Tex - Mex Baked Eggplant

Eggplant, Vegetarian and Texan..... here's my recipe for Tex - Mex Eggplant.

I was just asked by a fellow foodie if I had a recipe for Eggplant that doesn't have a Marinara Sauce.
Although I love most Vegetarian Eggplant Recipes, I like this version as an alternative  to an Eggplant Parmesan or Eggplant Rollatini, two of my favorites.

I grow Parsley and Mint in my garden and always have it on hand.
Typically I would make this with Cilantro instead of Mint but it's a flavor that is not familiar to everyone and I don't always have it in my garden.


1/3 C vegetable oil
3 - 4 eggplants, thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp red chile pepper flakes
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste
1/4 C chopped fresh parsley
1/4 C chopped fresh mint (or Cilantro)
juice and zest of 1 lime


Heat oil in a cast iron skillet on medium heat.
Cook eggplant in oil for 2-3 minutes on each side, in batches, just until browned
Place eggplant in a 9"X13" baking dish
Sprinkle with garlic and chile pepper flakes
Season to taste with salt and pepper

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes

In a small bowl:
parsley
mint
lime juice and zest
Combine well

Serve eggplant topped with the lime and herbs

Thanks to my friend and cookbook author, Ellise Pierce ( Cowgirl Chef, Texas Cooking with a French Accent) my recipe for Tex - Mex Eggplant is part of her story about Eggplant in the Dallas Morning News today, 1/8/2014. I highly recommend her book. I took a class from her at Central Market in Southlake and she is so much fun to be around! We have a kindred spirit about France and Texas and the cuisine from both places. Thank you Ellise for including me in the article.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Dallas Morning News / Central Market Holiday Cookie Contest

Yesterday was the 18th annual contest. I've only been involved for 6 years. I've had the pleasure of being accepted as a finalist 3 years. I felt honored to have  2 recipes accepted in the competition this year. It's difficult to get 1 recipe in the finals.
The contest involves hundreds of entries. Here are some of the guidelines: You can enter a total of 3 recipes, each one has to be in a different category. There's a nominal entry fee and all of the money raised goes to charity.
Here are the categories:

Easy
Family
Decorated
Bar
Decadent
Cookie Man

Each contestant brings 1 dozen cookies for the judges and a minimum of 1 dozen for sharing. The Cookie Man contestants bring 7 cookies.  We are asked to bring 50 copies of our recipe.There is one finalist chosen in the Cookie Man Category and the cookies entered are amazing.
The Cookie Man Cookie is photographed and featured on the cover of the Taste Section of The Dallas Morning News when the story is published in the paper in December. All of the top three winners in each categories have there recipes and stories published in the paper.

The cookies for sharing are placed on tables in a conference room away from the judges. They are organized by category on the tables.
During the judging the staff from the Dallas Morning News and Central Market entertain the contestants. There are sponsors at the event that give away prizes and there's a drawing with many door prizes.
At check in, each contestant receives a bag of goodies.

After the winning recipes are announced we all rush to the table with our empty containers and a free for all begins as we have the opportunity to get as many cookies as we can. It's truly a friendly frenzy and we all walk away with a ton of cookies!

I photographed the event and you can get an idea of how competitive the contest is when you see the amazing cookies entered.
I was interviewed by the newspaper and when I was asked if I felt that the competition was tough, I told them that the competition is very friendly, everyone involved is so nice that it's not about the win, it's about the fun that we all have and the stories and recipes that we share.

I did win a door prize and I seem to be lucky enough to have won a door prize every year I've been in the contest.
I'll begin working on new recipes for next year and look forward to , hopefully, getting in again next year.

Here are photographs of the event:

These adorable Armadillos were a winner in the Decorated Category.

The contest is covered by the Dallas Morning News.

The tables are emptied when we all take cookies at the end
of the contest.

Another photo of the table after we all fill our containers.

These are my Maple Maple Pecan cookies in the Decadent Category.

This was in the Cookie Man category.

These are my Peppernuts in the Family Category.

This was the winner of the Cookie Man category.

This is what the tables look like after the frenzy of
all of us filling our containers with cookies.

These are filled with Jalapeno Jelly

This is the photograph from the Dallas Morning News on December 11th.
This is when they publish all of the winning recipes.
It's the first time they have published a picture of this part of the event
when we all get to take samples of everyone's cookies.
You may think that's Santa in the picture, but I can guarantee you, it's not!
That's the Hippy in the Kitchen!
I was looking at this post the morning of the 19 Annual contest. November 6, 2014.
I have 2 recipes accepted in this year's contest: Texas Brittle Bars
and Tex - Mex Sugar and Spice.
There's also another major difference to point out as I head out the door
to the contest in 2014, The Hippy in the Kitchen is 70 pounds lighter.
What an amazing year it's been.
I started my quest in March and it took 5 months and a lot of
hard work and discipline to accomplish it.
I won't be eating quite as many cookies this year but Anne and I look forward to
the event today.

Christmas Peppernuts

This is the other one of my recipes that was accepted in the Dallas Morning News / Central Market's Annual Holiday Cookie Baking Contest this year. (2013).  Tomorrow is the judging. I'll have pictures and stories from the competition.

Peppernuts with their unique flavor are a Mennonite family tradition dating back more than two centuries. Original recipes were copied as Mennonite families moved about Europe. The idea came from the fact that they couldn't afford nuts during the holidays. These tiny nut like shapes were baked to represent a Peanut. Some were baked in larger sizes representing walnuts.

