1. Divide a head of cauliflower into florets that are all roughly the same size. (I prefer the frozen.) Steam cauliflower pieces in a 3 qt. sauce pan in ¼ cup of water for 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender. Then drain it well and mash with a potato masher.

2. While the cauliflower is cooking, sweat the onions in butter in a small skillet, until soft and clear, then add the garlic for 2-3 minutes.

3. In a little hot water, dissolve the cornstarch, sugar and salt, and add the pepper. When the onion mixture is cooked, add it to the water and mix well. Add this and the milk to the cauliflower.

4. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. (If you lack an immersion blender I have found that mincing the onion and garlic before cooking makes for a more smooth end product. And I presume it is possible to transfer it all into a standard blender and puree it, though that is a pain in the . . ..

5. Reheat and simmer over a low fire for 5 minutes to thicken and finish. Add a little more milk of too stiff.

As an option, when completed stir in ¼ cup of shredded cheese.
Prepared, it will keep in the refrigerator for 4-5 days if covered tightly.

The recipe has been modified from Ruby's internet recipe. The original calls for onion and garlic powders, along with heavy cream. Produced in bulk this makes sense, but it is better using fresh onion and garlic (better still with the optional cheese.)

Two 4-6 oz. snapper fillets*
Black pepper to taste

2 shallots, chopped relatively fine
3 garlic cloves, chopped fine
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. oil

1 generous tbsp. pimentos, chopped
1 generous tbsp. capers, drained
1 cup beer (not heavy, yeasty varieties)
Fish bullion, small cube (optional)**
1-2 tsp. Sambuca, Pernod, or other licorice liqueur (optional)***

Fresh chopped parsley if desired

Moisten the fish with lemon or lime juice for 15 min. Pat try and season with fresh ground black pepper.

In a skillet sufficient in size to handle the fillets, melt the butter, add the oil and sauté the shallots for 1-2 minutes; add the garlic for another 1 minute. Add the pimentos and the capers, and half of the beer. If using bullion and/or Sambuca, mix well with the first beer. Simmer for another few minutes, stirring to mix well.

Push the skillet ingredients aside and add the seasoned fish; surround it with the sauce and continue to simmer. As sauce is reduced, add beer a little at a time. After 2-3 minutes--depending on the thickness of the fillet--turn over and continue to cook another few minutes until it is flaky.

Add parsley, if using it, and stir in quickly. Cover the fish with the sauce and serve immediately. If more sauce is required, obviously, add a little more beer.

*If using fresh snapper fillets, which are commonly sold with skin, be sure to put the flesh side down first.

**I personally use a generous tsp. of clam base (see Soup Base link), but fish base from the grocery, or fish bullion works well. If using pork or chicken, use a little chicken bullion or base. The recipe also works without any enhancement.

***The Sambuca adds a great deal. Be careful not to use very much, at least until you've tried it out. It is a powerful flavor and is obnoxious if overused.

(Today I tried to access this recipe and found that somehow it had disappeared from my website, so . . . here it is again . . . sorry 'bout that.)

3 c. unbleached, all purpose flour
3 c. granulated sugar
1 t. salt
1 T baking soda
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 ½ c. corn oil
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1T vanilla extract
1 ½ c. walnut meats, chopped
1 ½ c. shredded coconut
1 1/3 c. pureed, cooked carrots
¾ c. crushed pineapple, drained

(altogether makes 8 c. total volume)

Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
6 T sweet butter, room temp
3 c. confectioner's sugar (plus a little)
1 t. vanilla extract
Juice of ½ lemon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9 inch layer cake pans, 2 inches deep, lined on the bottom with waxed paper. (Can substitute a 9x13 inch cake pan)

Sift dry ingredients into a bowl; add oil, eggs and vanilla and beat well. Fold in carrots, pineapple, walnuts and coconut. Pour batter into pans. Set on middle rack and bake for about an hour, until the edges have pulled away from the sides and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. (About 1 hr & 25 min. if using 9x13 inch pan)

Cool on a rack for 3 hours. Fill, and then frost the cake with cream cheese frosting (or just frost it, if using the 9x13.) Dust the top with confectioner's sugar.

