Stained Glass Cranberries & Southwest Salad with Black Beans and Corn

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              FOOD FUNNY
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Here's a good one from Stacie Wheeler:

A minister who was very fond of pure, hot horseradish always
kept a bottle of it on his dining room table. He offered some to
a guest, who took a big spoonful. When the guest finally was
able to speak, he gasped, "I've heard many ministers preach
hellfire, but you are the first one I've met who passed out a
sample of it."

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              TODAY'S RECIPES
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For the next two weeks I will be offering some of my favorite
recipes submitted by readers to the Pen-Pal Forum over the
years. In doing so I realize I run the risk of hurting the feelings
of the people whose recipes I won't have time or space to publish
in your favorite recipezine, and I hope that those people whose
recipes won't be included in this eclectic and rather random
selection won't feel snubbed. Many recipes I have gotten from
the Pen-Pal Forum have become family favorites and earned a
place in my mother's and my recipe files, and there are just too
many of them to include all of them. I have removed the email
address of the person who submitted these recipes on the
assumption that the addresses are no longer valid, and I have
also removed any introductory stuff not related to the recipes.

This recipe originally appeared in the Pen-Pal Forum on October
30, 1999 and the shiny little gems have appeared on many of
our holiday tables since then.

From: Kathleen

Hope you like these cranberries. Very pretty in a crystal bowl on
your holiday table or buffet.

Stained Glass Cranberries

4 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed, drained-not dry
2 cups sugar
4 TBS brandy

Spread berries in single layer in 9x13 glass pan. Sprinkle evenly
with sugar. Cover with heavy foil and crimp the edges to seal the
pan. Bake at 350 degrees 20 minutes. Very carefully move the
casserole back and forth to coat the berries. Return to oven and
bake ten more minutes. Again gently move the casserole back
and forth. Place on cooling rack and cool completely before
uncovering. Stir in brandy then spoon into hot sterilized quart jars.
Seal and refrigerate. Store up to one month. Serve in cut glass
bowl. Very pretty - berries have the look of stained glass beads!

This recipe was originally published in the October 3, 2001 edition
of the ezine, and one of the things I like about it is that it is made
from ingredients that I almost always have on hand.

From: Terry

One of my favorite cookbooks is Molly Katzen's "Still Life with Menu
Cookbook,"
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0898156696/worldwiderecipes
Not only are there easy to follow vegetarian recipes from all parts
of the world, but copies of Mollie's original art begin each of the 50
interchangeable menus. Plus, she includes plan-ahead tips to help
you plan your time.

Southwest Salad with Black Beans and Corn

2 cups dried black beans
2 cups cooked corn (or frozen and thawed, uncooked)
2 to 3 medium-sized garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 heaping cup red onion, well minced
1 red bell pepper, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup olive oil (plus 1 tablespoon for tortillas)
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (3 to 4 lines)
2 to 3 teaspoons whole cumin seeds
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, minced
1/2 cup fresh parsley, minced
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 corn tortillas

Soak beans for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. Drain off
any excess soaking water, place the soaked beans in a kettle, and
cover with fresh water. Bring just to a boil, then cover and turn the
heat way down. Cook at a very slow simmer, with no agitation in the
water, until the beans are tender. This should take 1 1/4 to 1 1/2
hours. Check intermittently to be sure there is enough water, and
add more if necessary. When beans are cooked, drain well, rinse
in cold water, drain again, set aside to and cool. In a large bowl,
combine beans, corn, minced garlic, red onion, bell pepper, salt,
1/2 olive oil, and lime juice. Roast the whole cumin seeds, either in
a cast iron skillet over medium heat, stirring for several minutes, or
very carefully in a toaster oven. Add the toasted seeds to the salad,
along with the cilantro, parsley, and red and black peppers, and mix
thoroughly but gently. Lightly brush both sides of each tortilla with
olive oil, and cut the tortillas into strips approximately 1/4 inch
wide and 1 1/2 inches long. Cook the strips slightly in a heavy
skillet over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Ideally, they should be
partly crispy and partly chewy. Stir these into the salad shortly
before serving, or scatter them on top as a garnish. Serves 6 to 8.
Received on Mon Dec 18 02:02:54 2006