Home Remedies

For joint pain and inflammation:

In 8×8 pyrex brownie pan, add box of golden raisins, cover with 750 ml gin. Do not use the cheap gin – most people use Gordon’s or Tanqueray.  The anti inflammatory ingredient is juniper berries, and cheaper jin uses an extract instead of the actual berries, so the remedy won’t work. Let sit until gin is absorbed by the raisins (at least a week).  Take remaining raisins and liquid, bottle and fridge. Have 9 every day. It will take about 2 mo for the pain to go away.

For sore throat and difficulty sleeping:

1 c hot water
1 tea bag
1 tbsp honey
2 oz whiskey
1 tsp lemon juice

Make tea, add honey, lemon juice and whiskey.

For sore throat:

In saucepan over med high heat, add 1 c milk, 1 tsp turmeric, let boil. Add 1 tsp ghee. Enjoy (?)

For cough:

1 part vodka/whiskey, 1 part honey/maple syrup, 1 part lemon juice

For weight loss:

1 c hot water
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp ginger juice

Drink every morning.

For cough:

Vicks on feet, wear socks.

For cough:

Soak peppermint candies in whiskey until dissolved. Take 1 tbsp before bed.

 

 

Fannie Farmer Cookbook

This is very much the standard in so many ways.

The book was published in 1896, and has many great recipes.

People rave about the brownie and the cornbread.

I’m sure there are other treasures.

It’s off copyright, here’s a link to the full book.: http://www.bartleby.com/87/

The whole book (except for the chapters dealing with recipes for meat) is below. I skipped the meat recipes since I’m vegetarian. If you go to the bartleby link above, you can get a copy of those missing chapters.

Farmer, Fannie Merritt. 1918
Chapter 1 – Food
Chapter 2 – Cookery
Chapter 3 – Beverages
Chapter 4 – Bread and Bread Making
Chapter 5 – Biscuits, Breakfast Cakes, and Shortcakes
Chapter 6 – Cereals
Chapter 7 – Eggs
Chapter 8 – Soups
Chapter 9 – Soups Without Stock
Chapter 10 – Soup Garnishings and Force Meats
Chapter 19 – Vegetables
Chapter 20 – Potatoes
Chapter 21 – Salads and Salad Dressings
Chapter 22 – EntreesChapter 23 – Hot Puddings
Chapter 24 – Puddings Sauces
Chapter 25 – Cold Desserts
Chapter 26 – Ices, Ice Creams, and Other Frozen Desserts
Chapter 27 – Pastry
Chapter 28 – Pies
Chapter 29 – Pastry Desserts
Chapter 30 – Gingerbreads, Cookies and Wafers
Chapter 31 – Cake
Chapter 32 – Cake Fillings and Frostings
Chapter 33 – Fancy Cakes and Confections
Chapter 34 – Sandwiches and Canapes
Chapter 35 – Chafing Dish Recipes
Chapter 36 – Fruits Fresh and Cooked
Chapter 37 – Jams, Jellies and Marmalades
Chapter 38 – Canning Fruits and Vegetables
Chapter 39 – Drying Fruits and Vegetables
Chapter 40 – Housekeeping Hints
Chapter 41 – Menu Planning
Chapter 42 – Food Values

How to Cook Eggs

“How do you want your eggs?”

1. Hard Boiled
A hard boiled egg is cooked in its shell in boiling water. The “hard” refers to the consistency of the egg white (or albumen) and the yolk. Making them is simple. Fill a pot with enough water to cover your eggs by about two inches. Bring it to a boil and carefully drop in the eggs and leave them for 10-12 minutes. For easier peeling, place the eggs immediately in an ice water bath after boiling, then gently tap and roll them on a counter. (There’s also the gimmick of adding a teaspoon of baking soda to the boiling water to help loosen the shells, cracking the shells off both ends, and blowing the egg out of its shell. Look it up on YouTube.) Bonus: you can hard boil a bunch of eggs at a time and refrigerate them. Eat them with a sprinkle of kosher salt, or chop onto salads.

