What's Cooking Wednesday - Cucumber Radish Salad

Before this week's recipe, I thought I'd mention that ROOTED IN DANGER is available for pre-order. I'm also giving away a copy through Goodreads (link is the same as above). Note: If you pre-order the book through Amazon or Barnes & Noble, the actual 'release' date is an approximation. They'll be filling orders, but might not have the book in stock on that exact date. They'll send you an email telling you it's delayed and they'll also give you the option of cancelling your order. Please don't. It'll get to you. And if you have a library card, you can ask your library to order the book. That gives you a free read and keeps the publisher happy. If you need to provide it, the ISBN is 978-1-4328-2585-0

And, onto the recipe!


I was looking for something to do with the extra bunch of radishes I bought for Passover, and found this recipe. Yummy. And quick.

Cucumber Radish Salad

Ingredients:
1/4 c fresh lime juice
1 T sugar
2 Cucumbers, thinly sliced (I used 1 big one, peeled)
1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
1/3 c golden raisins (I used regular, since I didn't have golden)

Instructions:
In a small bowl, mix lime juice and sugar.
In a medium bowl, combine cucumbers and radishes. (I sliced everything in the food processor) Pour dressing over. Mix gently. Sprinkle raisins on top. (I just mixed them all in together). Let the mixture stand for a while for flavors to combine. Recipe said to serve at room temperature, but leftovers are fine chilled.

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What's Cooking Wednesday - White Chili

Since it snowed all day yesterday, a hearty crock pot recipe seemed appropriate. I originally shared this back in 2010, before I'd started my What's Cooking Wednesday series. Hope nobody minds. (And if you do, send me one of your favorite recipes!)

White Chili

Ingredients
1 medium sized onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1 t ground cumin
2 whole large chicken breasts, skinless, boneless, and cut into 1 inch chunks (If you prefer vegetarian, just leave this out)
1 can (15-19 oz) white kidney beans (cannellini), drained
1 can (15 1/2 -19 oz) garbanzo beans, drained
1 can (12 oz) white corn, drained
2  cans (4 oz) chopped green chiles
1 1/2 - 2 cups chicken broth (Vegetable broth if you're going the veggie route)

Instructions
Stick everything in the pot.
When chicken is tender, it's done. Adjust liquid to taste.
To serve, stir in some hot pepper sauce, to taste, if desired.
Add 1 c. shredded Monterrey Jack cheese; garnish with parsley.


And, for those celebrating Passover, Janet Rudolph has a flourless chocolate cake receipe on her blog. Check it out.

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What's Cooking Wednesday - San Francisco Seafood Quiche

Don't forget to leave a comment on Tuesday's post for a chance to win Donnell Bell's best-selling book, THE PAST CAME HUNTING.

The past week has been a busy one, and I haven't been cooking. I dug through my files for a recipe I haven't made in ages, but has always been a crowd-pleaser. It's a nice "California" recipe, even though I was in Los Angeles, not San Francisco.

San Francisco Seafood Quiche

Ingredients:
1 pkg of 2 frozen 9" pie crusts (or use the refrigerated kind, or make your own, but I've never been good at it, so I've used the frozen ones.)
6 oz crab meat (or surimi if you're on a budget)
1 1/2/c c. cooked chopped shrimp
8 oz Swiss cheese, chopped
1/2 c finely chopped celery
1/2 c finely chopped scallions
1 c mayonnaise
2 T flour
1 c dry white wine
4 eggs, beaten

Instructions:
Separate pie shells. Combine crab meat, shrimp, cheese, celery,
scallions. Divide evenly in pie shells.

Combine mayo, flour, wine & eggs. Divide, pour over seafood.

Bake 35-40 minutes at 350.

Can do ahead and refrigerate. Bake at 300 for 15 minutes to reheat.
To make ahead and freeze: Don't bake. Freeze solid, wrap.
To prepare: unwrap, bake frozen 50 minutes at 350.

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Tandoori Chicken

Don't forget to leave a comment on John Sharpe's post (Tuesday's) to be entered in his giveaway.

Tandoori Chicken

Serves 6

Ingredients:
3/4 c. Greek yogurt
1/4 c. water
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T Indian tandoori spice mix
1 T dried fenugreek leaves**
1/2 t salt
2 T lemon juice
1 T vegetable oil
6 skinless, bone-in chicken thighs

Lemons wedges and sliced onions for garnish

Instructions:
Combine everything but the chicken in a large bowl, and mix well. Add the chicken, cover, and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 400. Let most of the marinade drip off, and place chicken on a lightly greased roasting pan. (I used the non-stick aluminum foil). Bake for 20-30 minutes. Switch the oven to broil, and broil 5 minutes, turning and basting halfway through.

