Thai Curried Butternut Squash Soup - crock pot

Stolen from garnishwithlemon.com: Ingredients 8 cups of peeled, cubed butternut squash 1 large onion, chopped 3 garlic cloves, chopped 1 tablespoon peeled and grated fresh ginger root 2 tablespoons green curry paste 4 cups chicken stock 1 can (13.5 ounces) light coconut milk 3 tablespoons fish sauce 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon butter Chopped cilantro (optional) Salt and pepper to taste Instructions Combine squash, onion, garlic, ginger and curry paste in a large slow cooker. Pour in the chicken stock and coconut milk. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. Puree the soup using an immersion blender or a regular blender. Stir in the fish sauce, brown sugar and butter. Let soup sit for 15 minutes before serving to allow all the flavors to meld together. Add salt and pepper to taste and garnish with fresh cilantro. - See more at: http://www.garnishwithlemon.com/thai-curried-butternut-squash-soup/#sthash.pT2cqYlh.dpuf Made this a few times, it's delicious :)

Sweet Potato Salad

1 3/4 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" chunks 1/2 c plus 3 T water 1 tsp apricot jam 1/4 t curry powder 3 T mayo 3 T sour cream 2 stalks celery, thinly sliced 1/2 cucumber, cut into 1/4" chunks 1 T chives, snipped In large microwave-safe bowl, combine sweet potatoes and 1/2 c water and cover with vented plastic wrap. Microwave on high 8 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender but still hold their shape, stirring once. Drain and cool completely. Whisk mayo, sour cream, 1 T water, 1 T jam, 1/4 t curry and 1/4 t salt. Toss in celery, cucumber, chives and sweet potatoes until well mixed.

Grandma Rita Cakes

Saw Colby's Grandma Rita this weekend and she brought another lovely cake up for graduation so I had to take down some recipes from her. The first is a luscious chocolate cake: 1/4 c oil Dunkin Hines Devil's Food cake mix 2 eggs 1 1/2 c water fudge chocolate pudding powder 1 c chocolate chips Mix all in 9x13 with a fork for 3 minutes. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes at 350* The next is a magical concoction of ricotta cheese and cake: Marble cake mix - make as directed Mix together: 2 lb ricotta 4 eggs 3/4 c sugar 1 tsp vanilla Pour over cake mix and bake 1 hr at 350* For icing: 8 oz cool whip 1 c milk 1 chocolate pudding mix Sit for 5-7 minutes to stiffen then ice cake.

Dirt Dessert

16 oz cream cheese
2 C powdered sugar
16 oz cool whip
3 C milk
2 T vanilla
10.5 oz vanilla pudding
20 oz package oreo cookies

Beat cream cheese and powder3ed sugar together.
Beat pudding and milk until thick. Add vanilla and cool whip to pudding and cream cheese mixture, mix together.
Crush oreos in blender.
Layer oreos and pudding mix in flower pot, alternating each, ending with a layer or oreos.
Insert gummy worms sticking out of the dirt.

Ricotta Cheese Cookies

2 C sugar
1 C butter
15 oz ricotta cheese
2 t vanilla extract
2 eggs
4 C flour
2 T baking powder
1 t salt

Preheat oven to 350*.
In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter until combined, light and fluffy.
Beat in ricotta, vanilla and eggs.
Add flour, baking powder and salt, beat until dough forms.
Drop dough by level tablespoons about 2 inches apart.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the cookies are very lightly golden. Remove and place on rack to cool.

Beef and Scallion Roll-Ups

It's like meat sushi! I'm in.

2 bunches scallions, cut into slivers
1/3 c beer
1/4 c soy sauce
12 thin slices deli roast beef
salt
1 cucumber, seeded and cut into sliver
1 T vegetable oil

In a medium saucepan or boiling water, cook the scallions for 30 seconds; drain. In a bowl, whisk together the beer, soy sauce and sugar; set aside.
Trim each roast beef slice to about 4 by 5 inches. Season with salt. Lay a small cluster of scallion and cucumber slivers on the bottom edge of each slice and roll tightly to form a log; secure with a toothpick along the length of the roll. Repeat with the remaining beef, scallions and cucumber. Using a basting brush, coat the logs with the reserved beer sauce; let stand for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, eat the oil over medium high heat. Add the beef rolls and cook, turning until the sides are brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the reserved beer sauce to the skillet and simmer until syrupy, about 2 minutes.
Remove the toothpicks from the beef rolls; discard. Cut the rolls into quarters. Top with the sauce.

Thai Pork with Peanut Sauce

This recipe is totally stolen from allrecipes.com. It was delicious.

1/4 c flour
1 t ground cumin
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t salt
2 T oil
4 boneless pork chops, about 3/4" thick
1/3 c chicken broth
1/2 c coconut milk
2 T peanut butter
1 T honey
1 t ground ginger
1/4 t salt
1/4 c chopped green onion
1/4 c sliced red bell pepper
1/4 c dry roasted peanuts, coarsely chopped
1/4 c fresh cilantro, chopped

On a plate, combine the flour, cumin, cayenne pepper and and 1/2 t salt. Stir to distribute the spices. Coat the pork chops with the flour mixture, and shake off any excess.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place the pork chops in the hot skillet, and fry for about 4 minutes per side, until cooked through.
While the pork chops cook, stir together the chicken broth, coconut milk, peanut butter, honey, ginger and 1/4 t of salt. Remove the pork chops to a serving platter and keep warm.
Pour the peanut sauce into the skillet. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes, or until thickened. Pour peanut sauce over the chops, and garnish with green onion, bell pepper, peanuts and cilantro.