This is my mother- in- law's family recipe. My wife was raised on a Mennonite Farm in Kansas and Peppernuts were made every year at Christmas. We have them at our house every Christmas and our daughter has continued the tradition and makes them for her family. We can't remember a Christmas in our family without Peppernuts.

1C granulated sugar
1/2 C molasses
1/2 C corn syrup
1 C shortening
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground clove
1/4 tsp Anise Oil or 1 tsp crushed Anise Seeds
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
6 C flour

Mix all ingredients well and refrigerate the dough overnight.

On a floured surface: Roll the dough into long thin logs and cut them into small pieces. ( The roll should be the diameter of a pencil and the pieces 1/2") This can be done in several rolls.

I purchased a Peppernut Dough extruder at the Market, in town where my wife grew up, in Kansas. It was created especially to make Peppernuts.

Place the small Peppernuts on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet pan and bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes.

Traditionally a handful of Peppernuts are placed in bags tied with a ribbon and given out to friends during the holidays.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Creamed Grits Casserole

This is the third Grits recipes I've posted on the blog.
 This is my choice for a Grits Best of the Best Recipe.

Creamed Grits Casserole:

1 1/4 C uncooked regular Grits
2 C Broth ( Chicken, Vegetarian Chicken or Vegetarian)
2 C Whole Milk
1 tsp Salt
1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper
1/2 C (1 stick)  Butter, cubed
1 (10oz.) piece of Sharp Cheddar Cheese, shredded
1 (4oz.) piece of Smoked Gouda Cheese, shredded
2 eggs, beaten

In a saucepan:
Grits
Broth
Milk
Salt
Cayenne Pepper
Bring to a boil on medium high heat.
Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring constantly 4 - 5 minutes
Until thickened
Stir in butter and cheeses until melted

Stir about 1/4 of the grits into the beaten eggs then add the mixture back int the grits pan.
Pour into a buttered 3 quart casserole dish.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until golden brown on top and bubbling around the edges.

Let stand at least 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Dallas Morning News Taste Section 10/30/2013

I was excited to see the cover story today, Take a Shortcut to Mexico, and then I read the recipes and nothing looked interesting to me. That's unusual for a Texas cook. We love Mexican cuisine and our own creations of Tex-Mex cuisine. However, I was hoping to find something to post. I finally found something that intrigued me,  not Mexican but it sounds like something I would make. I created an original recipe for a Cranberry Rice Stuffing that I serve as a side dish at Thanksgiving ( Wild Rice and Orange Herb Stuffing). It's on the blog. This is similar but a bit different.

Cranberry Rice Stuffing

1/4 C uncooked wild rice
1/2 C uncooked long grain white rice
1/2 C dried cranberries
2 ribs of celery, chopped
2 green onions, finely sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 C toasted, chopped pecans
2 TBS olive oil
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
1 tsp grated orange or lemon zest
1/4 C cranberry juice
1 tsp honey
black pepper

Cook rices separately according to package directions.
Toss together and spread out on a cookie sheet pan to cool to room temperature.
Transfer to a bowl and add cranberries, celery, onion, bell pepper and pecans.

Make a dressing by combining oil, vinegar, zest, cranberry juice and sugar.
Pour over rice and toss well.
Cover and refrigerate at least an hour for flavors to blend.
Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Cran - Apple Salsa

1 - 12oz. package of fresh cranberries or frozen  (thawed).
3 medium apples, peel, core, wedge
1 medium red pepper, cut into pieces
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 C sugar
1/3 C unsweetened apple juice
3 TBS fresh cilantro, chopped
2 TBS chopped fresh jalapeno
1 tsp lime zest

In a food processor:
cranberries
apples
red pepper
onion
process in batches until coarsely pureed

Transfer to a serving bowl, stir in:
sugar
apple juice
cilantro
jalapeno
lime zest
Refrigerate

Serve with Tortilla Chips.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese

I can't believe I'm posting another Macaroni and Cheese recipe.
I have so many favorite recipes for Mac and Cheese. Some are Simple, some are Gourmet and some are very Traditional. There's a Crock Pot version, a Tex - Mex version and more! I like this one because it's incredibly creamy and it doesn't have a bread crumb topping.  It's my version of Homemade Kid Friendly. There are times when I just want a basic creamy baked Macaroni and Cheese. This is it!
I make it in a Cast Iron Soup Pot.
I'm making it this weekend for a Block Party and I'll post photographs.

Creamy Macaroni and Cheese:

4 C dried Elbow Macaroni
2 C shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese (8oz) package
8 oz. Velveeta Cheese, cubed.
4 TBS cold butter, cubed.
1 (12oz.) can of evaporated milk.
2 Large Eggs, beaten.
1 (10 3/4 oz.) can of Cheese Soup.
1/4 tsp black pepper.

Cook macaroni according to package directions, drain.
Transfer to a large bowl
Add:
1 1/2 C Cheddar Cheese
Add:
Velveeta Cheese.
Add:
Butter.
Stir to combine well.
Set aside.

In a separate bowl:
eggs
milk
soup
pepper
Whisk until smooth
Add to Macaroni

Pour into a 3 quart casserole
Cover and bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

Uncover, stir
Sprinkle with 1/2 C shredded Cheddar.

Bake uncovered for an additional 15 - 20 minutes.

Enjoy!
Peace in the Kitchen!