link: Meatless Monday Inspiration from Food52

http://www.food52.com/blog/1753_meatless_monday_inspiration?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=New+Feature:+Feed52!+|+Homemade+Yogurt+|+Chocolate+Brownie+Bites+|+Custard+How-To&utm_campaign=food52+newsletter+3_6_+11&utm_term=See+menu+ideas

A list of amazing-looking food with beautiful pictures, all free of meat and most free even of cheese or something meat-related like that.

Ricotta and Chive Gnocchi by The Internet Cooking Princess

wishlist: super-bright cupcakes

I don't know if these are even actually possible, but I found this picture somewhere and HAD to share. Look how fun they are!

I would frost them in white, fluffy frosting like clouds, and maybe throw some glitter on top for good measure.

link: Corndog Maker

Here

I do believe I need this thing. Sure, it's a unitasker, and sure, corndogs are really bad for me, but I love them and I would adore the ability to make them myself all the time always. Until I die of a heart attack.

wishlist: Chai Tea Jello

Maybe I'll try this one first; I'm much more likely to try something experimental with tea. And I do so love chai... In my head, it tastes like the one from Big Train, which is what my local cafe sells; I wonder if I could make it like a solid Big Train?

From: http://www.bakingaisle.com/2010/04/chai-tea-jello/#more-107

Chai Tea Jello

• 1/2 cup cold water
• 4 packets unflavored gelatin
• 2 cups boiling water
• 6 chai teabags
• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

Thoroughly mix the gelatin with the cold water, and let sit on the counter.

Make the tea - put the tea bags in the boiling water, and let sit for 5-10 minutes. You want very, very strong tea.

Remove the tea bags, and stir the hot tea into the gelatin mixture until completely dissolved. Add the sweetened condensed milk and stir.

Pour into an 8-inch square pan, lightly greased or lined with parchment paper. Chill for 4 hours or until set.

wishlist: Coffee Jello

I'm not a huge fan of Jello (I don't like eating things that dogs bark at), but my love of sweetened condensed milk and the fact that these are denser than regular jello might win out in the end.

From:  http://foodlibrarian.blogspot.com/2010/04/national-library-week-day-3-coffee.html

Coffee Jello / Coffee Gelatin
1/2 c cold water
2 cups strong coffee, hot. I used two packages of Starbucks Via. The coffee needs to be strong. This isn't the time for Sanka instant. :)
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated milk)
3 packages of Knox unflavored gelatin

1. Place 1/2 c cold water in a bowl.
2. Sprinkle 3 unflavored gelatin packets over the water. Let sit until the gelatin blooms, about 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the hot coffee and mix until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
4. Stir in the can of sweetened condensed milk.
5. Pour into glass pan. Thickness of finished jello depends on the size of the pan. I used a 7 x 11 pan but a 9 x 13 pan will give you thinner pieces and an 8 x 8 pan will give you thicker pieces.

Note: The combo of coffee and sweetened condensed milk is inspired by Vietnamese coffee. You can probably adapt this to use coffee or espresso, cream and sugar (be sure to dissolve the sugar in the hot coffee and gelatin).

wishlist: honey and riccotta tart

Ricotta and Honey Tart

By Christine Gallary
Honey and lemon zest flavor this tart made of ricotta cheese. A crisp crust and crunchy almond topping sandwich the creamy filling.
Game plan: Drain the ricotta of excess moisture by placing it in a fine mesh strainer set over a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, weigh the cheese down with a heavy object, and refrigerate overnight.
TIME/SERVINGS
Total Time: 1 hr 40 mins, plus time to drain the cheese
Active Time: 15 mins
Makes: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS
For the crust:
8 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 stick), melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon loosely packed, finely grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

For the filling:
1 pound ricotta cheese, drained overnight (see “Game plan” note above)
2 large eggs
1/2 cup clover honey
1 tablespoon loosely packed, finely grated lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
INSTRUCTIONS
For the crust:

1. Place melted butter, sugar, zest, and salt in a large bowl and stir until combined. Add flour and stir just until a soft dough forms, about 1 minute.
2. Evenly arrange small pieces of dough over the bottom of a 9-inch round tart pan with a removable bottom. Using a measuring cup or your fingers, press the dough to form an even layer over the bottom and up the sides of the pan, flouring the cup or your fingers as needed.
3. Cover the tart shell with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the middle.
5. When the shell is chilled, prick it all over with a fork and place it on a baking sheet. Bake until golden brown all over, about 20 to 25 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.

For the filling:

1. Place drained ricotta, eggs, honey, zest, and cinnamon in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment. Process, stopping and scraping the sides of the bowl often with a rubber spatula, until the mixture is smooth and combined, about 1 minute.
2. Spread the filling in the warm tart shell and evenly sprinkle almonds over top. Bake until the center is just set, about 25 to 30 minutes. Cool completely on a rack before serving.

wishlist: country captain

I've had curry in styles from India, Japan, England, China, Vietnam, Canada, and probably more, but I had no idea that the south, only a few hours from here, has a version of curry, too. Apparently, Savannah was a major stop on the spice trade, and people stationed in India brought the recipe back with them, and it's since mutated into southern cooking to become Country Captain. I'm so very curious about this.

