I've wondered what the subdivisions that are sprouting up on the farmland down the street will look like in the future. Will they take on personality? Or will they remain (not so) little boxes made of ticky tacky that all look just the same?

Roasted Carrot Soup 16 Carrots, peeled, cut into chunks (about 1 1/2 inch) 1 Yellow Onion, quartered 1 Sweet Potato, cut into chunks (about 1 1/2 inch) 6 Cloves Garlic, whole 5 Cups Stock 1/4 tsp Ground Ginger 1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg 2 Tbsp Olive Oil Coarse Salt to taste Freshly Ground Black Pepper Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Arrange the carrots, onions, sweet potato and garlic in a baking tray. Mix in the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast the carrot mixture for 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from the oven. Peel the skin from the garlic. (I just peeled it before roasting.) Put into a large saucepan. Add the stock, ground ginger, and nutmeg. Bring it to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool slightly, and then puree. Simmer over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

This week Dagny requested my mom’s chicken casserole. Jon’s usually in charge of making this one. He makes two batches, one following the recipe and one changed a bit for the tastes of the vegetarian-no-canned-mushrooms crowd. With chicken or without, I still call it chicken casserole. Old habits die hard.

GrammaDonna’s (no)Chicken Casserole:

5 lbs chicken breast

1 lb longhorn (sharp cheddar) cheese

1 box pasta shells

1 lb box frozen sweet baby peas

2 small jars pimento

2 small cans mushrooms

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons flour

2 cups stock (Mom used chicken, we use vegetable)

breadcrumbs

Boil the shells and the chicken in separate pots. Add the cheese to the shells while they are hot. Add the other ingredients, then put the mixture into an oven safe dish. Cover with melted butter and breadcrumbs.

Bake @ 350 until golden and bubbly (about 45 minutes).

We usually eat it all up pretty quickly, but it does freeze well.

A new recipe from Amy:

Honey Baked Lentils

1 cup red lentils
2 cups water
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp honey
1/2 tsp ginger
1 clove garlic (I doubled, as always)
1 small onion

Bake in a covered dish at 350 until tender. (1:15-1:30) You could also substitute barley or rice for some of the lentils, and add whatever winter vegetables you have.

Current 'Make' list:

Brown Sugar Muffins
Challah
No Knead Bread
No Knead Caramel Rolls (In the oven right now. You awake Dagny?)
English Muffin Bread
Wheat Bread
French Bread
Cookies
Peanut Butter Bars
Chocolate Stuff
Fudge
Waffles
Pancakes
French Toast
Crepes
Granola
Rice Pudding
Cider Jelly
Honey Baked Lentils
Roasted Carrot Soup
Creamy Tomato Balsamic Soup
Sushi
Lasagna Rollups
Pizza
Chicken/No Chicken Casserole
Six Cheese Gnocchi with Spinach
SOB Lasagna
Peach Salsa
Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I had a couple requests for the recipe for the bean stew I made on vacation. The original recipe came from Lisa Heyman, and I did alter it a bit. If anyone wants the original recipe, let me know.

Bean Stew

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 whole heads of garlic, peeled and minced
2 red bell peppers, diced
2 jalapenos, seeds removed unless you like it extra spicy, minced
4 Tbsp soy sauce
4 Tbsp lemon juice
6 Tbsp honey
2 tsp chili powder
3 Tbsp cumin
Cayenne to taste
Cilantro, chopped pretty small (I do about two hands full, chopped.)
4 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 big can crushed tomatoes
1/2 small can tomato paste

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in a big pot.
Add peppers and spices.
Add remaining ingredients.
Simmer 20 minutes.
Serve with rice.

'Joy of Homecoming on the Horizon', by Dagny and Andrew.

(Ok, named by me. Art's open to interpretation, right?)

Jon’ll have to remind me where he got this recipe. I think it was Mindy’s family? It makes 4 loaves, which is a bit too much to fit in our mixer, so Jon cuts it in half. It’s great for sandwiches, but my favorite way to eat it is toasted and shmeared with peach honey butter.

Foolproof Wheat Bread

2 TBS yeast

½ cup warm water

5 cups hot water

1 TBS salt

2/3 cup oil

2/3 cup honey or molasses

12 cups whole wheat flour

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Combine hot water and 7 cups of flour and blend in mixer with dough hook.

Add salt, oil, and honey, and continue to mix. (Rue note: Measure the oil first and the honey will slide right out.)

Add 1 cup flour and yeast mixture.

Mix thoroughly, then add 3-4 more cups flour and mix until dough cleans the sides of the mixer.

Knead (mix) at least 10 minutes.

Transfer dough into a large greased bowl, spin to coat with oil, cover with towel, and let rise 45 minutes.

Oil hand, punch down, and shape into 4 loaves.

Place in well-oiled bread pans.

Cover with cloth and let rise again, 35-45 minutes.

Bake at 350 40-45 minutes.