SIMON'S DREAM PROJECT

 Z-GATTS' CYCLING ODYSSEY

EXPERIENCE HUMANITY

NAME THE COFFEESHOP

 STRANDED ON A DESERT ISLAND

TYING THE KNOT!

TRANSCENDING MATERIALISM

THE SUMMER FILM FESTIVAL

THE LADYTRAP MANIFESTO

VOYAGE OF THE SUPERNOVA

PEOPLE

TRAVEL

RECIPES

COMMENTARY

PHOTOGRAPHY

THE ORIGINAL LADYTRAP

THE ANIMATION PROJECT?

RECIPE LOG

This page will serve more as a reference for myself than for anyone else.  Until now, all my favorite recipes have resided on a collection of stained envelopes, torn fragments of paper, backs of photos, and in one case a cracked CD.  My decentralized system kept the recipes scattered throughout several locations at work, at home and in various nooks of either of two cars, so that a singular attack could not eliminate them all.  Indeed, some key recipes have been safe from even my own grubby fingers.  I got this idea from our Cold War government's idea of keeping nuclear weapons continuously circulating about a nationwide network of train tracks.  This was coordinated by a decentralised computer system with exactly the same intent, that is, to keep those precious warheads away from my grubby little fingers.

The Cold War being over and replaced by something much colder and far more frightening, it is time to round up those scattered recipes into one resilient, unilateral, united-we-stand nexus:  The Ladytrap.

NOTE TO SELF:  Try to track down:

Simon's chocolate chip cookies

Simon's metric chocolate chip cookies (found this necessary in europe where everything is doled out by weight.  the late night in Ljubljana with a calulator, an old eastern-bloc chemistry book, and some density conversions seriously hindered my progress.  by the way, they don't sell chocolate chips or marshmallows in eastern europe so you must improvise.)

elisa's salad

arawak BBQ sauce

mojitos

white mexicans

stuffed zuchinni

risotto al funghi

canoles (with the heavy-duty canole tubes I made in teh machine shop)

thai lemongrass soup

pico de gallo

salad rolls

thai iced tea

simon's salsa

clam chowder

Pad Thai

I have tried several Pad Thai recipes and this one has worked the best for me.  I found it on the internet at thai-foods.org.  It is simple and easy, and is a healthy crowd-pleaser.

Ingredients:

------------

• 1 pkg (16-oz) chantaboon rice sticks, medium thread - you can get these in the noodle aisle at 99 Ranch in San Diego, adjacent to the produce section.  They come vacuum-packed and are in the fridge.

• 1 Tbsp vegetable oil

• 6 eggs, beaten (omit for vegan recipe)

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

• 8 garlic gloves, minced

• 1 lb pork, beef or chicken, sliced thin, bite sized, or shrimp, or firm tofu.

• 1/4 cup  white vinegar

• 1/4 cup  sugar

• 1  cup   sliced salted radish (chai Po)

• 1/4 cup  fish sauce (nam pla) - use soy sauce or tamari for vegan cooking. 

• 1 cup    coarse-ground roasted peanuts (if you can find where to buy these, let me know... I usually

• 2 Tbsp  chile powder or paprika

• 2 cups   bean sprouts

• 1 cup    sliced green onion

• 1 cup    sliced cilantro

• 1        lime

Instructions:

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Soak rice sticks in lukewarm water for 1 hour, drain and set aside.  Set wok over high heat, for 1 minute.  Heat wok with 1 tablespoon of oil until sizzling hot and coat sides of wok evenly.  Add eggs and fry, until eggs set, turn over and fry, until light brown on both sides. Remove from wok and slice thin, bite size.  Set aside.

Heat 1/4 cup of oil in wok until sizzling hot.  Add garlic and cook until fragrant.  add meat, stir and cook, until meat or tofu is done, about 1 to 2 minutes.  Add rice sticks and vinegar, cook until rice sticks soften.  Add eggs, and the next 5 ingredients, stir to blend.  Remove to serving plate.  Serve bean sprouts cold on the side.  Garnish with green onion and cilantro.