2. Soft Boiled
Soft boiled eggs follow the same process as hard boiled eggs, but you cut the cooking time roughly in half. This gets the egg white cooked while leaving the yolk runny. Our preferred method is the “six minute egg,” which sounds way fancy. The six minute egg is just like it sounds: bring your water to a boil, gently lower in the eggs, set a timer for six minutes, then remove the eggs and drop them in an ice bath.

Sometimes soft boiled eggs are eaten in the shell, stood upright in little egg cups. You can then daintily tap the top of the egg with a spoon and scoop out the insides. They’re great on toast, sprinkled with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. We also love dropping a couple on a thick black bean soup.

3. Hard Scrambled
Scrambled technically means that the whites and yolks are broken and mixed together. Hard scrambled eggs are cooked all the through. This is the default preparation for scrambled eggs at most restaurants, and they’re good, sometimes dry.

4. Soft Scrambled
That’s why I prefer soft scrambled eggs, sometimes referred to as “wet.” The difference between soft and hard scrambled eggs is cooking time. If you want soft scrambled eggs, you need to keep in mind that eggs. cook. quickly. You can’t walk away from them. Whip your eggs in a separate bowl. Heat your pan no higher than medium, grease it, pour the eggs in, then stay close with a spatula. Turn and fold them repeatedly while they cook. Use the spatula to prevent them from spreading out, especially up the sides of the pan; when they spread too thin, they’ll over-cook quickly. I usually fold them until they no longer look runny, but still look wet (i.e. light is reflecting in them). Have your plate ready so you can remove them from heat immediately. They’re perfect on buttered toast with salt and pepper; with cheddar cheese.

4a. “Perfect” Scrambled Eggs
If you want super creamy soft scrambled eggs, you can use the method we learned from Gordon Ramsay (watch it here). Drop eggs into a pan over medium-high heat, along with one, thin pat of butter for each egg. Then start stirring with a spatula. Break the yolks, let them mix with the butter and whites. And keep stirring. If the pan gets too hot, lift it off the heat briefly. And keep stirring. Do this for about 4-5 minutes, until the eggs start coming together. Right before you take them off the heat, add a dash of milk, sour cream, or creme fraiche. Stir that in, then ladle the eggs onto toast and sprinkle with herbs (chive, dill, green onion) or salt and pepper. The result is some of the creamiest, softest eggs you’ve ever tasted.

4b. Omelets & Frittatas
Scrambled eggs can be manipulated in many ways. Ordering plain scrambled eggs means they’ll be mixed and moved in the pan, whereas an omelet or frittata indicates that the scrambled eggs are cooked until they’ve stabilized into a usable form and topped with other ingredients: cheeses, meats, vegetables, anything. A frittata is typically open-faced, whereas an omelet is folded over in half onto the additions. But the egg base remains the same (except in egg white omelets, where yolks are separated out).

4c. Scrambles & Hashes
These preparations are pretty simple, as far as eggs go. A scramble usually means other ingredients are scrambled in the pan with the eggs. This could include meats, cheese, sauteed veggies, or diced potatoes (or, yes, hot dogs). Good if you’re a fan of scrambled eggs and, well, everything else breakfast has to offer.

5. Sunny Side Up (Can be Easy, Medium, or Hard, depending on how cooked you want your yolk)

Important: You need a nonstick skillet. I’ve tried this method with regular skillets and it just never works for me. Add a small amount of canola oil to the skillet—not enough to have much depth to it at all. (Note: you can also use butter OR bacon grease if you’re into those sorts of things. But those bring along some particles and some color, and you won’t wind up with as pristine an egg. Not that that really matters in the grand scheme of human history, but I thought I’d mention it.)

Heat the canola oil over medium heat. You don’t want it too, too hot, as you’re going to cook the eggs pretty slowly. You don’t want the oil so hot that the egg sizzles and turns white the second you crack it in! The whites should remain clear for several seconds before they start to turn white.

