Deanna's Daughter

Brock and I were having a ‘discussion’ of sorts and whatever it was that I said (and he disagreed with), caused him to reply to me with, ‘Where are you from?!’.  Waverly perked up at this question and suggested, ‘Costco?!’.

After going through a big pile of recipes, I ended up with about 4 different versions of this.  I decided to put it together this way, and I’ll definitely be making it again.

Roasted Garlic and White Bean Spread

2 heads of garlic, roasted

1, 19 oz/540 mL can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed

3 T. olive oil

2 T. red wine vinegar

1/2 t. salt

1 T. fresh rosemary

To roast the garlic, cut a thin slice off the top of the head so that just the tips of all of the cloves have been removed.  Set the garlic on a sheet of foil and carefully drizzle a couple of teaspoons of olive oil into the opened head of garlic.  Wrap the garlic in the foil and roast at 350 for 45 minutes to an hour.  This can be done up to a few days ahead and once the garlic has cooled a bit, each clove will be soft enough to easily squeeze out.

Place all of the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well-blended.  Serve with crackers, as a spread on a baguette or a vegetable dip.  Yum.

We were lucky to be invited to Cindy’s last dinner party and EVERYTHING she made I now have the recipes for and will most definitely make myself, as soon as it’s fitting.  This bean salad was first, it’s a huge recipe and will easily feed 8 or so  – we had it with Marinated Flank Steak and a couple of loaves of fresh bread.

Cindy’s Brilliant Bean Salad

3 cans (19 oz/540 mL) black beans, rinsed and well drained

2 cans (12 oz/341 mL) kernel corn, well drained

2 large, ripe mangoes – peeled and chopped – or, 2 cans (15 oz/400 mL), well drained and chopped

3 good-sized avocados, peeled and chopped

2 large tomatoes, chopped

1 large white onion, chopped, rinsed with hot water and well drained

1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped – about 2 cups

1 – 2 T. mayonnaise

juice from 5 or 6 fresh limes

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large (preferably clear, bowl) and serve.  I mixed mine up a couple of hours ahead to get it nice and chilled, but room temperature is just fine.  Everyone you serve it to will want the recipe!

Flashback #10 – The winter the girls were 21/2 was the first winter that talk of Santa Claus was understood and they were especially interested in the why and where of how it was all supposed to work.  ‘Let’s go girls, we have some errands to do!’, I said one December afternoon.  Waverly thought carefully for a minute and then asked, ‘Can we stop at the North Pole?’.  She’s still very curious…

Another borrowed recipe from Dinner with Julie…

Moroccan Carrot, Squash and Chickpea Stew

1 onion, chopped

2-6 cloves of garlic, finely minced

1 T. grated fresh ginger

2 t. paprika

1/2 t. each, salt and freshly ground pepper

1/2 t. each, ground cumin and turmeric

1/4 t. dried chili flakes

1, 28 oz/796 mL can diced tomatoes, undrained

2 T. lemon juice

2 c. peeled and cubed butternut squash (1 small squash)

3-4 carrots, cleaned and cut into similar sized, bite-size pieces

1, 19 oz/540 mL can chick peas, drained and rinsed

In a large skillet or saucepan, saute the onion in a bit of oil for about 5 minutes, and then add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute or so.  Add the 6 spices and stir well to combine.

Add the tomatoes and then 1/2 (tomato) can of water, the lemon juice, squash, carrots and chickpeas.  Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for about 30 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Check for seasonings – at this point you can cool it completely and refrigerate for a day or 2 – Julie also recommends adding about 1/3 cup of golden raisins but I didn’t have any.  Either way, serve hot over couscous, rice or quinoa with a spoonful of plain yogurt over top.  It’s also suggested to garnish with fresh cilantro or toasted almonds.