131) The third and final installment of Special Recipes just for woodnymph.

This is an old Danish recipe from the 1870s. Originally the recipe called for smoked fat instead of bacon, and vinegar instead of Worcestershire sauce. So you purists out there can recreate it as it was originally.

Bryggerens Pilsnergryde (Brewmaster's Beer Stew)

• 10 oz. smoked bacon, either American or Canadian style, or smoked ham
• 1 pound potatoes, boiled, cooled, and sliced
• 1/2 Tablespoon butter (just a bit)
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• A dash of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 cup non-sweet beer
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 to 10 juniper berries
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Chopped parsley as a garnish (optional)

Dice the bacon. Melt the butter in a saucepan, then add sugar. Add the diced bacon and let it caramelize with the sugar and butter.

Editorial Note: A lot of the flavor comes from these ingredients, so don't cut back on them in a misguided effort to reduce the fat and caloric content. Just eat a smaller portion of it and work out! (Then again, Leukothea is not a doctor, so what does she know?!?)

Back to the recipe. Add the potatoes, beer, and Worcestershire sauce to the pan, plus a bit of water; stir lightly. Add the 2 bay leaves, the juniper berries, and salt and pepper. Simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Adjust spices if necessary. Sprinkle with parsley. Serves 2.

Best with more beer and some fresh bread, especially on a chilly winter's night.

129) The first recipe, as promised, requested yesterday by woodnymph...

No one else wants any?

Well, I guess people make their own recipe collections according to what they learned when they grew up. It's a personal thing.

Here we go... Take notes...

Russian Tea Mix is the easiest, since it's just for a mix. This recipe yields a HUGE amount of Russian Tea mix. Maybe more than you want. I have an entire peanut butter tub filled with the stuff, and no one else I know likes it. Maybe cut the recipe in quarters so you can see if you like it without being laden with tons and tons of Russian Tea mix.

On the other hand, if you package it in decorative tins with little scoops, it could make a great Christmas present. If you knew the person liked Russian tea.

For those who have never tried it: "Russian Tea" basically means hot Tang with spices. It's great when you have a cold.

Without further ado:

Russian Tea Mix

• 1 32-oz. jar instant tea with lemon and sugar flavoring
• 1 40.5-oz. jar orange TANG
• 2 teaspoons ground cloves
• 3 and 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg

Mix together. This is the hardest part. I didn't have a bowl big enough to accomodate all of the different powders I had to mix together. I ended up filling my Cuisinart with the powders and "blending" them together, then putting it all in an empty peanut butter tub and rolling it around until they were mixed. Whew.

To reconstitute, put a scoop of powder in a mug and fill with hot water.

My mom got this recipe from her friend Jean Graham in the mid-1980s. I have no idea if the term "Russian Tea" even existed before the invention of TANG. It would be interesting to find out if this recipe is just an American bastardization of the actual, authentic Russian recipe, or if this is really the actual authentic recipe, and is just called "Russian" for some unknown reason.

123) Just didn't want to fly a kite, that's all. We went canoeing in the morning, and I was so exhausted from that, I didn't feel like romping about getting even sweatier, flying a kite in the afternoon. That's all...

It's been awhile since we had a recipe around here. Here's a nice light summer one.

Carrot and Ginger Salad

• 1 lb. carrots, grated
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green pieces)
• A one-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated
• 5 Tablespoons sesame oil or extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of one lime
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a serving bowl. Toss. Serve chilled or at room temperature. The flavor is more developed if you let it marinate for a few hours and then serve it at room temperature. But don't keep it: after 24 hours it gets soggy and gross.

100) My 100th post on Xanga! The century mark. Well, a century of blogs, anyway.

It's been awhile since we had a recipe here. Here's one that I just tried last week. Limoncello and I devoured the entire thing, with tea, and it was another of those "Food Magazine" moments. Plus it was yummy!

Fennel, Orange and Olive Salad

• One large fennel (anise) bulb
• One large navel orange, very ripe, peeled and cut into thin slices
• Around 15 black Kalamata olives, no pits (or substitute another strong-tasting black brined olive)
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Salt, freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup shredded Gruyere or Swiss cheese (optional)

Trim the top and root end of the fennel bulb and cut the bulb into very thin slices. Add to serving bowl. To bowl add the thinly sliced orange rounds (plus as much of the juice as you can), and the olives, then the other ingredients; toss. Garnish with cheese if desired.