So here’s what you do:

Once the oil is mildly hot, crack in an egg. (Note: three is about as many as I can tend to at a time.) The oil should not cover the whites; if anything, it should just come over the edges a tiny bit.

Once the eggs begin to turn white, use a small spoon to carefully spoon the hot oilover the whites only. Go from egg to egg, spooning the oil over the whites. This will help the whites cook slowly so that they won’t be slimy. *Important: Don’t spoon any oil over the yolks yet!

After a minute or two, touch the whites of one of the eggs and make sure they’re set/not jiggly and loose. At that time, you can spoon oil over the yolks to help them set on the surface.

*Note: The reason you need to wait before spooning hot oil over the yolks is that immediately after cracking the eggs into the pan, there is still egg white covering the yolk. If you were to spoon the hot oil over the yolk immediately, it would cause the white on the yolk to turn white, which will result in the yolk having a cloudy covering like the yolk in these two photos:

And that’s a tragic thing! On the other hand, if you wait, the egg will settle into the skillet and the whites will sheet over the sides of the yolk and eventually leave mostly yolk there. So a minute or two into the process, if you spoon the hot oil over the yolk, you won’t get that cloudy appearance.

To repeat: the two photos above are a cautionary tale.

Continue spooning the oil over the egg until it appears to be as done as you’d like.(You can gauge it by lightly jiggling it or poking it with the spoon.)

Remove the eggs from the pan with a slotted spatula, then–this is important–drain them briefly on a paper towel before serving. (I fold a paper towel and hold it in my left hand, then place the egg on the towel with my right hand, then I just slide it onto the plate! You can also just keep the egg on the spatula and pat the bottom of the spatula on the paper towel to try to get most of the oil off the egg.)

And that’s it! This is a neato method, guys. Once I learned it and practiced a bit, I had some fun with it. It’s particularly fun if you’re cooking for guests and you want your breakfast dish to look really yummy and inviting. It’s also great for foodbloggers or food stylists who need picture-perfect eggs.

But it’s also a lot of fun for kids because the eggs stay bright yellow and white and look like…well, like fake eggs, which kids get a kick out of. The only thing you really need to keep an eye on is the oil/fat and making sure you dab it/drain it off as much as you can.

Enjoy!

6. Over Easy

Eggs over easy and sunny side up are often using interchangeably, but they are different. You go from sunny side up to over easy by simply flipping your egg when the edges are brown. The “easy” doesn’t refer to the simplicity of turning over an egg, but the state of your yolk. “Over easy” means the egg is flipped and cooked just long enough to make a film on the top of the yolk. When served, the yolk – and some of the whites – are still runny.

7. Over Medium
Over medium is the next step after easy: they’re fried, flipped, and fried a little longer, enough to cook the whites through and brown the edges slightly. You’ll develop a thicker film on your yolk, but the inside is still runny. Good for those like the dipping quality without a watery egg white.

8. Over Hard
And over hard is the final step. Over hard is fried, flipped, and fried again – usually with the yolk broken – until both the white and the yolk are completely cooked. Just tap the edge of your spatula into the yolk or poke it with a fork before turning it over. Be careful not to dribble the yolk when flipping.

9. Poached
Poaching is like boiling but without the shell, or like over medium that skips contact with the pan. These means you’re avoiding any hard edges. The white is cooked through and the yolk is warm and runny. Just imagine it mixing with a bright hollandaise on an eggs benedict.

Methods for poaching vary. Restaurants looking to poach in bulk will often immerse ramekins with raw eggs into boiling water, sometimes a whole tray full at a time. If you’re just poaching at home, it’s actually much easier than you may think. I haven’t perfected my personal method, but the two that have worked for me are:

1.) The Whirlpool. Heat your water just shy of a rolling point. Add a dash of vinegar (some recipes call for a 1/2 cup, but that’s always too much for me. I don’t like my eggs tasting like acetic acid). Crack the egg into a tiny bowl. Swirl the water in your pan to create a whirlpool, then carefully drop the egg into the center. The swirling pulls whites altogether in the center. Leave it in the water for about five minutes, then lift out with a slotted spoon.