**Note: I didn't have fenugreek leaves. I didn't even have powdered fenugreek, but it smells like cumin, so I added about 1/2 tsp cumin instead.

Serve with rice, and garnish with the lemon and onions.

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Lemony Sugar Cookies

Thanks so much to Abigail for showing us how important it is to get out of our personal comfort zones and do what we love.

The heroine of my new Pine Hills Police book, SAVING SCOTT, is trying very hard to open her bakery, "Confections by Ashley." As part of the book, I'm including recipes for some of her creations. Here's a sneak preview of the scene where today's recipe is mentioned. (The recipe follows)

"We're not here to speak ill of the dead," Maggie said. "We should be celebrating her life."

Jennifer reached for another cookie and held it aloft. "She did make excellent lemon sugar cookies."

"That she did," Maggie said.

"Would she have killed herself over a man?" Ashley asked.

Jennifer shook her head. "Not her style. She'd find another one. Or two."

The door chimes tinkled. Jennifer devoured another cookie. "I'd better get out front."

After Jennifer left, Maggie tutted. "That girl. She's excellent in the shop, but she does have an overdeveloped penchant for the dramatic."

Ashley refrained from saying anything about Maggie's own penchant for knowing what was going on. After all, that's why Ashley was here. "I agree about focusing on the good at a time like this, but don't you think we should share what we know about Felicity with the police? It might help them figure out why she died sooner."

What's Cooking Wednesday - Spicy Aztec Chocolate Drops

What I'm reading: Taken, by Robert Crais

First, thanks to Colleen for sharing a great Valentine's Day post yesterday. Don't forget you can win her book by leaving a comment. You have until Friday to leave a comment, and remember to check back over the weekend to see if you won.

One of the things I'm planning with my new book, since the heroine is trying to open a new bakery, is to include recipes. Her shop is called Confections by Ashley, and if you're not all "chocolated" out after Valentine's Day, here's one of the recipes that will be in the book. And an unedited snippet to go with it.

"If it's all right, I need to get this batch of cookies going." Ashley gestured to the cooling rack where her earlier cookies waited. "Help yourself. Those are a new recipe, and I'd appreciate an outside opinion."

She scraped the softened butter into her mixer and began creaming it with the sugar, keeping an eye on Scott as he sampled one of her cookies. First, he broke the ball in two, studying the two halves. The chunk of bittersweet chocolate she'd placed inside the dough oozed enough to tempt, not enough to drip. He popped one half into his mouth.

He chewed, then his eyes widened. He coughed. "Whoa. These have some kick."

"Too much? I call them my spicy Aztec chocolate drops, and I've been playing with the amounts of cayenne and black peppers."

Were his eyes watering? She grabbed one from the rack and sampled it. The bittersweet richness of the chocolate and the sugary topping were rapidly replaced by a strong burn on her tongue. She strode to the fridge and got a carton of milk. Pouring two glasses, she said, "Definitely a bit heavy on the cayenne. Drink some of this, and if you're willing, try one of the others. It's a milder batch."

Like Ashley, you can adjust the recipe to suit your own tastes for heat. And here's the recipe. Credit goes to my brother, former pastry chef extraordinaire.

Spicy Aztec Chocolate Cookies

What's Cooking Wednesday - Oven BBQ Pork

What I'm reading: Liars, Cheaters and Thieves, by L.J. Sellers

Thanks to Rebecca J. Clark for yesterday's post. I hope we're all treating ourselves more kindly.

I found this recipe under the label of a pork butt (which is really a shoulder of the pig, not the actual "butt"—but who cares?). I'd originally had other plans for the meat, but this looked worth a try. I'm glad I did. I did alter the cooking somewhat, but what else is new?

Oven BBQ Pork

Ingredients:

1 pork shoulder butt roast or fresh picnic shoulder, ~ 8 pounds (serves 12-10)
3 T brown sugar
3 T paprika (I used 2 T 'regular' and 1 T smoked)
1 ½ t salt
1 ½ T ground black pepper
1 ½ T garlic powder
½ c Dijon mustard.

What's Cooking Wednesday - Molasses Peanut Butter Cookies

What I'm reading: Contest entry #5 of 8

First - a request: My POV workshop will be cancelled if I don't get some more people signed up. If you know anyone who might benefit from some the workshop, I'd appreciate it if you'd send them in this direction. If the class is a "go" it'll most likely be small enough to permit some one-on-one help.