Serve with slices of fresh lime.  Squeeze lime on pad thai.

Serves 10 as a side dish.  Serves 6 as an only dish.

Grasshopper Pie

I credit this recipe to my own mother and while it seems fitting that she learned it in either Florida or Michigan, my imagination leans toward the former... I could imagine this being served next to Ambrosia Salad at the neighborhood picnic.

Grasshopper Pie was one of the things that made me really happy to be a kid.  I'm still trying to figure out if it is one of the reasons I am really happy to be an adult, but I HAVE made it twice in three months already!  I usually whip this up when I get Oreo crusts on the brain or a craving for the mint-and-chocolate combination I love so much.

You need not bake the Grasshopper Pie, so it is a snap:

CRUST:

    Roll 21 Oreo cookies into crumbs (save a handful for sprinkling on the pie later)

    Mix with 3 Tbsp melted butter

    Pat into a pie pan and chill to set the butter

FILLING:

    Melt 26 marshmallows in 3/4 cups of milk in a double boiler and let it cool a bit.

    If you don't know how to homemake a double boiler, call me.

    Add 1 ounce of creme de menthe and 1 ounce of creme de cacoa or Kahlua

    Add one cup of Dream Whip-style whipped cream.

Pour the filling into the crust, sprinkle the leftover crumbs on top, and and chill overnight (I usually freeze it since the last few times I've made it it has been runny).  You could also dribble some chocolate sauce on top...mmmm!

Caribbean Curry

I found this one on the internet (where I find plenty of recipes) and it was credited to "Laura" (k7rye@host.dmsc.net).

It played a great role in our Caribbean dinner night, and is delightfully vegan.  It features a personal favorite: fried bananas!

Ingredients:

¡JAMBALAYA!

Credit here goes to the Merzenich family for (in my opinion) the finest, tastiest, and most unique Christmas culinary tradition in San Francisco.

Jambalaya is a standard Cajun dish in Louisiana.  It typically a way for a large family to make leftover fish and such go a loooong way with rice and spices.  And if you gathered all the jambalaya recipes in the world, that is about all they will have in common.  As long as you are cooking something in rice and adding spices, you can probably get away with calling it jambalaya. 

This particular recipe takes some time and patience but it is so worth the experience that you will cook it over and over.  Throw a dinner party for 10 (don't forget the cornbread!) or eat leftovers for a week.  As with other rice dishes, it tastes even better the next day...

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) butter

1 Ib. Andouille sausage (or other spicy smoked sausage)

1/2 Ib. ham, diced

4 Tablespoons flour

3 medium white onions, chopped finely

6 scallions, chopped

1 small green pepper, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1  can tomatoes (16 oz.), drained and chopped, juice reserved

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon (or more) cayenne

hot pepper flakes to taste

2 cans beef broth (16 oz.)

2 lbs. peeled raw shrimp

1/2 lb. (or more) cooked chicken, diced

2 cups raw rice

salt and pepper to taste

ethod:

Melt the butter. Cook sausage and ham until lightly browned. Stir in flour.

Add onion, scallions, green pepper, and garlic. Cook until the vegetables are soft.

Stir in chopped tomatoes and their juice. Stir. Add spices and stir.

Add beef broth and stir. Add raw shrimp and chicken and stir in raw rice.

Season with salt (approx. 1/2 T) and pepper.

Bring to a boil. Put heat on low and cover the pot, and cook until done, about a half hour or hour. The race will absorb most of the moisture.

The jambalaya should be damp but not soupy. Serves 8-10.

arawak bbq sauce

Authentic Arawak Bar-B-Q Sauce

mojito1

PAD THAI

recipes/PAD THAI.txt

recipes/risotto_al_funghi.doc

rusks

Tofu and Cheese Stuffed Shells

Suzanne's Meringue Cookies

4 egg whites

1 1/2 cup sugar

2 cups chocolate chips

beat the egg whites

fold in the sugar

add the chocolate chips

bake on aluminum foil or brown paper bags at 275 for 35 minutes