For frosting, cream together the cheese and butter. Slowly sift in the sugar, continuously beating to combine. When completely incorporated, mixture must be free of lumps. Stir in the vanilla . . . and the lemon juice if desired, and fill/frost the cake.

Note: this also makes fantastic breakfast or dessert bread, with or without the frosting; used to serve it at my inn, baked in the typical loaf pans, and served w/o the frosting. As cake, or bread, this freezes beautifully, and actually cuts better when frozen.

I use a 2.5 qt., heavy sauce pan, but one larger is fine, just mark the 2.5 qt. level--at least in your mind, since this recipe delivers 2.5 qts.

Put the bay leaves, 2 tsp. fish bullion, and 2 cups of water in the pan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the fish, minimally cut up if necessary, and cook till flaky (2-4 minutes depending thickness of the fish.) Remove the fish from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside.

At the same time, cut the bacon into small pieces and skillet fry till crisp; remove, cool and crumble. Leave the bacon grease in the skillet.

Slice, then dice the onion and celery, and simmer in the bacon grease. Do not brown, but do cook till soft and translucent. Then remove and add to the fish (degrease if you must)

While things are cooking, cut the potato into a half-inch cubes (peeled if you must) and add to the fish water (when all the fish is cooked); continue to simmer; slice the carrot into 1/8 "coins" (halve the coins if using a really fat carrot). Add to the potatoes after 4 or 5 minutes.

Slice the peppers lengthwise into strips about ¼ inch, then chop crosswise into ¼ inch dice. Use 6-8 slices total, varying according to colors. Add them to the potato/carrot water after another 2-3 minutes of cooking. Simmer till all the veges are cooked through, adding water from time to time in small amounts as necessary/if necessary. (Timing will vary, so be careful not to get the veges mushy; won't hurt, but give a less appealing result.)

When the vegetables are done--just crisp tender--drain thru a sieve into another vessel; add the solids to the bacon, onions, celery and fish. Return the water to the sauce pan. Reduce to no more than half a cup of water. Add the flour 1 tbsp. at a time and whisk vigorously. As the mixture thickens, add milk a little at a time to keep it thin enough to handle. Simmer for a total of 5 minutes to cook the flour, adding milk as needed. Add enough milk, slowly, incorporating as you go, to thin the mixture a little more. Remove from the heat and add back all of the solids.

Meanwhile, create your own double boiler by using a large enough pan to accommodate the sauce pan; add sufficient water to accommodate the sauce pan without overflowing, and bring it to a boil as things are cooking. When everything is done (above) place the chowder pan in the double boiler, add the dill, then add milk to fill to 2.5 quarts. Mix well and heat through, stirring occasionally.

Adjust seasonings with salt (unlikely if using the fish base), pepper, dill, etc. to taste.

When serving, put a pat of butter in the center of the bowl and sprinkle a little more dill around the top of the soup. Serve hot, with or without croutons or chowder crackers.

* This recipe has been improved and updated. I have found that it is remarkably different if prepared as above, separately cooking the ingredients and pooling them at the end, and heated through in a double boiler. Have no certain idea why; just is so.

1 medium loaf of potato bread
2 tbs. dried thyme, well crushed
2 tbs. dried basil, well crushed
1 tbs. chili powder (optional)
2 tsp. freshly, rather finely ground black pepper
¼ cup powdered pecorino Romano cheese

Air dry the bread for a day or two, but not until dry. Chop the loaf into smallish cubes and place in a Cuisinart (type of) chopper in batches. Pulse repeatedly until you have chopped the bread into very coarse crumbs. If you have more than 2 ½ to 3 cups, discard them, or adjust the volumes of additives.

Place them in a gallon size baggie and add all of the remaining ingredients. Shake to mix well, and spread on a cookie sheet (with edges.) Bake in a 325 degree oven for 5-10 minutes, stirring and turning every 2-3 minutes. Crumbs should be baked until dry, without being browned.

Store them in 2 cup plastic containers: one in the refrigerator if you plan to use them within a few weeks; the rest can be frozen indefinitely if sealed tightly, and they don't need to be thawed to use. (I use the 1 pint cheese containers from the grocery.)

