Volume 9, Issue 79 - October 20, 2005

Hello Recipe Club,

Two of the recipes today come from Forum members from Canada and the other one is from Minnesota which can feel like Canada some days! I have had DaCook's Broccoli Salad and it was very tasty and like Chef Jean says can be tweaked in many directions. That is the best thing about finding a good recipe. Once you have tried it several times you can make a change here or there and and make it your own. Finding good recipes is not always easy, in fact it can be down right hard sometimes. If only there were a book containing over 125 great easy "Keeper" recipes...wait a minute! There is such a thing.

Thursday's offerings are side dishes to be enjoyed with the earlier entrees or those of your choice, from "DaCook", "Airborn", and "Lorraine."

Broccoli Salad

Source: "DaCook" - Chef2Chef forum member and Ambassador, Marlene from the Yukon.

A number of C2C members love this salad and have added their own twists to Marlene's salad - Gil (Gilbear) adds grated cheddar and Jean (cjs) adds a few toasted pine nuts.

Ingredients:

2 to 3 bunches broccoli, cut in bite-size pieces
4 strips bacon, cooked, cooled and crumbled
1/2 medium red onion, cut in rings
1/2 cup golden raisins, softened in boiling water, then drained

Dressing:

1 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons cider vinegar

Preparation:

Mix dressing ingredients together and toss with the salad ingredients. Refrigerate for couple hours for the flavors to blend and the sugar to dissolve.

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Mashed Potatoes with Celeriac

Source: "Airborn" - Chef2Chef forum member, Daria from Minnesota

Boil potatoes and celeriac root (peeled and cut).
When they are soft, strain the liquid and reserve some.
Mash potatoes and celeriac with some of the reserved liquid and some butter.
Add salt, ground black pepper and nutmeg to taste.
You can also add sour cream when you mash the potatoes and celeriac. Serve with chopped herbs.

Rice and Mushroom Bake

Source: "Lorraine" - Chef2Chef forum member and Ambassador, Lorraine from Toronto.

"When we made this, we usually tripled it. It keeps in the fridge great and is easy to heat, if someone comes in hungry. The kids especially, for some reason, seemed to really like it - almost like comfort food."

Ingredients:

1 can sliced mushrooms, with juice
2 cups uncooked rice
3 cups water
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 package onion soup mix
chopped celery, onions, carrots, any veggies and quantities you want to add.

Preparations:

Mix all together. Bake at 350 degrees F, (covered for at least the first 1/2 hour) for 1 hour.