chowhound: I ate a lovely unusual salad the other day--garbonzo beans,red beans and sliced black olives in a spicy mayonaise dressing--was delicious-and unusual. Try it.. Even though Mesa Grill has seen better days food wise, I still love Sophie's Salad...although it does contain cheese. It's a delicious chopped salad with chick peas and red beans, shredded romaine, diced tomatoes, a dice of monterey jack and cheddar...and I forget what else. Nice kicky balsamic vinaigrette that has a few hard to decipher secrets. I just recreated (or tried to) the salad for a bachelorette party potluck dinner, and it got rave reviews. -- Olive oil fried tortilla, hummus -- Scrambled eggs, fried eggs, poached eggs, grits, oatmeal, sausages (goetta and Appalachian), bacon, ham, biscuits, marmalade, honey, butter, lemon curd, preserves (various), bread and olive oil, scones with clotted cream, tea, coffee, orange juice, water Dec 21, 2006 Andiereid replied Coffee, coffee, coffee, Sour cream coffee cake, bacon, scrambled eggs with goat cheese and proscuitto and OJ for my pootie pie and grapefruit juice for me. on Dec 21, 2006 alicat replied Dried cherry and white chocolate scones to eat during present opening at my parents' place. Juice, probably a decaf cappucino (I love my Dad and his machines). about 17 hours ago Tom Steele replied For about 15 years, I've made this super-rich and easy fruited oatmeal. This is my first Christmas with my new boyfriend--I hope he likes it! CHRISTMAS MORNING OATMEAL 2 cups organic rolled oats 2 cups milk 1 cup heavy cream 3-4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/4 cup dried cranberries (or cherries) 1/4 cup dried blueberries 1/4 cup raisins 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons good vanilla extract Put everything except the vanilla in a large saucepan. Over medium heat, bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Simmer 5-6 minutes, uncovered, stirring often. Stir in the vanilla, and serve with dark brown or maple sugar and milk or half-and-half. Another little pat of butter? Why not? Some people even put a small scoop of vanilla ice cream on their oatmeal! This makes 2 ample servings, but 1 serving could be refrigerated, covered tightly, and reheated in a microwave oven the following morning. -- carbonara w/ the squid? Make a pot of rice! Rice and poached eggs. Could one make grits, oatmeal, barley, etc in a rice cooker? --- It can be as simple as a great baguette, spread with butter, and topped with a few thinly sliced ham in the streets of Paris. Or something like the sandwich they sold in a shop at Central Calfornia that I've lifted the recipe: crusty bread topped with roughly smashed blackk olive tapenade, a few slices of salami, and slices of fresh mozzarella and basil. You've got the savory and the slightly sweet (mozzarella), and the soft and the chewy going all at once. --- 31 minutes ago soypower replied when we owned a sandwich shop, i think the thing that made our sandwiches taste better than everyone else's was the order of ingredients: from the bottom to the top: lower half of french bread cheese meat tomatoes lettuce oil & vinegar, salt & pepper onions pickles top half of bread, spread with mayo & mustard this order of ingredients allows the wet ingredients to mingle with the dry ingredients while ensuring that nothing too slippery is next to anything else that's too slippery. this of course is secondary to good quality ingredients...:o) --- http://www.route79.com/food/pakoras.htm --- Mexican Atole A warm almost porridge-like drink made thick with masa. The chocolate version is Champurrado, other versions are flavored with fruits or nuts. This version is sweetened with piloncillo (Mexican unrefined brown sugar), cinnamon (canela), and vanilla bean. Serves: 5 -6 I N G R E D I E N T S 1/2 cup fresh masa (corn dough) or 1/2 cup masa flour (masa harina) mixed with a 1/4 cup hot water to blend 5 cups water 3 - 4 tablespoons piloncillo, chopped or 1/4 cup brown sugar plus 2 teaspoons molasses 1 stick cinnamon (canella) 1 vanilla bean (split lengthwise) Optional, about 1 cup fresh strawberries or pineapple chunks I N S T R U C T I O N S Place the water and the masa into the jar of a blender and blend until smooth. Transfer to a medium sized saucepan. Scrape the seeds of the vanilla bean into the pan and add the cinnamon stick. Stir the mixture until it begins to thicken. Add the piloncillo or (or sugar, molasses combination) and continue to stir vigorously until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the mixture from the heat. At this point you could add pureed fruit such as strawberries or pineapple. Remove the cinnamon stick. Stir the fruit into the mixture and return it to the stove and heat over medium heat until the mixture is warmed. Remove the vanilla bean and serve hot, in mugs.. http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/atole.htm -- Autumn Tea This blend features flavors we associate with fall---apple, cranberry and pumpkin pie spice. DIRECTIONS Place the tea bags in a large heat-proof bowl; add boiling water. Cover and steep for 8 minutes. Discard tea bags. Add the remaining ingredients to tea; stir until sugar is dissolved. Serve warm or over ice. http://www.catholicculture.org/lit/recipes/view.cfm?id=1594 --- Glogg -- American Style Item Tools Store Print Email store, print, email This is a delightful, nonalcoholic version of Swedish Glogg, heady with spices and rich in fruit flavor, with the added tang and zest of ginger ale. It is colorful, invigorating, and warming after active winter sports. Both children and grownups will love this winter treat. It can be kept hot in a heat-controlled electric casserole or in a large chafing dish, or it can be served from a typical Swedish Glogg set. Allow time to make this a day ahead. DIRECTIONS Combine cranberry juice, apple cider, raisins, orange peel and almonds. Tie spices in cheesecloth bag; add. Bring to boil; cool; cover and store overnight. When ready to serve, remove spice bag; add orange juice and ginger ale; heat thoroughly without boiling. Serve in small mugs with a little of the fruit-nut mixture in each glass. Makes 35 half-cup servings. Recipe Source: Cook's Blessings, The by Demetria Taylor, Random House, New York, 1965 http://www.catholicculture.org/lit/recipes/view.cfm?id=682 --- INGREDIENTS · 4 cups cider · 1 stick cinnamon, 3 inches long · 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg · 1/2 cup honey · 3 tablespoons lemon juice · 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind · 1 can (18 ounces) pineapple juice Serves: 15 Prep Time: 15 minutes Difficulty: • • • • Cost: $$$$ For Ages: 11+ Origin: England Food Categories: * » Beverage Often Made With: * » Twelfth Cake Similar Recipes: * » Colonial Wassail * » Lamb's Wool (1) * » Lambs' Wool (2) * » Lamb's Wool, Non-alcoholic (1) Feasts: * » Christmas Seasons: * » Christmas Lamb's Wool, Non-Alcoholic (2) Item Tools Store Print Email store, print, email This beverage, quite common in England from the high Middle Ages, was enjoyed on various festive occasions including the Christmas season. Unlike the wassail, it was a cold drink and it was simpler in contents, consisting of the juice of roasted apples mixed with spiced ale. DIRECTIONS Heat cider, cinnamon in a deep saucepan. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer until heated through. Cool. Pour into punch bowl. Yield, 15 servings Recipe Source: Catholic Cookbook, The by William I. Kaufman, The Citadel Press, New York, 1965 http://www.catholicculture.org/lit/recipes/view.cfm?id=922