Always Coming, Never Here

You may have heard of Boston Baked Beans... but are you ready for Brooklyn Baked Beans??

1 bottle Brooklyn Brewery brown ale
3/4 cup brown sugar
3T honey
3/4 cup maple syrup
2T Sriracha chili sauce (or to taste)
1/4 cup yellow mustard
2 small to medium onions
1 can navy beans
1 can small white beans
2T chopped Garlic
2T butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Sautee garlic and butter, and cook onions until sweated.

Add remaining ingredients.

Bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Transfer to a 2-quart casserole dish, bake 45 minutes to 1 hour or until beans are thick enough.

(Yes these are cooking in my oven right now!!)

1/3 cup soy milk
2/3 cup rice milk
3 servings egg replacer
2 tablespoons honey, warmed in microwave for 20 seconds
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 (1/2-inch) slices day-old or stale country loaf, brioche
4 tablespoons margarine

In medium size mixing bowl, whisk together the soy, egg mix, honey, and salt. You may do this the night before. When ready to cook, pour custard-like mixture into a pie pan and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Dip bread into mixture, allow to soak for 30 seconds on each side, and then remove to a cooling rack that is sitting in a sheet pan, and allow to sit for 1 to 2 minutes.

Over medium-low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a 10-inch nonstick saute pan. Place 2 slices of bread at a time into the pan and cook until golden brown, approximately 2 to 3 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on rack in oven for 5 minutes. Repeat with all 8 slices. Serve immediately with maple syrup, whipped cream or fruit.

1 1/4 lb shredded carrots
1 peeled shredded fuji apple
1 c cranberries
1/2 c apple juice
1 T honey
2 T butter

Preheat oven to 400

Butter 9" dish

Toss ingredients and smooth into dish

Spread butter on top

Bake 40 min.

1 lb thinly sliced carrots
1/4 c olive oil
2 T sherry vinegar
2 cloves minced garlic
1 T lemon juice
1 T minced shallot
1 T chopped parsely
1 t dijon mustard
1 t sugar
pepper

Boil carrots in salted water

Whisk all other ingredients in olive oil

Add carrots and toss

Refrigerate for 4 hours, serve chilled

2/3 lb red chiles 5"
1/4 c water
1 t salt
1/3 c olive oil

Puree chiles with water and salt.

Heat olive oil, cook puree low for 25 min.

1 pound frozen cranberries
2 cups orange juice
3 cups ginger ale
2 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 orange, zested

Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive saucepan, (stainless steel) and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 45 minutes or until liquid is reduced by half.

Carefully puree with stick blender or blender until smooth.

I was inspired by an episode of $40 a day where Rachael Ray goes to Florence, Italy - there was a restaurant there that made a "bread soup" dish. Very earthy, hearty, peasant food.

I had half a loaf of stale oatmeal bread, and I had sauteed some peas and onions, so I figured "what the hell" and made an experiment. It turned out pretty good, and I made a lot of it!

3 c vegetable broth
1 can tomato sauce
2 cups sauteed peas and onions
1 can cream style corn
2 cups parmesean cheese
salt and pepper to season; extra pepper to taste for authentic peasant flavor
half loaf stale oatmeal bread
2 cups water

Break up the oatmeal bread into chunks, combine all ingredients in a dutch oven and simmer on low. You'll get a very thick, hearty stew.

Yesterday I made stuffed vegan cabbage (aka "glumpkies"), fried tofu, cole slaw, and pasta with garlicky collard greens.

The stuffed cabbage came out great - I probably could have made the cabbage a little more tender, but there was a great cabbage-y flavor to them. The cole slaw has an oriental flavor, and there's a nice fresh jalepeno in there that gives it just a little tiny bit. I made my own teriyaki to fry the tofu in... and the pasta came out SO tasty.

Mmm. :) :)

( recipes recipes )

I've been making bread in my bread machine instead of buying it... I love the smell of fresh bread. Today I am also using my crock pot for the first time, and I'm making a soup with a bunch of greens in it.

( Many Greens Soup )

I love it. I love cooking. I love keeping house.

Anybody out there looking for a housewife...?

Soy nuggets and special sauce! It's a zesty 1,000 island kind of thing.


2 T canola mayo (almost vegan, sorry)
1 T zingers relish
1 T ketchup
1 t horseradish
2 t Baco*s