cliché recipes

Some of my personal favorites.

Wayne's Squash and Rice Enchilida Casserole...thingy

2 small zucchini, about 1.5" diameter

2 Small yellow squash

1/2 white onion

2 cloves garlic

chile powder

paprika

red pepper flakes or ground cayenne

salt & pepper

olive oil

1 can each, red and green enchilada sauce

1 can diced green chiles

3/4 cup of your favorite rice raw, or about 2 cups cooked.

seasoned chicken stock

1 dozen tortillas.

Before you start prepping the veggies, start your rice by folliwng the package directions. Substitute the amount of water called for on your package with the seasoned chicken stock. Each rice varies a bit.

Wash the veggies then cut each into quarters lenthgwise, then chop into 1/4 slices. Or so. Finely chop your onion and mince the garlic.

Heat up enough olive oil to sauté the veggies, and get them jumping. Season with salt, pepper, chile powder, paprika and either crushed red peppers or ground cayenne, depending on your taste.

If you've timed it right, your rice should just be done when the veggies finish. remember, you don't want the squash soggy, you're going to bake it for 30 minutes. Combine the two and add the chiles.

Get out your casserole dish, 13X9X2 works fine, pour in enough red sauce to cover the bottom, and butter the sides. Cut 6 of the tortillas in half. Place the cut sides along the edges of the dish, two halves for the long edges, 1 half for the short. Use 3 whole tortillas to finish covering the bottom of the dish. Or you could skip all this tedium and just throw some tortillas in there so they are covering the bottom and of uniform thickness. Spread all the rice mix evenly on this first layer. Pour on a bit more red sauce, and some green sauce too. Cover the mix with tortillas in the same manner as you did the bottom of the dish, then pour on the remaining sauces. Cover with foil, and bake for about 30 minutes on 350F, or until nice and toasty. Oh yeah, if you want cheese in there somewhere, just put how much you want, where you want it. Aimee can't eat dairy, so there is a lot of lactose-free cooking going on around these here parts.

Jamaican Jolt

Adapted from The Barbecue Bible by Steven Raichlen

2/3 C dark brown sugar

1/2 C coarse salt (optional)

1/4 C freeze-dried chives

2T each: garlic powder, onion powder, fresh-ground black pepper

1T dried thyme

2t each: ground allspice, dried ginger, ground corriander

1 to 4t dried ground Scotch bonnet or habanero powder

1t ground cinnamon

1/2t each: ground cloves, ground nutmeg

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and use a wisk to mix well. Store in airtight containers up to 3 months, but it won't last that long!

(for the Paul J variation, use 3t habanero dried and ground, and omit salt).

Soft Chocolate Chip Cookies by Sharon Gifford.

Oven 350F

3/4C shortening, Not margarine

1 1/4C packed brown sugar

1 egg

2T milk (optional)

1 scant T vanilla (Use the real stuff, not imitation for Pete's sake)

1 3/4C sifted flour

3/4t baking soda

1t salt

6oz chocolate chips (You really should double it to one 12 oz bag)

1C chopped nuts, your choice.

Standard cookies: Cream the shortening, sugar, vanilla then add egg. Sift flour, salt and soda together, then add nuts and chips. Mix wet and dry. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Allow to rest for 5 minutes on sheet before trying to remove. (they weren't kidding about that part, btw)