Thanks to Shelley Bell for sharing the trials and tribulations of book promotion.

A while back, someone on Google+ asked for recipes using molasses. I used to make this one for my kids (and since I don't like peanut butter it meant I wasn't tempted to eat them all--and because the kids aren't around anymore, I didn't bake them to take a picture for the blog.)

Molasses Peanut Butter Cookies

Makes 4 dozen

Preheat oven to 375
½ c. shortening
½ c. sugar
½ c. light molasses
½ c. chunky peanut butter
1 egg
2 c. flour
¼ t baking soda
¼ t baking powder
¼ t salt

In mixing bowl, cream shortening & sugar; beat in molasses, peanut butter, and egg. Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir into peanut butter mixture. Mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten dough slightly with tines of a fork.

Bake 8 minutes, or until done.

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Tomato-Spinach Soup

What I'm reading: Contest entry #3 of 8

Thanks to Mike for his great post yesterday. Remember, there's still plenty of time to comment on both my Monday post and his Tuesday's post to enter to win books. And another reminder about my POV workshop at Savvy Authors. I'll be giving books away there, too. If you know someone who might benefit from a basic craft workshop, point them that way. I'm blogging about it today at their site. Please pop over.

And, I'm still open to more easy gluten-free desserts for our neighbors. I live in the boonies, so fancy ingredients, like gluten-free flours, are hard to come by.  Likewise, baking at 9100 feet presents its own challenges, so I try to steer away from cakes.

My books always include food. Sometimes, however, the scene doesn't end up on the page of the final product, as is the case with Sadie's Tomato-Spinach Soup. In my Pine Hills series, Sarah often eats at Sadie's. One of her favorite things for lunch is their Tomato-Spinach Soup. I'll be making this one for our monthly dinner pot luck on Friday. (In truth, the original recipe, which I've varied, came not from "Sadie" but from Sandra McDonald, my first writing mentor.)

"Sadie's" Tomato-Spinach Soup

Ingredients
Vegetable cooking spray
1 ½ teaspoons olive oil
¾ c chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 ½ cups salsa
1 c fresh tomato, chopped
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes
1 10-3/4 oz can condensed tomato soup, undiluted
1 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed

Directions
Coat a Dutch oven with cooking spray; add olive oil, and place over medium-high heat until hot.
Add the onion and garlic, saute for 2 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients; bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

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What's Cooking Wednesday – Applesauce Drop Cookies

Thanks to Roy & Alicia for yesterday's entertaining blog. I don't think Hubster and I would make a good writing team, although he's very good about beta reading for me.

It's a double recipe Wednesday. If you didn't get over to Chicklets in the Kitchen, there's a recipe for Blonde Brownies that I shared as part of my guest blog post on Monday.

This recipe came from a box of C&H brown sugar. I used to make it in a 13x9 pan as bar cookies (much easier than doing the cookie sheets and scooping dough) but I wasn't sure how it would work up here, so I went with the drop cookies.

Applesauce Drop Cookies

Ingredients:
1 c raisins
1 c applesauce
1 c brown sugar, firmly packed
½ c shortening
1 egg
2 c flour (I used 1 c AP, 1 c whole wheat)
½ t salt
1 t soda
1 t cinnamon
½ t nutmeg
¼ t cloves
1 c chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Directions:
Oven at 375
Mix raisins and applesauce; set aside. In mixing bowl, combine sugar, shortening, and egg; beat until fluffy. Mix flour with salt, soda & spices; add and mix well. Stir in nuts. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls (I use a small ice-cream type scoop) about 2 inches apart on greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen cookies, which keep well due to the pectin in the applesauce.


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What's Cooking Wednesday - Irish Whiskey Cake

Today's recipe comes all the way from Northern Ireland, via my daughter, Jessica.

Irish Whiskey Cake

6 T each: Irish whiskey, milk
1 c raisins
½ c packed dark brown sugar
½ stick (1/4 c) butter
¼ c vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 t baking soda
½ t baking powder

¼ t each: salt, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg
1 ½ c flour
¾ c chopped pecans

Whiskey Syrup
⅓ c water
¼ c sugar
6 – 8 T Irish whiskey

Directions:

What's Cooking Wednesday - Easy Apricot Chicken

First, a thank you to Mel for taking us to Australia yesterday.