(I got this recipe from my World Wide Recipes e-zine back in December of 1999. I made a few small changes but it's the same recipe. If you would like 5 e-mails a week of great recipes, you might want to sign up for their free service. Check them out here.)

73) Today I joined two "Blogrings" (Food, Roleplaying and started a third (for graduates of my college!). Although I think the word "blog" is ugly, it seems to be the accepted usage so I will have to put up with it.

My previous entry covers the roleplaying theme fairly well, and I may be the only graduate of my college actively on Xanga. (Surely not?!?)

But we haven't had any food entries for awhile. So, here's a little something. Woodnymph asked about this ages ago and I never typed it it. But better late than never. I make this all the time; My boyfriend loves it.

Green Rice

• One cup raw long-grain rice
• One cup fresh cilantro (half a bunch)
• One medium tomato
• One medium onion
• 2 to 4 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
• Salt to taste

In a blender, combine all ingredients except rice, process until mostly smooth. Add enough water to make 2 and 1/2 cups, if necessary. (If in doubt, add a bit more.)

Heat some more oil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium to high heat. Fry the raw rice, stirring constantly to prevent burning. When the rice has mostly changed color to creamy white, add the green liquid. Bring to a boil.

Cover, lower the heat to "low" and let simmer 20 minutes, peeking as little as possible. If it gets too dry towards the end, add more liquid. Makes 5-6 servings.

28) OK. Too many processed foods recently? Want something cool, fruity and summery? This was a big hit at the end-of-the-year choir potluck today. I call it:

Strawberry-Melon Stuff

• One pound ripe strawberries (roughly 10 to 15, depending on size)
• One half ripe cantaloupe (eat the other half for breakfast!)
• Optional: Fresh lemon juice, ground ginger, cinnamon, honey (Note: I usually leave out all seasonings, since to me the best part of this is the natural sweetness of the fruit.)

In a Cuisinart, puree the strawberries. (If you like, save two or three on the side.) De-seed and peel the half cantaloupe, cut into chunks about an inch square. Put the cantaloupe chunks in the strawberry puree in a nice bowl with a lid. (Non-metal is best.) If desired, slice the strawberries left over and toss them in too. Mix it all up. Let the fruit mixture marinate for a couple hours so the flavors can blend. Serve.

There, wasn't that easy?

16) Here's the recipe for my mom's poppyseed-yogurt bread. It's a yeasty, non-sweet, soft bread that is best fresh out of the oven with lots of butter. It's one of my favorite comfort foods.

I made it this morning, because I needed a bit of comforting after this last week-- I stayed up all night Thursday writing two papers for Friday, and now-- with my ever-present hyper-self-criticism, I am utterly convinced that the papers blow chunks. When will I learn that I always get this way just after I hand in a paper? And just after handing in two papers-- no wonder the self-criticism is so intense!

But anyway, the recipe. It's really quite good.

My Mom's Poppyseed Yogurt Bread

• 1/4 c. warm water (105-115 degrees F, use a food thermometer if you have one)
• 1 packet yeast (about 1 tablespoon)
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1 tablespoon blue poppy seeds
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons margarine or butter, room temperature
• 1 egg
• 1 8-oz carton plain yogurt
• 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 c. flour

In a mixing bowl, proof the yeast in the water for a few minutes. Add the remaining ingredients except the flour, mix.

Add one cup of flour at a time, stirring after each. Use as much flour as is needed to form a stiff batter. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled (about 1 hour). Stir down.

Spoon (or just sling with your hands) into a greased pan (I usually use a round casserole, but today I used a Pyrex bread loaf pan). Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise again for about 40 minutes.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 35-40 minutes, or until loaf is browned on top and sounds hollow when tapped, and passes the toothpick test. Remove from oven, cool 20 minutes before slicing (if you can resist that long!).

(Note: I ran out of yogurt once and used sour cream, and while the final product lacked the yogurty tang I was used to, it browned a lot more and was quite good on its own terms.)