We have the third installment of this series. I am going to try and put together a meal from appetizer to dessert in this one. To see the other two installments go here and here.

 

@Talionbot shared with us Texas Caviar.

• 1 can Black Beans
• 1 can Shoepeg Corn
• 1 can Black eyed peas
• 1 cup diced green peppers
• 1 cup diced red peppers
• 1 cup diced onion
• 1 cup of Apple Cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup of oil
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar

Warm up the apple cider vinegar and oil on the stove.  Add sugar and completely dissolve.  Once dissolved, set aside to cool.

Drain and rinse all the canned product and mix in diced veggies.  Once the vinegar has cooled, combine and mix well and add salt and pepper for flavor.  Let sit in the refrigerator over night to chill and marinate.

Serve with tortilla chips.

 

Now some homemade rolls from @Gamer_lady

 

My family always fights over who gets to take the leftovers home, so I’ve started doing a double batch. Each batch makes about 2 dozen rolls. I figured I’ll leave some home this time so we have roll leftovers for Friday beta! 🙂

 

This is one of those old fashioned recipes that requires you to make judgment calls. I’ve never actually measured how much flour I use for each step, LOL.

 

Old-Fashioned Rolls

• 1 quart milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup Crisco/shortening

Combine above ingredients. Let come to a boil stirring frequently to avoid scorching milk. Cool to lukewarm.

• 1 cake yeast
• white flour (to desired consistency)

Pour into a very large mixing bowl. Add yeast to warm milk mixture. Add enough flour to make dough the consistency of cake batter. Cover bowl with a towel and let stand for 2 hours to allow yeast to rise.

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 Tablespoon salt
• white flour (to desired consistency)

Add baking powder and salt to risen dough. Stir in several cups of flour until dough is the consistency of biscuit dough. Generously flour a rolling sheet or counter top. Flour your hands or rolling pin to keep dough from sticking. Take half the dough and roll out on floured counter until 1/2 inch thick. Rub flour on top and cut out rolls. Let first dozen rolls rise on baking pan while rolling out and cutting the second half of the dough.

Bake at 400 or 425 degrees for 17-20 minutes or until golden brown (temps and times vary based on how hot your oven tends to be).

 

I am not really big on vegetables, or even side dishes, but here we have something even I, like mom, made all the time. You can steam the asparagus instead of roasting. Then steam like every other vegetable.

 

Roasted Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

First the Asparagus:

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh asparagus
• Good olive oil
• Kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Break off the tough ends of the asparagus and, if they’re thick, peel them. Place the asparagus on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, then toss to coat the asparagus completely. Spread the asparagus in a single layer and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast the asparagus for 25 minutes, until tender but still crisp.

 

Now the sauce.

Ingredients

• 4 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted (1 stick)
• Pinch cayenne
• Pinch salt

Directions

Vigorously whisk the egg yolks and lemon juice together in a stainless steel bowl and until the mixture is thickened and doubled in volume. Place the bowl over a saucepan containing barely simmering water (or use a double boiler,) the water should not touch the bottom of the bowl. Continue to whisk rapidly. Be careful not to let the eggs get too hot or they will scramble. Slowly drizzle in the melted butter and continue to whisk until the sauce is thickened and doubled in volume. Remove from heat, whisk in cayenne and salt. Cover and place in a warm spot until ready to use for what ever you wish. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a few drops of warm water before serving.

 

The main course, Pork Loin is given to us by @Gamer_lady

Marinated pork loin:

• 1 round pork loin roast
• 2 cups citrus soda (7up or Sprite)
• 1 cup vegetable or olive oil
• 1 cup soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon horseradish (creamed not ground)
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves crushed

Pour over pork loin in a glass dish, or put all in a large plastic bag and marinade for 12-24 hours. Remove pork from marinade and roast in an open roasting pan at 350 degrees for 40-55 minutes for (approx 30 mins/lb).

 

Now for dessert! Éclairs! sent to me by @WeekendJedi

(tips- essential that you do the eggs one at a time, though  just be warned, that mix makes about 12 éclairs, and people will want more once they’ve had them 🙂 Also, not diet friendly! For a slightly healthier version, replace the cream with apple and cinnamon 🙂  )

Ingredients

For the pastry

• 75g/2½oz unsalted butter
• 110ml/4fl oz water
• 110g/4oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 3 free-range eggs
• pinch salt

For the filling

• 300ml/10½fl oz double cream
• 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out
• 50g/2oz icing sugar
• 25ml/1fl oz strong coffee

For the topping

• 125g/4oz soft dark brown sugar
• 2 tbsp double cream
• 60g/2oz unsalted butter
• 25ml/1fl oz extra strong coffee
• 175g/6oz icing sugar

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. For the pastry, place the butter and water in a saucepan and bring up to the boil.
3. Once the butter has melted, take the pan off the heat and tip in all the flour and ginger. Beat well with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes away from the sides of the pan.
4. Beat in the eggs one at a time until completely incorporated. Stir in the salt.
5. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag and allow to cool for a few minutes.
6. Pipe 6-8 lengths of dough onto a floured baking sheet. The pastry will double in size as it cooks, so give the éclairs plenty of space to expand on the baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, or until golden-brown and crispy. Set aside to cool.
7. Whisk the cream and vanilla together in a bowl until it forms soft peaks when the whisk is removed. Whisk in the icing sugar and coffee until well combined.
8. Slice the éclairs in half lengthways and fill with the coffee cream mixture. (This can be done with a piping bag fitted with a wide nozzle.)
9. For the topping, place all the ingredients apart from the icing sugar into a pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.
10. Take the pan off the heat and gradually sift in the icing sugar, stirring well. Allow to cool, stirring occasionally.
11. When the sauce has cooled and thickened, spread it on top of the éclairs and serve.

 

Of course if you have more easy, or just tasty recipes you would like to share….

You can follow Rosie on Twitter at @Dawnsrose. You can also contact her directly via email at swtor.rosie@gmail.com.