Kahlessa's favorite recipes

[Kahlessa]

Here are a couple of my favorite recipes to start!

Disappearing Marshmallow Brownies

Ingredients
1 cup butterscotch chips
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips


Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking dish.

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt butterscotch chips and butter, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Stir in the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, vanilla and eggs until well blended. Mix in the mini marshmallows and chocolate chips. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven. Center will shake but it will firm upon cooling. Wonderful with ice cream. Enjoy!!!
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Peanut Sauce
(This is an African recipe. It can be used as a dip but is especially delicious with vegetables and rice. I like to put it on broccoli.)

Ingredients

2 cups chopped onions
1 tablespoon peanut oil
¼ teaspoon cayenne or other ground dried chilies (or to taste)
¼ teaspoon ground ginger
1 very ripe banana, mashed
1 cup tomato juice
½ cup apple or apricot juice
½ cup peanut butter
½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)

Directions

Sauté the onions in the oil until translucent. Mix in the cayenne, ginger, and mashed banana and sauté, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add the juices and simmer for 10 minutes.

Stir in the peanut butter and salt to taste. Keep the peanut sauce warm on a heat diffuser until ready to serve. Yields 4 cups.

Make a double batch of peanut sauce and refrigerate the leftovers. Peanut sauce will keep refrigerated for two to three weeks. Reheat gently before serving.

[Lukaran]

Thanks, Kahlessa! These both sound good.

[Kahlessa]

Mamaw’s French Coconut Pie

Ingredients
1 stick butter (softened)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 cup coconut
1 ½ cups sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 pie shell

Directions

Preheat oven to 350. Cook the pie shell for two minutes and let cool. Mix the other ingredients together and pour into pie shell. Bake until golden brown, about 45 to 50 minutes.

This is my grandmother’s recipe and it was my favorite out of the many delicious things she made. This pie is very easy to make but also very rich so it’s a good dessert to impress company with.

[Kahlessa]

Kahlessa’s Pizza

This is my signature dish—the one most requested whenever I entertain.

Ingredients for the crust:
5 cups flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 package quick-rise yeast
2 cups warm water (about 110-115 degrees)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
¼ cup vegetable oil

Toppings:
Garlic powder
Parmesan cheese
Pizza sauce (I usually use Ragu’s)
8 cups mozzarella cheese
Other toppings as you wish

To make the crust:
Dissolve the yeast in ¼ cup of the warm water. In a large bowl, mix yeast mixture, the rest of the water, 2 cups of the flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt, and oil. After it’s well-mixed, add the rest of the flour a little at a time. Then knead the dough until smooth. Pour a small amount of oil in a large bowl and place the dough in it, turning the dough so the oil is spread completely over the surface. Cover and let rise in a warm place, usually about an hour. (I usually turn the oven on 200 degrees and put the bowl on top of the stove.)

Punch the dough down and then spread in greased pans. You can make one thick crust pizza in one cookie sheet or pizza pan, or two medium-crust pizzas.

Topping the Pizza
After the dough is spread out, sprinkle garlic powder on the crust. Then apply the pizza sauce, followed by sprinkling parmesan cheese over the pizzas.

If you are adding any toppings besides cheese, put them on now. I like to add onions, mushrooms, and peppers. (Using a combination of green, yellow, and red peppers adds a nice flavor and color to the pizza.) For a vegetarian pizza, I sauté the vegetables in olive oil. If I’m adding sausage or hamburger, I fry the vegetables along with the meat before putting it on the pizza.

I think the key to a good pizza is to add the cheese last, and make certain there is enough cheese to completely cover the pizza and toppings. This keeps the toppings from drying out while the pizza is cooking.

For some reason, the pizza cooks better if I refrigerate it over night before baking. I think because I add so many toppings, there’s a danger that the crust will burn before the cheese is completely melted. I’ve found that refrigerating the pizza for two hours before baking seems to work just as well.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the pizza until the crust is golden brown and the cheese starts to brown.

The nice thing about this pizza is that the leftovers microwave very well.

[Kahlessa]

Key Lime Pie

From Kim Sunée, Cottage Living, JANUARY 2006

You can substitute the more widely available Persian limes for Key limes but avoid the bottled juice. Instead of the usual meringue or whipped cream topping, I prefer sweetened crème fraîche and a last-minute squeeze of fresh lime. Prep: 10 minutes, Bake: 33 minutes, Stand: 15 minutes, Chill: 4 hours.

Yield
Makes 10 servings

Ingredients
• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 (14-ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/4 cups Key lime juice
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• Garnishes: grated lime zest and lime slices

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Mix graham cracker crumbs, granulated sugar, and butter with hands; press firmly into a 10-inch pie plate. Bake at 325° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove and let stand 15 minutes.
2. Whisk together condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs until well blended. Pour into crust, and bake at 325° for 18 to 20 minutes or until set. Chill at least 4 hours.
3. Combine crème fraîche and powdered sugar. Spread evenly over pie, and garnish, if desired.
Macadamia Key Lime Pie: Substitute 1/4 cup chopped dry roasted macadamia nuts for 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs, and add to 1 cup crumbs. Proceed as directed. Sprinkle additional 1/4 cup chopped dry roasted macadamia nuts evenly over topping.

(A friend of mine made this pie for me without the crème fraîche or sour cream topping, just grated lime zest on top. It was heavenly!)

[Kahlessa]

Lum's Ollieburger

(Lum’s was a restaurant in Central Illinois. Unfortunately they went out of business. Fortunately, I found the recipe for their special hamburgers. I think they topped them with mozzarella cheese, but you can use any kind of cheese you want.)

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 1/2 tsp Seasoned Salt
1 Tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tbsp Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp A−1 Steak Sauce
1 Tbsp Corn Oil
1/2 Cup Beef Broth
1 tsp Heinz 57 Sauce
1/4 tsp Garlic Salt
1 tsp Vinegar
1 1/2 to 2 lbs. of ground beef (ground round in the original recipe)

Preparation:
1. Mix the above ingredients.

2. Take the ground beef and shape meat into round patties, 3/4" thick and 3 1/2"round.

3. Place in a covered container and pour the marinade mixture over them.
Cover tightly and refrigerate 12 hours or overnight.
Turn the patties frequently.

4. Remove from marinade and sear over high heat to seal in the juices,
then turn down heat and cook to your desired doneness.

[Kahlessa]

Tashkent Carrot Salad
A wonderful garlic treat from my favorite restaurant, Russian Tea Time in Chicago
(I just wish I could find their black bread recipe.)

Ingredients:
2 lbs carrots
1 teaspoon coriander
4 garlic cloves
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons white vinegar
paprika
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

Thinly shred carrots, mix with sugar and crushed garlic. Let it stay for 10 minutes to get the juices out.

Mix with the rest of seasoning. Let marinate for 6 hours.

Mix thoroughly before serving as juices tend to sit on the bottom of pan. Serve chilled. Enjoy!