Cranblue Pie

I'm not the only one who has come up with a recipe like this. But I'll happily take credit for it!

Cooking the pie filling beforehand, rather than just loading the pie up with raw berries tossed with sugar and cornstarch, means you don't have to worry about whether the filling will set up properly.

CRANBLUE PIE
2 cups sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
the juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
16 oz. fresh or frozen blueberries
a bit of lemon zest from the lemon
crust for a double-crust pie

In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and berries; cook over medium heat until mixture boils and cranberries begin to pop, stirring constantly. Reduce heat; simmer until mixture is very thick, then allow pie filling to cool for 15 minutes. Add zest and stir to combine.

While pie filling cools, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Fit the bottom crust into a 9" pie plate. When the oven is ready, pour pie filling into crust, top with second crust, flute edges and cut vents in top crust. If you wish, you may give the crust an egg wash at this point, but I usually skip it. Delays after filling the pie are likely to produce a soggy bottom crust (and no one likes a soggy bottom, amirite?), so get that pie on a cookie sheet and into the oven ASAP. Bake 25-35 minutes or until golden brown. (If it looks like the edges of your pie crust are getting too brown, cover them with strips of foil during the last few minutes of baking.)

Cool pie for several hours before serving. Dish up with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and scarf gluttonously.

Serves 8 or fewer, depending on levels of gluttony.

Source: Soozcat (and others)

Curtis' Gringo Chicken Enchiladas

Why are they "gringo" chicken enchiladas, you ask? Honestly, Curtis never came across any enchiladas that looked like this when he was living in Mexico. Their origins definitely lie north of the Rio Grande.

That said, they are pretty darn tasty.

CURTIS' GRINGO CHICKEN ENCHILADAS
12 flour tortillas

Filling:
2 cups chicken
2 cups cheese
½ cup chopped onion
1 10 oz. can enchilada sauce*

Sauce:
2 10 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
1 4 oz. can diced green chilies
1 cup cheese
½ cup sour cream or yogurt
¼ t. salt

Dice up the chicken (turkey breasts are sometimes cheaper and just as good) and onion. Cook chicken; toss onion in at the last 5 minutes. Add the cheese to the chicken/onion mixture. If you let the chicken cool 10 minutes or so, the cheese won't melt as much, but it's up to you.

Get out a 9x13" pan (I like glass best). Put a little enchilada sauce in the bottom and swirl it around to keep the tortillas from sticking to the pan.

If you are blessed with a gas stove, cook the tortillas over a flame for 10 to 15 seconds each side. This will add to the taste, trust me. Then put 1-2 spoonfuls of enchilada sauce on the tortilla and spread it around. Put a good dollop of the filling in it, roll it up and place it in the 9x13" pan.

When all the tortillas that will fit are filled and placed in, put the rest of the chicken mixture (if any) on top. Pour the sauce over the enchiladas, making sure it coats well. Sprinkle the remaining enchilada sauce and a handful of cheese over the top.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, uncovering for the last ten minutes. Serve and bask in the oohs and aahs from the crowd.

Serves about 8 gringos.

Source: the manly Curtis Houghton

*We usually use green enchilada sauce for chicken enchiladas, but you do you.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Yeah, we already have a tuna noodle casserole on the site. But we made this the other night and it was SUPER DELICIOUS, so we're passing it on.

CHICKEN NOODLE CASSEROLE
12 oz. egg noodles, cooked and drained
2 10 oz. cans chunk chicken breast, drained (or the same amount of rotisserie or boiled chicken meat)
2 10 oz. cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup milk (or use water)
1 bunch green onions, finely chopped (or use half an onion, diced fine and sautéed until soft)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1½ cups frozen peas and carrots
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
enough melted butter to moisten the breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9x13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine chicken, cream soup, mayonnaise, milk (or water), onions, cheese and frozen peas and carrots. Stir until combined, then gently stir in cooked noodles. Pour into baking dish. Combine breadcrumbs and butter and sprinkle over the top of the casserole.

Bake, uncovered, about 30-35 minutes or until edges are bubbly and top is golden brown. The cheese and mayo will sort of disappear into the cream of whatsit sauce, creating savory casserole goodness. You can also substitute other frozen green veggies for the peas and carrots if you prefer them, or if you don't happen to have peas and carrots in the freezer (we used a bag of frozen broccoli instead and it turned out fantastic).

Serves 6 happy people.

Source: shamelessly stolen and tweaked from the Internet.

Ärter med Fläsk (Pea Soup with Pork)

You may think you don't like pea soup. But if you've only ever had pea soup from a can, YOU HAVE NEVER HAD PEA SOUP. Make this once and you will never go back to the can.

In Sweden, Thursday is the traditional day to serve pea soup and pancakes. Or you could toss tradition out the window and make them any day you like.

ÄRTER MED FLÄSK
1 lb. (about 2 cups) dried yellow whole peas*
5 cups cold water
2 finely chopped medium onions
1 whole onion, peeled and studded with 2 or 3 cloves
1 lb. salt pork, most fat removed
1 t. leaf marjoram
½ t. thyme
salt (if needed) and pepper

Pick over dried peas, removing any foreign material, then wash in cold running water and place in a 2- to 3-quart pot. Cover with 5 cups cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil briskly for 2-3 minutes, then turn off heat and let peas soak for an hour.

Skim off any pea husks that have risen to the surface. Cut the salt pork in pieces and add it, the whole onion, finely chopped onions, marjoram and thyme to the pot. Bring back to a boil, then immediately lower the heat and simmer with pot partially covered for 1¼ hours or until peas are very tender. Remove the whole onion. Be sure to taste before adding salt -- it may not need any. Serve with fresh ground pepper. You may also remove the salt pork and serve it separately with a bit of spicy brown mustard if you like.

* You can substitute yellow split peas, but skip the soaking process and use only 4 cups cold water.

Pickled Herring

I know you're all keen to find out how to make pickled herring from scratch. (And if you're not, I don't want to hear about it.) This is the recipe straight from Grandpa Eriksson. He didn't bother to give much information by way of proportions, but if you've ever looked over a jar of pickled herring, I'm pretty sure you can figure things out.

PICKLED HERRING
salt herring fillets
water
white vinegar
sugar
carrots
red onions
fresh root ginger
whole allspice
whole mustard seed

Soak salt herring in cold water 6 hours or overnight, changing the water every two hours. Drain herring, pat dry with paper towels and cut into neat bite-sized chunks.

Make a brine of about 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar (for a small batch: 1 quart water, ½ pint vinegar). Saturate brine with sugar (it should taste sweet). Bring brine to a boil, then allow it to cool completely. Get out a large, clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid. Cut carrots and onions into thin rounds. Slice ginger very thin and place a thin round at the bottom of the glass jar. Layer in herring chunks, allspice berries, carrots, onions and mustard seed; repeat until jar is full. Add brine to jar, completely covering herring, and pack down to make sure no air bubbles remain. Tighten lid and let herring pickle in the refrigerator for at least five days before eating.

When not scarfing down nommy silver fish, store in the fridge.

Contributor: Karl Eriksson