Thai Pink Grapefruit Salad

This salad has one of the most unique flavor combinations I have ever tasted. And I probably would not have even tried it if I wasn't looking for salads for Weekend Cookbook Challenge #14: Salads. I am not a big salad person but I like grapefruit, coconut and mint so I thought I'd try the Pink Grapefruit Salad with Toasted Coconut and Fresh Mint from Quick & Easy Thai by Nancie McDermott.

This salad is naturally tart and acidic since grapefruit is the main ingredient. But it is also salty from the soy sauce and dried shrimp, hot from the Thai chili peppers, sweet from the coconut and sugar, and fresh tasting from all of the mint. It is so amazing. I was so impressed with myself that I made this. It seems like it should be too complicated to make something with such complex flavors. But it was simple! The hardest part was peeling the grapefruit.

Look for the round up of this month's Weekend Cookbook Challenge hosted this month by Tami from Running with Tweezers.

Pink Grapefruit Salad with Toasted Coconut and Fresh Mint yum some-oh Ingredients: 3 tablespoons shredded coconut 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 2 tablespoons fish sauce 1 tablespoon sugar 2 cups bite-sized chunks peeled, sectioned pomelo or grapefruit 2 tablespoons dried shrimp, coarsely chopped, or 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped roasted, salted peanuts (optional) 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped shallots 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh hot green chilies or dried red chili flakes 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint or cilantro leaves of boston lettuce or bibb lettuce for accompaniment

Instructions:
Toast the shredded coconut in a small, dry skillet over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes, tossing often, until most of it turns a rich, soft brown. Turn out onto a saucer to cool.

In a medium bowl, combine the lime juice, fish sauce, and sugar and stir well to dissolve sugar and a form a smooth sauce. Add the pomelo, toasted coconut, dried shrimp (if using), shallots, chilies, and mint, and toss gently to combine everything well. Transfer to a serving platter with lettuce leaves on the side, and serve at room temperature.

Georgia Peanut Soup

Think of the words creamy, spicy, warm, and peanut butter. Do they evoke positive emotions? If so you may want to try Georgia Peanut Soup because it is all of those things. I was intrigued by the title of this recipe and the fact that it is a soup made with peanut butter. I am so glad that I decided to try it. I am one who does not repeat recipes very often. However I know I will be making this one again because I want all of my friends and family to try it. It is so unique and will be really impressive to serve to others. So as each of them come to visit me, I'll be whipping up a batch. It is fine to make ahead and reheat as well. It doesn't separate or get greasy or anything that happens to some other soups.

I found this recipe in the 75th Anniversary Edition of Joy of Cooking which I received for Christmas. I am using this recipe as my entry for this month's Weekend Cookbook Challenge. The current theme is to cook a recipe from a newly acquired cookbook. I haven't made it very far through this book. It contains 4500 recipes! I enjoy reading all of the tips in the beginning of each chapter. I'm trying to use this book as a way of learning some basic core recipes since up until now I always seem to be cooking some type of fancy ethnic food. I have only made it up to the soup chapter (#10 out of 38) and I seem to be stuck there because there are so many interesting soups that I want to try. The first recipe I cooked out of this book was Roasted Garlic Soup and that is really good too. I'm not crazy about the recipe format Joy of Cooking uses. Instead of first listing out all the ingredients and then specifying the directions, they merge it all together. I notice that it is easier to miss steps this way.

This recipe for Georgia Peanut Soup makes enough for several large bowls full. It goes great with a nice side salad or some roasted chicken you can pick up at the supermarket. When following recipes I don't always include the suggested garnishments, but in this case the chopped peanuts add some crunch and the scallions add an amazing freshness and balance so I highly suggest you add them both.

Georgia Peanut Soup (Makes about 6 cups) Melt into a soup pot over medium heat:     2 tablespoons of butter Add and cook, stirring until tender but not browned, about 5 minutes:     2 medium celery ribs, minced     1 medium onion, minced     1 garlic clove, minced Stir in:     2 tablespoons all-purpose flour Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring for 5 minutes. Whisk in:     4 cups hot Poultry Stock or Chicken Stock Simmer, stirring often, until the soup begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Stir in:     1 1/2 cups natural peanut butter     1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half     1 1/2 teaspoons salt     1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper     1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce Heat through, but do not boil. Stir in:     2 teaspoons lime juice Serve garnished with:     3 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts     1/4 cup chopped scallions

crosscut stump stew

So, now that I have my own food blog, I can participate in tons of online food blogging events. Shaun of Winter Skies Kitchen Aglow is hosting this week's Weekend Cookbook Challenge. He has chosen STEW as the theme. Sara of I Like to Cook is the creater of this challenge and designates a different food blogger each week to host the event and select the theme.

As soon as i read the that the theme would be stews, I knew exactly what i wanted to cook. There is an interesting recipe for Crosscut Stump Stew in I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence by Amy Sedaris. Actually, the stew looks like any other good and hearty beef stew. What drew me to it however was how she wrote about it in her book. Amy is a comedian and she separated the chapters of her book in a quite unique way. Since the book is about entertaining, each chapter is for a target audience of people you would have a party for. This stew is featured in her lumberjack section. Yes, you read correctly. There is a chapter in the book dedicated to having a party for lumberjacks. In addition to recipes, she suggests party favors and decoration ideas. Her featured stain removal tip in the lumberjack chapter is for mud:

Make sure that the mud stain on the rug has dried. Vacuum the dirt off. Take some laundry soap and work it into the stain. This should work. If not just turn the rug over and deny it ever happened.

The stew recipe is pretty basic. As I prepared my shopping list, I realised I have never made a simple stew before. I have not made that many stews before period. But the ones I have prepared have been made something with gourmet-type ingredients. Also, I have only made stews in my slower cooker and never made one stove-top or in the oven. I was excited to try this one and get a good basic stew under my belt.

I'm not sure if I like Amy's recipe style. She is not very exact. I am one who prefers to follow recipes exactly and I want to know the minimum amount of each ingredient to add to the dish. If a recipe adds a "to taste" I am fine, but i don't like how her recipe just calls for "sugar" with no specific amount. I had never cooked a stew like this before and was unsure of how sugar will effect the taste. However, I can go with the flow and just figured it out. I suppose this is why many chefs suggest you taste at each step.

Amy suggests serving the stew with a stack of white bread and oatmeal raisin cookies.

Crosscut Stump Stew (serves one lumberjack or six people) 2 pounds of stewing beef (cut into 2-inch cubes) 3 Tbsp. olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 cup tomato puree 1/2 cup of red wine 2 Tbsp. of wine vinegar 1 bay leaf 1 3-inch cinnamon stick 4 whole cloves Sugar Salt and pepper 1 1/2 pounds of small pearl onions

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brown your cubed beef on all sides in a pan of hot oil and then transfer to a casserole dish. Add onion and garlic to the pan. Add more oil or butter if you need to, fry until the onion is soft. Add tomato puree, wine, and vinegar and stir. Pour this over the meat cubes in the casserole dish, and add the bay leaf, cinnamon, cloves, sugar and salt and pepper.

Cover and cook in over for 1 hour, or cook on stove, slowly. While beef is cooking, boil a pan of water. Remove roots and tops of pearl onions. Crosscut (score) the root end and place in a bowl. Cover in boiling water for 2 minutes, then drain off water. The skins will slip off easily. Add the onions to stew and continue to simmer on low until the meat and onions are tender and the sauce is thick. (About 1 1/2 hours longer).