2.) The Strainer. Heat water. Add vinegar. Crack the egg into a mesh strainer to let the most watery portion of the whites (it’s not much) drip out – this prevents danglers. Carefully decant the egg from the strainer into the water. Cook for about five minutes. Retrieve with slotted spoon.

And if you make a mistake… well, just look up some recipes for egg drop soup.

10. Baked or Shirred
Baked eggs are cracked and baked in a dish. “Shirred” refers to the flat-bottomed dish in which they’re frequently cooked. They’re almost always mixed with other ingredients. The white mixes in and gets cooked through, while the yolk is left runny. For example: a tomato provencal dish (pictured from Pistacia Vera), with eggs cooked into a bed of cream, tomatoes, cheese, and herbs. Or the North African/Mediterranean dish shakshouka (like at Mazah). The benefit of this preparation is that the egg really blends into the ingredients.

11. Basted
Generally basted means liquid or steam is used to thoroughly cook the egg white without flipping. For instance, while frying an egg in butter, you repeatedly scoop and pour the extra butter on top of the egg. This cooks the yolk and top whites without forcing you to flip it. Alternatively, you can also squirt some water into the pan and then cover the egg with a lid, to steam the whites. If you do this quickly, you can cook the whole egg before the edges start to brown, which seems to be the appeal of basted eggs (much like poached eggs).

11a. Spanish fried eggs
One specific form of basting is known as Spanish fried eggs. The eggs are fried at high temps in olive oil, while you spoon the hot oil over the egg. The eggs are fried over medium heat, just below the oil’s smoke point. Crack an egg into a small bowl first, then ladle it into the hot oil, and start scooping oil over the white and the yolk for about 1 minute. The result is crispy edges, creamy whites, and a runny yolk.

Thin and Crisp vs Soft and Chewy vs Light and Cakey Cookies

Martha Stewart’s Amazing Guide to Chocolate Chip Cookies – she scientifically explains how the proportion of butter, sugar, and brown sugar affect the texture, taste and loft of the cookies. This advice is EXCELLENT not just for this recipe, but for evaluating any other recipes that you may find in order to get a better idea of how they will turn out and whether that suits your preference — AND, most importantly, how to adapt another recipe to customize it to you and your family!

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SOFT AND CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

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CRISP AND CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups packed dark-brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat butter and sugars with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Add vanilla. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture; beat until combined. Mix in chocolate chips.

Using a 2 1/4-inch ice cream scoop (about 3 tablespoons), drop dough onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2 inches apart. Bake until golden around edges but soft in the middle, about 15 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack, and let cool completely.

COOK’S NOTE
Dough can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. Cookies can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

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THIN AND CRISP CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

INGREDIENTS

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups (2 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy.

Reduce speed to low; add the salt, 1/4 cup water, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake until cookies are golden brown 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.

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http://www.marthastewart.com/1080540/science-behind-perfect-chocolate-chip-cookies#1080540

Vintage Baking Terms Conversion

Table of equivalent oven temperatures
Description = °F = °C
Cool oven = 200°F = 90°C
Very Slow oven = 250°F = 120°C
Slow oven = 300–325°F = 150–160°C
Moderately Slow = 325–350°F = 160–180°C
Moderate oven = 350–375°F = 180–190°C
Moderately Hot = 375–400°F = 190–200°C
Hot oven = 400–450°F = 200–230°C
Very Hot oven = 450–500°F = 230–260°C
Fast oven = 450–500°F = 230–260°C

BETTY CROCKER CONVERSION TABLE

Oven Temperatures
	C (Celcius)	F (fahrenheit)
Very Slow	120	250
Slow	150	300
Moderately Slow	160	320
Moderate	180	355
Moderately Hot	190	375
Hot	200	390
Very Hot	230	445
NOTE: These oven temperatures are a guide only. Always refer to the manufacturer’s manual.