If you want a particularly unusual and very tasty variant--which is the only kind I use now, except on already savory dishes--add about ¼ lb.(+) of (fat trimmed) Prosciutto, chopped very fine in the Cuisinart. Add this to the mix along with the rest before baking.

Feel free to adjust the recipe to your own taste.

Broil for 4-6 minutes, depending thickness of the Salmon (tuck thin ends beneath the heavier flesh. Turn really thick fillets once during the cooking time.)

Meanwhile, add pesto to mayo and set aside.

When Salmon is just beginning to flake, remove from oven, spoon pesto mixture over the fillets and spread evenly. Top with Panko (or other toasted bread) crumbs, sprinkle on the cheese and return to broiler to finish (one or two minutes, until crumbs are lightly browned.)

(As with all fish, I blot the cuts dry and, using a pasty brush, cover all sides and edges with lime juice for 15 minutes. Blot again before cooking. . . . and if especially "fishy," soak in milk for 15 minutes and blot before using the lime juice.)

Ingredients-1:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
2 tsp. minced garlic
¼ cup finely chopped celery
¼ cup finely chopped green pepper
1 tsp. whole fennel seeds
Ingredients-2:
¼ tsp hot pepper flakes
1 29 oz. can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz. can peeled plum tomatoes, chopped
8 oz. tomato juice
6 oz. tomato paste
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried basil, crumbled
¼ tsp. dried thyme, crumbled
½ tsp. dried oregano, crumbled
¼ tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. ground fennel (commercial or ground fine)
2 tsp. sugar
2 bay leaves
1 Tbsp. flat parsley, chopped
½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated

In a sufficiently large, heavy duty sauce pot, sauté the first group of ingredients in the oil for 3-5 minutes
Add the second group of ingredients, cover, bring to a slow boil, then reduce heat and simmer on low fire for 45 min. Stir frequently.

Freezes well, and takes well to the addition of beef, chicken or sausage

Ingredients:
¾ of a small can of tomato sauce
¼ can (same can, just estimate) of Gold’s Ketchup (substitute seafood or chili sauce)
2 whole eggs
3 large cloves of garlic, smashed, then minced and smashed again
1 small Spanish (yellow isn’t as good) onion, coarsely chopped
1 T Worcestershire Sauce
1 T bottled horseradish
2 T stone ground mustard
2 T pepper relish
2 T dried green and red pepper flakes (see Penzies or King Arthur catalogues (link on site)
Several sprinkles of Italian seasoning
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper (1-2 t each, depending taste preference)
1 cup (approximately-see below) seasoned bread crumbs
1 ¼ lbs ground chuck
3 (hot-dog sized) links of mild (or hot if you prefer) Italian sausage

Destructions:
• Mix well together all but the meat and bread crumbs.
• Add enough crumbs to make a thick, paste-like mixture which doesn’t run thru your fingers
• Then add the meat and mix well.
• Fold into a loaf pan sufficient to accommodate, with room to spare
• Coat the top with a thin layer of Gold’s Ketchup
• Layer that with several thin rounds of onion or green pepper to decorate
• Bake in 350 degree oven for 1 ½ hours, or until done

Somewhat fewer bread crumbs will leave more of a sauce
Somewhat more will give you a dry loaf (and way too much will give you cardboard)
The secret of this or any meatloaf is the experience to add just the right amount
of crumbs to get the consistence you want for the volume of liquid you have.
That comes with practice. Play with it.
Instead of the pepper flakes you can use diced green and red peppers; as well, mushrooms, etc.

Ingredients:
2/3 cup white, Indian style, white Basmati Rice
(I'm sure this would be as good or better with brown Basmati)
1/4 cup dried Porcini mushrooms
1 cup hot water
2-3 tbsp. carrots, diced small
2-3 tbsp. chopped celery
3-4 tbsp. minced onion
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp. butter
Salt & pepper to taste

Prep:
• Place mushrooms in water and soak for 20-30 minutes
• Meanwhile prep the veges.
• Over medium heat melt the butter and simmer the veges until soft.
• Squeeze the mushrooms dry, reserving the liquid.
• Use the mushroom liquid, expanded to 1 1/3 cups
• Add a little salt and cook the rice for 13-15 minutes
• Meanwhile:
• Turn up the heat and add the mushrooms to cook (chopped if the pieces are large) and dry them out a little. Add the garlic for the last minute or so.
• Then add all to the rice before it is finished cooking.

