Robin's Monday Munchies

Try my hooters!  They have made me quite popular at parties.  Everyone has my hooters during the holidays.  They are perfect finger food and feel great in your mouth. 

Ingredients:

 
Instructions:

The cheeses temper the spiciness and give them a long, slow burn.  Yum!

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless chicken thighs, sliced into 6-8 pieces each
• ~1 c. flour, seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika for dredging
• 1 can chicken stock
• 2 med onions, one cut in half only, one chopped
• 2 large carrots, chopped
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 6-8 Portabellini or 3-4 Portabella mushrooms, half chopped finely, the rest cut in quarters
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, slightly pressed
• Salt & pepper
• Scant ¼ c. Hungarian sweet paprika, if you can get it…otherwise, regular paprika

Instructions:

• Dredge chicken in flour, paprika, salt & pepper.  Saute in a mixture of olive/canola oil.  Don’t crowd the pieces but rather cook them in several batches.  Put in a stew pot as they are browned. 
  
• Saute the chopped onion, celery, carrots and chopped mushrooms (stems removed) on medium heat until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms start releasing juices.  Place in the stewpot. 
  
• Add the chicken stock and 3 cans of water along with the bay leaves, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika. 
  
• Simmer 30-45 minutes to let flavors mingle, then make a canola/olive oil and flour roux, cooking until it colors and smells toasty. 
  
• Add to the stew and simmer until the stew has thickened. 
  
• Enjoy with buttered bread, biscuits or dumplings.

The reason for only chopping some of the mushrooms is my local picky eater…the bigger pieces need not be served, and the small  pieces will be fairly cooked down so as to be unobtrusive to those with delicate sensibilities.

I got this Moroccan recipe from my friend Jarrett, and I use it exactly as written, since I find the flavors complex but perfectly balanced.  He adds a quarter again as much spice.

Ingredients:

•  1/2 cup dried chick peas   (or one 15 oz can - see below)               
•   2   tablespoon butter                            
•   1 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon                          
•   1 teaspoon ground ginger                     
•   1 teaspoon ground turmeric                   
•   3/4 teaspoon paprika                           
•   1/2 teaspoon black pepper                      
•   1 pinch saffron                           
•   3/4 lb boneless lamb shoulder            
•   1 cup chopped onion                     
•   3 tablespoon chopped parsley                   
•   3 tablespoon cilantro                          
•   1 1/2 cup fresh peeled and chopped or canned tomatoes                   
•   5 1/3 cup water                             
•   1/2 cup lentils                           
•   2 tablespoon lemon juice                       
•   1 1/2 teaspoon salt                              

Instructions:

• Soak chick peas overnight, drain (or use 1 can of canned chickpeas and add at the same time as the lentils)                                    
• In dutch oven, melt butter over low heat, stir in cinnamon, ginger, turmeric, paprika, pepper & saffron and cook 2 minutes. Stir in the lamb,   onions, parsley and coriander
• and cook, stirring occasionally or until the onions are soft.  Stir in tomatoes and simmer 10 minutes.  Add the water and chick peas.  Heat to boiling over medium heat.  Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered 1 hour.                                         
• Stir in the lentils and simmer, partially covered, 45 minutes or until the lentils are tender.  Stir in the lemon juice and salt and cook 5 minutes longer.                                                                   

When having people over,  I like to set out little bowls of chocolate chips/almonds, and a big bowl of popcorn sprinkled with curry powder, or with dill weed, as the mood strikes.

Invented to get some protein into my son when he was little…he would eat no meat or drink no milk (but mine), and straight o.j. would make him break out.  Still one of our favorites, especially when it’s hot and muggy out.

Needs no introduction.  Yum, yum and yum.