Next, congratulations to Karin Anderson who was the winner of Giveaway #3. I'll have another drawing as soon as I get to 20 new newsletter subscribers. Sign up at my website. 

And thanks to author and frequent visitor to Terry's Place, Elizabeth Spann Craig, for today's recipe. I think I've got this one buried in my own recipe files. Thanks for sharing, Elizabeth, and now I'm going to have to make this one myself.

Apricot Chicken

12 chicken thighs (I used chicken breasts—about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 cup apricot preserves (can use whole cranberry sauce instead, if you like)
1 cup French dressing
1 package dry onion soup mix
pineapple chunks (optional)

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine the preserves, French dressing, and dry soup mix in a bowl.
Put the chicken in a 9 x 13 baking dish and cover with apricot mixture.
Cook uncovered for 50 minutes. Add pineapple chunks (if you like) and cook for 10 more minutes.

Elizabeth’s latest book Hickory Smoked Homicide released November 1. Elizabeth writes the Memphis Barbeque series for Penguin/Berkley (as Riley Adams), the Southern Quilting mysteries (2012) for Penguin/NAL, and the Myrtle Clover series for Midnight Ink. She blogs daily at Mystery Writing is Murder

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Curried Fruit Bread Stuffing

Thanks to Katherine Grey for taking care of Terry's Place while I was on the road yesterday.

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, I thought I'd share the stuffing recipe my family insists on. I first made it on a whim, because it was supposed to be used for stuffing a duck (or was it a goose?). At any rate, it works fine for turkey and became our tradition.

Curried Fruit Bread Stuffing

1 c finely chopped celery
1 c finely chopped onion
½ c butter
2 t curry powder
1 large pkg herb seasoned stuffing mix (cubes)
⅔ c raisins, plumped in hot water
1 can diced peaches, reserve syrup
Salt to taste

Saute celery & onion in butter until tender. Stir in curry. Toss w/ stuffing mix. Add raisins & peaches. Sprinkle w/ ¼ c syrup and toss. Season w/ salt.

Add more liquid as needed. Broth, cooking juices, etc.

From here, it's up to you. I've made this for decades, long before anyone considered actually cooking stuffing inside a turkey as a potential health hazard. Since there's no egg or meat or anything like that in the recipe, and I don't normally cook huge birds, there hasn't been a problem. However, nowadays, it's recommended that you bake stuffing (which then becomes called "dressing") outside the turkey. If you do, I suggest that you add some of the turkey drippings to the dressing before you bake it. Or when you reheat it. As with all my recipes, feel free to do what works for you.

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What's Cooking Wednesday - Karen C's Crab or Shrimp Muffins

Frequent visitor and commenter, Karen C, has accepted my invitation to share a recipe, and I thank her (and I know you will, too). Plus, this gives her an extra entry in my contest...hint, hint.

Crab or Shrimp Muffins

1 Pkg. English Muffins (I use Thomas’)
½ cup butter or margarine, softened (1 stick)
5 oz. Kraft Old English Cheese (I use Cheddar)
7 oz can Crab or Shrimp
1 Tbsp. Minced Onion (I use dehydrated)
½ Tsp. Garlic Powder
½ Tsp. Salt
¼ Tsp. Pepper
Paprika

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut muffins in half. Beat butter and cheese; add spices. Drain crab or shrimp and pat dry (on paper towel). Add to mixture and mix thoroughly. Spread on muffins and sprinkle with Paprika.

Bake on cookie sheet for 12 - 15 minutes. Cut into halves or quarters and serve immediately.

The muffins can be served as appetizers or for breakfast.

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What's Cooking Wednesday - German Apple Cake

Thanks to Susan Oleksiw for yesterday's guest post. Characters are my favorite part of reading and writing, and it's wonderful to see how others approach them.

Sorry there's no picture of the completed recipe this week. I'm trying to have everything ready for my trip to the Emerald City Writer's Conference, so I'm not cooking much. I do want to keep sharing recipes on Wednesdays, however, so here's one from my mom. She likes things simple, and this one, like the almond torte recipe which is also one of hers, is done in a food processor.

(And remember – if you share a recipe, you get an entry into my "cleaning out my bookshelf" contest.)

German Apple Cake

Preheat oven to 350.
Grease a 9" springform pan

What's Cooking Wednesday - Pastel de Elote

Thanks to Mike Befeler for his post yesterday. Life certainly is a balancing act. 

