Today's recipes:

• As promised last weekend, polenta for dinner tonight.
• Combine 1 qt water, 1 cup coarse polenta, 2 Tbsp butter or oil, fresh ground pepper in oven-proof pan. Bake at 350 F for 40 minutes.
• Stir in 1-2 oz. shredded cheese (Asiago, Parmesan, Romano, Provolone -- your favorite). Bake 5 more minutes.

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Today's recipes:

• Time now to go make couscous salsa to take to the solstice party tonight. Adapted from Mark Miller's Great Salsa Cookbook.
• Toast 3/4 tsp each ground cayenne & coriander, & 1-1/2 tsp. cumin. Add to 1 c couscous & 1 c boiling water. Let sit covered 5 minutes.
• Add roasted, peeled & diced: tomato, 2 bell peppers & 1 to 2 poblano peppers. Add salt, pepper, & chopped cilantro to taste. Serve w/ chips.
• I like Tostitos multigrain tortilla chips, both with this & just to snack on.
• Time to go roast . . .
• Salsa made. Realized looking at twitter-recipes.blogspot.com blog that I do lots of couscous. This next week, I'll have to do easy polenta.

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Pork chops with couscous stuffing

Today's recipes:

• Couscous stuffing: Mix together 1 c. couscous, 1 c. milk, diced onion, diced red bell pepper, minced garlic, 1 Tbsp(ish) paprika
• Stuffed pork chop: cut pocket in side of chops, fill with stuffing of choice. Add 1/4" liquid to bottom of pan. Bake at 350 1 to 1-1/4 hrs.
• Diced celery is good in the stuffing, too.

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chicken not-carbonara

Today's recipes:

• Chicken not-carbonara tonight: saute cubed chicken and finely diced bacon. Sprinkle w/grated cheese (Parmesan, Romano, or asiago).
• Add in chopped tomatoes, and frozen green beans. Stir in sour cream (or heavy cream, if you prefer.) Serve warm.

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Potato-leek soup

Today's recipes:

• Contemplating dinner tonight: potato-leek soup. Slice three leeks thinly, chop one onion, chop garlic. Saute in butter until translucent.
• Add diced potatoes; saute briefly, then add chicken broth to cover. Simmer 20-30 minutes, until potatoes cooked.
• For slightly heavier soup, stir in one can condensed cream of chicken soup at end and heat through.
• Tip for cleaning leeks: remove tops, slice in half lengthwise, rinse under running water to remove dirt between leaves.

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Salsa verde

Today's recipes:

• The problem with Romance languages: salsa verde means very different things in Mexican and Italian cooking.
• Last week, I made some Mexican salsa verde: cover bottom of pot with water, add tomatillos and simmer until dark green.
• Puree with onion and garlic cloves. (Add roasted green chile, too, for more flavor! I used 2 Anaheims; New Mexico chiles weren't available.)
• Simmer again, about 30 minutes. Great for dipping, enchiladas, or simmering chicken in.
• For an easy entree, put 4 frozen burritos in a slow cooker, top with boneless skinless chicken breasts & salsa verde. Cook 4-6 hours.

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Fudge brownies

Today's recipes:

• Last night, realized we're supposed to bring dessert to the Scout banquet tonight. Hello, fudge brownies! Old recipe, Better Homes & Gardens
• With some adaptation -- like, whole wheat flour and doubling. I mean 8x8 pan? Yeah, right.
• Cream: 1 c. butter, 2 c. sugar, 1 Tbsp. vanilla. Beat in 4 eggs. Add 4 oz. melted baking chocolate, then 1 c. flour, 6 oz. choc. chips.
• Bake at 325 for 30-36 minutes. Toothpick will not be clean, but should not be gooey. (Check ~2 in. from edge of pan.)

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