
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Ground sumac (see note)

Light a grill. Rub the eggplant with 1/2 tablespoon of the oil and grill over moderate heat, turning occasionally, until charred and soft, 20 miutes; let cool slightly. Halve the eggplant lengthwise and scoop the pulp into a blender. Puree until creamy.

In a large saucepan, melt the butter in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion, shallot, garlic and rice and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until fragrant, 5 minutes. Add the wine and cook until it is absorbed. Add the vegetable stock, 1/2 cup at a time; stir constantly until it is absorbed before adding more. Cook until the rice is al dente. 20 minutes total.

Stir in the eggplant puree and the cream and season with salt and pepper. Stir in the parsley and scallions. Spoon the risotto into bowls, sprinkle with sumac and serve.

Note: Suman is a tart Middle Eastern spice made from the dried berry. It is available at specialty shops and online at kalustyans.com

Strawberry Buttermilk Gelato

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
5 cups quartered strawberries (about 4 pints)
2 cups low-fat buttermilk

Combine sugar and water in a large saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Pour into a large bowl; cool completely.
Place strawberries in a blender, and process until smooth. Add strawberry purée and buttermilk to sugar syrup; stir to combine.
Pour the strawberry mixture into the freezer can of an ice-cream freezer, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
Yield
8 cups (serving size: 1/2 cup)

CALORIES 134; FAT 0.8g