Country Captain
adapted from The Lee Brothers

Ingredients:

1/2 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon garam masala
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
1/4 pound slab bacon or fatty country ham, chopped
12 chicken thighs, skin on, trimmed of excess skin and fat
1 large flavorful dried chile, such as guajillo or pasilla, split, seeds removed
2 1/3 cups peeled and sliced carrots (1/4-inch thick rounds), about 1 1/4 pound bunch weighed with tops
2 cups diced yellow bell peppers, about 2 peppers
2 cups diced yellow onions, about 2 medium onions
3 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes, with juice
2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger
4 cups cooked white rice
2/3 cup slivered toasted almonds, chopped
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Pour the broth into a small saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Put the currants in a small bowl and pour enough broth over them to cover. Set aside. In another small bowl, combine the curry powder, garam masala, salt, and black pepper and reserve.

3. Scatter the bacon in a 4 to 6 quart enameled cast-iron pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir the pieces around occasionally until the bacon is firm and just golden brown, about 5 minutes. With the slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a small bowl and reserve.

4. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pot, reserving the excess fat in a small bowl. Brown the chicken thighs in batches over medium-high heat, taking care not to crowd them in the pot, until they are golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Add the reserved bacon fat, 1 teaspoon at a time, if the pot becomes too dry. Remove the chicken and reserve in a medium bowl.

5. Add 2 teaspoons reserved bacon fat to the pot (if there is none left, use 2 teaspoons canola or vegetable oil). Add the chile and toast the chile in the fat, about 30 seconds per side, until very fragrant.

6. Add the carrots, bell peppers, onions, and garlic and cook until slightly softened, about 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes, spice mixture, ginger, and the currants and their broth. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the tomatoes have cooked down to a puree and the sauce has thickened around the vegetables, about 8 minutes.

7. Nest the chicken thighs gently in the vegetable sauce so that the skin side faces up and is above the surface of the gravy. Tent the pot loosely with foil and transfer to the middle rack of the oven. Bake until the country captain resembles a roiling stew around the chicken thighs, about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the sauce has thickened further and the chicken skin is just beginning to crisp, about 15 minutes more.

8. Remove from the oven, skim any excess fat from the surface, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Discard the chile. With tongs, transfer 3 thighs to each of 4 wide, deep bowls filled with 1 cup hot white rice. Spoon the sauce over the chicken and the rice and garnish with the reserved bacon, almonds, and parsley.

FROM: Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy.

wishlist: compost cookies

Oh Em Gee, this is about the sexiest idea I ever did see. Next day off (if I'm not adopting my friend's cat that day), I'm totally cleaning out the pantry and making these cookies. From David Lebovitz, from the Amateur Gourmet.

The Momofuku Milk Bar Compost Cookie
recipe by Christina Tosi
(Courtesy of Regis & Kelly's website)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (that's two sticks, unsalted)
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbsp corn syrup [Note: I left this out; not because I'm against corn syrup, I just didn't have it. The cookies came out fine, though may have had a nicer sheen with the syrup.]
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tsps baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsps Kosher salt
1 1/2 cups your favorite baking ingredients (options: chocolate chips, Raisenettes, Rollos, Cocoa Krispies)
1 1/2 cups your favorite snack foods (chips, pretzels, etc.)

Note: as said above, I used chopped up bittersweet chocolate and crushed pretzels. Next time I'd definitely add potato chips.

1. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter, sugars and corn syrup on medium high for two to three minutes until fluffy and pale yellow in color. Scrape down the sides with a spatula.

2. On a lower speed, add eggs and vanilla to incorporate.

Increase mixing speed to medium-high and start a timer for 10 minutes. During this time the sugar granules will fully dissolve, the mixture will become an almost pale white color and your creamed mixture will double in size.

3. When time is up, on a lower speed, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

Mix 45 - 60 seconds just until your dough comes together and all remnants of dry ingredients have incorporated. Do not walk away from your mixer during this time or you will risk over mixing the dough. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.

4. On the same low speed, add in the hodgepodge of your favorite baking ingredients and mix for 30 - 45 seconds until they evenly mix into the dough. Add in your favorite snack foods last, paddling again on low speed until they are just incorporated.

[Note: eating this cookie dough raw is dangerously good.]

5. Using a 6 oz. ice cream scoop (I'm not sure how many ounces mine is, but it worked well), portion cookie dough onto a parchment lined sheetpan.

6. Wrap scooped cookie dough tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a minimum of one hour or up to 1 week.

DO NOT BAKE your cookies from room temperature or they will not hold their shape.

7. Heat the oven to 400 F. Take the plastic off your cookies and bake 9 to 11 minutes. While in the oven, the cookies will puff, crackle and spread.

At 9 minutes, the cookies should be browned on the edges and just beginning to brown towards the center. Leave the cookies in the oven for the additional minutes if these colors don't match up and your cookies still seem pale and doughy on the surface.

8. Cool the cookies completely on the sheet pan (good luck!) before transferring to a plate or an airtight container or tin for storage. At room temp, they'll keep five days.