Once a month a group of neighbors (the ROMEOs, which stands for "Retired Old Men Eating Out") has a pot-luck supper where the spouses of said Old Men are invited to attend. I wonder if it's because some (not all, to be fair) of these men like that the wives often do the cooking.

At any rate, there was a chili theme last month, and there were the usual side dishes, but one stood out for me. I asked the woman, Sally Parda, if she'd mind sharing, and she gladly agreed. She pointed out that she adapted a cookbook recipe, and I've included her modifications. I made it according to the directions, and it was just as yummy as the one she brought. And it's one of those, "toss everything into a bowl, mix, and bake recipes, so it goes together quickly.

Pastel de Elote (Mexican Corn Pie)

What's Cooking Wednesday - Challah

Thanks to Lynn for her post yesterday. I have my own mix of writing tunes, and just hearing it start seems to calm and focus me. And don't forget; you can still leave a comment on her post (scroll down) to be entered in her drawing.

As we're in the midst of our holidays, and finding challah around here is nigh-unto-impossible, I've baked my own, and I thought I'd share the recipe. This one makes one loaf, although it's on the large size. It also requires rising time (3 of them, actually), so it's a great recipe for days when you want to sit around and read a book. (OK, so you could clean or do laundry or something else more productive. But why?)

My 'minor' variation: I use my KitchenAid with the dough hook for part of the kneading process, but there's nothing like taking out frustrations on a mass of dough to soothe the soul.

For Rosh Hashanah, the loaf should be round, which symbolizes the end of one year and the beginning of the next.

The recipe is below

What's Cooking Wednesday - Glazed Bison Meat Loaf

We're having company this week, so I made a recipe that my daughter and her husband love. I'm not much of a beef eater, but this recipe called for bison (although you can use beef, or a combination of the two) and I thought it would be appropriately "Colorado" for our guests. This recipe was modified from a recipe from Chef Brian Lyman on the Celebrity Kitchen website.

Bison is less fatty than beef. The original recipe calls for half and half, but I used broth. It also called for butter for sauteing the vegetables, but I used olive oil. As always, do what works for you. You could bake this in regular loaf pans, but I liked doing them free form, because I could do two smaller loaves and they cooked faster. We'd been hiking all afternoon, and faster cooking seemed better!

(I forgot to take a picture of the plated meal, and one of these days I'm going to get some white plates, or something that makes the food look better in these shots. Trust me, it tastes really good!)

What's Cooking Wednesday, Black Bean and Corn Salad

Thanks to Marcos for yesterday's post. And don't forget: there's still time to get a FREE download of either DANGER IN DEER RIDGE or WHAT'S IN A NAME?

The Hubster hooked up with a group in our community that goes to breakfast once a week. They're called the ROMEOs (Retired Old Men Eating Out). Once a month, they have a pot luck supper which includes spouses. After going to my first, I decided that unless I wanted to eat food that seemed to require mayonnaise, cream, sour cream, or some other gooey, high-fat binder, I needed to bring something a bit closer to healthy as my contribution. And if they don't eat much of it, that means I get to bring home the leftovers.

Here's what I made last time—a compilation of several salad recipes. And, since it's just a salad, feel free to adjust with ingredients more to your liking. It's not like baking, where everything has to be exact. If you like things spicier or not-so-spicy, adjust the seasonings.

Black Bean & Corn Salad

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 ears corn, kernels removed. (If fresh corn isn't in season, just defrost a package of frozen corn. No cooking either way).
½ red bell pepper, chopped
½ green bell pepper chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, finely diced
3 scallions, sliced
2 tomatoes, chopped

Dressing:
½ c. apricot preserves
3 T lime juice
3 T olive or salad oil
1 t. chili powder (adjust to taste; chili powders differ in strength)
¼ t cumin
1 t. Chili lime seasoning (I used Cholula)
Salt, pepper to taste

Note: I'm one of those who thinks cilantro tastes like soap, so I don't use it, although if you like the flavor, several of the recipes I mingled to make this call for it. Again, it's up to your taste.

Mix everything together. I do it the day before so everything blends.

If you're bringing it to a pot luck, you can just put it all in a bowl, or you can serve it over a bed of lettuce. Or you can add shredded lettuce to the whole shebang right before serving.

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Two More Gifts for You

An extra post today -- My guest, Rebecca York, will be arriving at 6 AM (or her post will, anyway), so I wanted to offer you my next gift without encroaching on her post--which you won't want to miss, because she's doing a giveaway.

Today it's a pair of recipes for holiday munchies.