ANOTHER CONVERSION TABLE

Temperature	Celsius	Fahrenheit	Gas mark
Very cool	95	200	0
Very cool	110	225	¼
Very cool	120	250	1/2
Cool or slow	135	275	1
Cool or slow	150	300	2
Warm	165	325	3
Moderate	175	350	4
Moderately hot	190	375	5
Fairly hot	200	400	6
Hot	220	425	7
Very hot	230	450	8
Very hot	245	475	9

Cast Iron Cooking … A Few Thoughts

Need a cast iron for basically baking and breakfast? And sometimes dinner? And maybe no meats?

Buy the Lodge L8CF3 Covered Cast Iron Chicken Fryer, Black, 3 quart, from Amazon.com. It’s $35 INCLUDING the lid right now. It’s cheaper than the dutch oven and the skillet, and the shape is much more useful.

Season the pan with these instructions: http://sherylcanter.com/wordpress/2010/01/a-science-based-technique-for-seasoning-cast-iron/

http://www.jocooks.com/bakery/breads/crusty-bread/

http://papadutch.home.comcast.net/~papadutch/dutch-oven-recipe-cornbread.htm

http://www.webring.org/l/rd?ring=recipe;id=71;url=http%3A%2F%2Fpapadutch%2Ehome%2Ecomcast%2Enet%2F~papadutch%2Fdutch-oven-recipes%2Ehtm

The key to dutch oven cooking seems to be making sure the dutch oven has been heated for 30 min or so before using, then adding ingredients.

http://amandascookin.com/brownies-in-cast-iron-skillet/ (Lots of links to other cast iron sites from her blog)

http://noe847.blogspot.com/2010/04/twd-swedish-visiting-cake.html

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/mark-bittmans-autumn-millet-bake-recipe.html

https://robincooksveg.wordpress.com/2010/02/13/the-magic-pan-that-vegetarians-must-have/

http://www.amazon.com/Cast-Cooking-Vegetarians-Joanna-Pruess/dp/1629143243

http://www.reddit.com/r/EatCheapAndHealthy/comments/39njeq/vegetarian_cast_iron_skillet_recipes/

http://www.ahappycamper.com/products/dorecipes/breakfast/basic-dutch-oven-omelet.html

http://www.justapinch.com/recipes/side/other-side-dish/fannie-farmers-rich-corn-cake.html

http://thesweethome.com/reviews/best-dutch-oven/

Cypriot Recipes Links

http://www.afroditeskitchen.com/2014/06/how-to-make-halloumi-anari-honestly-i-actually-made-halloumi/

http://www.afroditeskitchen.com/2014/07/cypriot-pancake-things-aka-katimeri/

http://www.sbs.com.au/food/cuisine/cypriot

http://kopiaste.org/2007/11/fakes-moutzentra-lentils-with-rice-cypriot/

http://www.food.com/recipe/cypriot-sour-lentil-soup-fakes-xithati-vegan-424916

http://kalisasorexi.blogspot.com/2008/10/lovely-lentils.html

http://www.afroditeskitchen.com/2014/02/spinach-pies-spanikopita/

http://www.afroditeskitchen.com/2014/01/honey-doughnuts-loukomades/

http://www.afroditeskitchen.com/2013/12/honey-cookies-melomakarona/

http://www.afroditeskitchen.com/2013/12/christmas-bread-christospomo/

http://www.afroditeskitchen.com/2013/12/cyprus-almond-shortbread-kourapiedes/

http://www.afroditeskitchen.com/2013/12/orange-brandy-cake-vasilopita/

http://www.afroditeskitchen.com/2013/12/cyprus-coffee/

http://www.afroditeskitchen.com/2013/10/eliopittes-olive-bread/

http://www.afroditeskitchen.com/2013/10/baklava/

http://www.afroditeskitchen.com/2013/10/coriander-crushed-olives-elies-tsakistes/

http://www.afroditeskitchen.com/2013/09/cyprus-macaroons-ergolavi/

http://www.afroditeskitchen.com/2013/07/stuffed-tomatores-arborio-rice/

Sour Cream Substitution

From King Arthur Flour

1 c sour cream =

1 c milk + 1 TBSP vinegar, mix and let sit for 5 min.

