Chocolate-It's What's for Dinner

Might not be much of a looker but certainly tasty I'm a sucker for parsnips. I don't ever remember eating them as a kid - unless maybe they were snuck into some soup without my knowledge. There is something so delicious about parsnips. They go so well with carrots. You can always talk me into just roasting these babies in the oven but this recipe caught my eye and it was a nice change. Braised Carrots & Parsnips w/Dried Cranberries (Adapted from Milk Street) 3 T butter 1 shallot, minced 1 1/2 c chicken stock 1/2 c AppleJack* 1 t dried thyme 2 bay leaves salt/pepper 1lb carrots, sliced on the bias** 1lb parsnips, sliced on the bias 1/2 c dried cranberries 1T Dijon mustard Melt 1T of butter in a dutch oven. Add shallot and cook until translucent. Add stock and Apple Jack, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer. Add salt/pepper, carrots, and parsnips. Return to simmer and reduce heat. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat. St...

This is another great summer salad.  The only bad part is that you are cooking the grains for nearly an hour and boy does that heat up your kitchen! I found this in my recipe file - another one patiently waiting to be tried (I'm sure some of those recipes are not too patiently waiting - some have been in there a long time). I'm not even sure where I got this one from. I photocopied it so I guess I borrowed the book from someone. I have a few other recipes that look similar. If you know the book, please let me know so that I can give credit. It is a spiral-bound book - if that helps at all? Three-Grain Salad (Adapted from some recipe book??) 5 1/2 c water 1 c wheat berries 1/3 c brown rice 1/2 c hulled or pearl barley 1/3 c dried cranberries 1/4 c diced carrot 1/4 c diced celery (peeled before diced) 1 medium apple, unpeeled chopped parsley, chopped Dressing 1/3 c sugar 1/3 c olive oil 1/3 c white balsamic vinegar 2 t Worcestershire sauce 2 T shallots 2...

This is another standard fare item for Easter Brunch.  Usually I mix all the dry ingredients together the night before so it's all ready to go the next day.  It's really different - sort of like a bowl of oatmeal with lots of good stuff mixed in but in a bar format. Oatmeal Clafoutis (adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini ) 2 1/4 c quick oats (2 3/4 c old fashioned) 2/3 c brown sugar Dry ingredients ready to go 3/4 c raisins, currants, dried cranberries or a mixture of all 1 t cinnamon 1 t salt 1 pear peeled and sliced 1 apple peeled and sliced 1 banana sliced 3 1/3 c milk 2 eggs 1 t vanilla Lightly grease a 13x9 pan. Combine dry ingredients. Spread in the 13x9 pan. In a bowl mix the milk, eggs and vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients. If you are using the old fashioned oats, you can refrigerate this for a few hours to allow the oats to plump).  Arrange apple, pear, and banana over the oats.  Bake 55-60 minutes at 350.  Cut into squares. Be...