Yum !! Any vegetarian would love it, too.

Ingredients:
3 eggs, separated
6 tbsp. sugar
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 cup liquor
Nutmeg

Cream together the egg yolks and sugar.
Mix in the liquor (I use 2/3 good bourbon and 1/3 good dark rum.
Mix well to be sure the sugar is dissolved.
Beat the egg white to light peaks.
Beat the cream to lightly thicken.
Fold all together, with a sprinkle of powdered nutmeg.
Decorate top with a little more nutmeg.

Yum !!

Blanch the beans for 1 minute or so. Chill quickly in ice water, drain well, then cut them into 2-3 pieces.

Chop onion, mince garlic, quarter tomatoes lengthwise and seed.

Sauté onions till soft; add garlic for 1 minute. Then add tomatoes and cook, stirring until soft. Add beans, warm thru, and keep warm.

At the same time, cook the Orzo al dente. Drain and add to bean mixture. Mix in vinegar, parsley, feta, salt and pepper to taste. Combine well and serve.

(Could likely be served chilled, as well, but haven't tried it that way.)

Use only fully ripe tomatoes. Core, then halve. Halve onions as well. Peel garlic cloves.

On shallow pan, spray a little oil, then arrange tomato and onion halves, cut side down. Place garlic cloves around the vegetables. Mix oil, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper, and brush over vegetables, coating completely.

Broil 3 - 4 inches from heat source until lightly charred (10 - 15 minutes). Remove garlic and turn other vegetables and broil till lightly charred and tender (10 minutes longer).

Remove from broiler, cool and then peel tomatoes. In a blender or with hand blender, puree tomatoes, onions, garlic and pan juices until smooth.

Pour into a medium saucepan, add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

Meanwhile:
To make bread bowls: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Using a sharp knife, cut off the top of each roll.. Pull out soft center, leaving 1/2 inch thick shells; discard soft bread; reserve tops. Place "bowls" and tops on a baking sheet and bake until crisp (5 - 8 minutes) turning once.

To serve, place rolls in soup plates and ladle hot soup into and around the bread and top with cheese cubes. Garnish with fresh basil and/or parsley and serve immediately.

If not using bread bowls, seasoned croutons work well.

Chicken pieces sufficient for 4-5 people

Combine all ingredients and marinate chicken (covered and refrigerated) for at least an hour, turning several times to recoat the pieces.

Grill over medium heat, or roast in the oven at 350-400 degrees until golden and juices run clear (which will obviously depend upon the chicken pieces you select.) Be sure that the pieces are separated well if roasting in the oven.

2 small fists of garlic, peeled and separated into cloves. Do not crush or mince.
6 oz. dried tart cherries
¾ bottle dry red wine
6 oz prepared red currant or raspberry jelly
1/3 c. honey

Combine cherries, whole garlic cloves and wine in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about an hour, until reduced by half (add water if necessary.)

When completed, strain out the solids. Remove about ¼ cup of cherries and discard all else. Reduce to ½ to 1 cup, depending upon how much sauce you need. Chop the remaining cherries and add back, along with the honey and jelly. Simmer over low heat till nicely combined and heated thru. (May doctor with a little chopped ginger, chopped garlic, etc. Thicken with cornstarch or arrow root if necessary. Then use as a glaze and serve on the side.

Ham Marinade
A great way to start.
(If you do this, strain and add the marinade to the glaze above before cooking it.)

1/3 c red wine
1/3 c. ruby port
1/3 c. water
1 tbsp. hot mustard powder
1 tbsp. Pick-a-Pepper sauce
1 tbsp. ginger powder
½ c. ginger ale
1 tbsp. coarse ground black pepper
6 small whole cloves
(Overall, make enough to half cover the ham to be marinatedP

Marinate for 2-4 days, turning occasionally (but overnight, at least!) Bake at time recommended and glaze the ham for the last 20 minutes, uncovered.

(Again, I like to use a plastic bag sufficiently large to accomodate the ham and tie it off--as opposed to a huge pan which requires that you baste regularly)