Soft Food Diet

I have been running around the internet looking for delicious things to eat that are on the “doctor approved” list.

Thankfully I have been upgraded from a clear liquid diet (ginger ale, veg broth, black mild tea, jello) to a full liquid diet (pureed UNSPICED cream of potato soup, coca cola, ice cream, yogurt, pureed oatmeal, tea, coffee, cream of wheat, ensure complete therapeutic nutrition drink) to a soft food diet.

Obviously no spices, vegetables, fruits, herbs or anything like that can be eaten. Nothing too delicious. No complex grains, no whole wheat flour, no lentils.

Soft food approved list:

French toast (wonder bread dipped in egg, milk and sugar mixture)

Grilled cheese (wonder bread and kraft singles)

Pureed Unspiced Cream of Potato Soup (Amendment for restricted diet: skip the onion, skip the dill, skip the black pepper. Change chicken broth to  vegetable broth. When soup is done, puree.)

Pureed Oatmeal (Take quaker instant rolled oats, add water and microwave for 1 minute – add more water than recipe on box indicates. When cooked, puree. Serve with white or brown sugar and milk or cream.)

Mac and cheese (kraft)

Lightly toasted wonder bread with butter and jam (make mushy)

Milk tea

Milk coffee

Mango milkshake (milk/ice cream and mango puree with sugar)

Mango lassi (yogurt and mango puree with sugar)

Baked potato (well mashed with butter and yogurt/sour cream and salt)

Soft tofu lightly cooked on skillet with a touch of oil

Scrambled eggs (cheese is okay with this, as is milk, butter and cream)(skip the black pepper in the linked recipe, however)

Hard boiled eggs with salt

Unsweetened applesauce (my doc said go easy on this, because apples are too hard for the stomach to digest)

Bananas (mushy and only a little at a time)

Cheerios in milk (mushy)

Snapple

Chocolate and vanilla pudding

Sherbert

Chocolate ice cream

Lemon and raspberry ice (link is to the brand they served in the hospital)

Upma (original recipe here)(to modify for limited diet – cook upma (available in indian grocery stores) in butter and salt until pink – add a lot of water and yogurt to make it very liquidy and soft – enjoy)(add cumin, mustard seeds and bay leaves to the butter if you are allowed to eat that)  [upma is not a grain, it is soft on your stomach, and is considered sick people food in india)(upma is not the same as semolina or cream of wheat or anything like that, it is something different).

Mung bean sprout soup (sprout mung beans – cook on stove with salt, turmeric and water until mushy – filter out the mung beans – you have a protein rich easily digestible healthy broth)(this has tremendous nutritional value and minerals, and tastes really good)

Indian Puffed Rice (Mumra) – (Original recipe) – (Blog with pictures) – Restricted diet amendment: Dry roast puffed rice in oil and salt. Add mustard seeds and turmeric if your doctor says it’s okay. It’s a nice, crispy, savory snack with next to no calories.

Indian Flattened Rice (Poha) – Dry roast flattened rice in oil and salt. Add mustard seeds and turmeric if your doctor says it’s okay. It’s a nice, crispy, savory snack with next to no calories. Enjoy with salt and lemon juice.

Sweet banana stir fry – Works best with a spotted, slightly mushy banana – Heat oil on skillet. Add turmeric and cumin and mustard seeds if you are allowed to eat that. Add sliced banana. Sprinkle with salt and sugar. Enjoy!

Sheera (indian sweet) – (Original recipe) – Amendment: make using only semolina/rava, clarified butter/ghee, sugar and milk. Add extra milk to make it very mushy. Instant warm yummy goodness.

DESSERTS YOU CAN EAT!!

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/potluck-banana-cake

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/sandy-s-chocolate-cake

Coffee Flan

Almond Flan

Creme Brulee

Deviled Food Cupcakes

ADVANCING THE DIET:

avocado (I like it mashed with salt and lemon juice on toast)

peanut butter (skippy creamy)

Barilla pasta with Barilla pasta sauce with cheddar cheese

Resources (my doctor’s approved food list is more limited than what is listed below, so if you are on a restricted diet, go with what your doctor says before anyone else):

http://www.drugs.com/cg/soft-diet.html

http://www.digestivehealthcare.net/diets/soft_diet.html

http://www.ashevilleimplantperio.com/pre-and-post-operative-instructions/list-foods-soft-food-diet

Pierogi (This is the original recipe)

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/potato-and-cheese-pan-fried-pierogi-recipe.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients
Pierogi Dough:
4 pounds all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F)
Nonstick cooking spray
Mashed Potato Filling:
2 pounds red potatoes
Kosher salt
1 stick butter
4 ounces cream cheese
3 ounces sour cream
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 pound soft European farmer’s cheese
Milk to thin, if necessary
Nonstick cooking spray
To Serve:
4 ounces olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, julienned and sauteed
Sour cream
1 ounce clarified butter
1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

Directions
For the pierogi dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, add the flour, olive oil, eggs, salt and 2 1/2 cups warm water. Start the mixer on slow for a minute, and then switch to high for another couple of minutes until the dough pulls away from the bowl. Then slow the mixer down to medium speed and slowly add the remaining 1 cup warm water. Once the water is absorbed, return the mixer to high and let the dough beat for 10 minutes.

Remove from the bowl. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Form into balls, spray with nonstick spray, wrap in plastic wrap and let rest in a warmer area for 20 minutes.

Spray the counter or large cutting board with the nonstick spray and begin to roll the dough with a rolling pin. Roll until a consistent thickness of 1/4-inch. Then spray with nonstick spray. (If it gets too thin, that’s ok as you can re-ball and roll out again.) Use about a 3-inch circle cutter and press down hard and give a slight twist to completely separate from the rest of the dough, continue this throughout the entire piece.

Remove the scraps and in-betweens, save, re-ball and re-roll. Then flip the circle cut-outs; they are ready to be stuffed.

For the mashed potato filling: Boil the red potatoes, leaving the skin on, in a stock pot with 2 tablespoons kosher salt. Once the potatoes are soft, drain off the water and place in the mixer bowl with the dough hook or paddle attachment. Add the butter right away so it will start to melt. Then add the cream cheese, sour cream, granulated garlic, onion powder and black and white peppers into the bowl and mix on a medium speed. Mix until smooth and free of all lumps. Now add the farmer’s cheese and mix on high for a couple minutes until a little fluffy. Season with kosher salt. Loosen with milk if necessary. Let cool.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray with nonstick spray (so the delicate dough doesn’t stick. Place about 1 teaspoon of the potato and cheese filling in the center of all the cut-outs. (I like to use a bamboo skewer or large toothpick to remove the filling from the spoon to keep your hands clean.) Then pick up the dough with two hands and fold over the filling. Slightly pull out both sides at the base of the fold, then continue to pull, then pinch, and form and seal as you continue around the half moon. Double check for any areas that aren’t smooth or completely sealed. Repeat. Place on the prepared baking sheet.

In a large saucepan bring three-quarters of a gallon of water and 1 tablespoon kosher salt to a rapid boil. One by one, drop in the pierogis. Par-boil them until they float, about 5 minutes. Then place them back on the baking sheet to let cool.

To serve: Cover the bottom of a saute pan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, saute the pierogis; they should sizzle once they hit the oil. After a minute or so, flip them, looking for a golden brown color. Plate with the sauteed onions and a side of sour cream for dipping. Drizzle with the butter and sprinkle with the parsley. Enjoy!

This recipe was provided by a chef, restaurant or culinary professional and may have been scaled down from a bulk recipe. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

Recipe courtesy of Pauly Fohrenkamm, Nye’s Polonaise Room

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/potato-and-cheese-pan-fried-pierogi-recipe.html?oc=linkback