These Tacos...

Apple Cake

2008-04-17T04:58:00.000-12:00

Apple Cake 4 large apples 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 2 cups plus 5 tablespoons sugar 3 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder ¼ teaspoon salt 4 eggs 1 cup vegetable oil ¼ cup orange juice 2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a Bundt pan. 2. Peel and slice the apples. Mix the cinnamon and 5 tablespoons of sugar. Set aside. 3. In a medium

Fajitas

2008-01-02T12:03:00.000-12:00

Betty loves yellow rice- the kind in the metallic bag. We usually don’t eat it with dinner, but it is good with the leftover meat and veggies for lunch the next day because hauling the tortillas and sour cream all to work to make fajitas is too much trouble. 1 Yellow Rice package 1 pound London Broil or some other kind of 1” thick flat meat

Sara Foster's Cranberry Apple Pie

2007-11-20T12:31:00.000-12:00

McIntosh or Empire apples are best for this pie. Recipe by Sara FosterMAKES: 1 (9-inch) pie (about 8 servings)PREP: 40 minutesCHILL: 10 minutesBAKE: 1 hourSTAND: 1 hourEasy Piecrust (below)2 cups fresh cranberries, rinsed and drained3 large apples (about 1 3/4 pounds), peeled and thinly sliced (I put more for a really tall pie)1/4 cup apple cider (used apple-cranberry juice, because

Macaroni and Cheese

2007-11-20T12:22:00.000-12:00

For topping (it made way too much topping- I'll half it next time) 1/2 stick unsalted butter 2 cups panko (coarse Japanese bread crumbs) or 3 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs (from 6 slices firm white sandwich bread) 1/4 pound coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (1 1/2 cups) 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano For macaroni and sauce (made enough to fill 9x13 pan all the way to the top) 1 stick

Seared Pimentón -Crusted Tuna with Chickpea Artichoke Salad

2007-10-15T05:10:00.000-12:00

Yellow rice goes well with this dish.Rating: 4Prep: 10 minutesCook: 5 minutesServings: 21/4 cup olive oil1/2 teaspoon good-quality Spanish paprika (pimentón)1/2 teaspoon salt1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper2 (8-ounce) tuna filletsChickpea Artichoke Salad 1. Whisk together olive

Shrimp Risotto with Fresh Herb Butter

2007-10-15T04:25:00.000-12:00

This tasty dish also looks very pretty plated. Rating: 4Preparation Time: 40 minutesServings: 4-6 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, room temperature, divided1 pound uncooked large shrimp, peeled, deveined1 yellow onion, chopped1 cup arborio rice (or medium-grain white rice)3/4 cup Riesling or other white wine2 1/2 cups chicken broth1 pound fresh asparagus1 cup frozen peas2 tablespoons

Cajun Fried Dill Pickles

2007-10-15T03:37:00.001-12:00

A Southern DelicacyMy aunt sent me a ton of recipes. This one was really easy (if a little messy) and a definite crowd-pleaser for my displaced Southern cohorts. Rating: 4Servings: Varies1 egg8 ounces milk 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce5-6 drops of hot sauce2 cups, 1 tablespoon flour (divided)SaltPepper Dill pickle slices*Vegetable oil 1. Heat oil in frying pan at

Chocolate/Raspberry French Toast

2007-10-08T16:22:00.000-12:00

Raspberries were ridiculously cheap this summer, and this was the perfect way to take advantage of the sale. I made this three times over a few days for several different people; all gave favorable comments.Servings: 4Prep: 30 minutesFor Raspberry Sauce2 cups fresh raspberries (1/2 lb) or 1 3/4 cups frozen, thawed1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice1/2 to 3/4 cup confectioners sugar For French

Fresh Raspberry Cream Cakes

2007-07-12T00:28:00.000-12:00

This recipe is adapted from Cottage Living magazine. This is a pretty simple recipe, and it never fails to impress guests. Great presentation. Saucy Sally prefers it with strawberries replacing the raspberries.Rating: 4Servings: 12 cupcakesPrep: 20 minutesFreeze: 3 hoursStand: 15 minutes 1 cup graham cracker crumbs3 tablespoons butter, melted2 cups fresh raspberries, washed and drained1 (8-

Farmer's Market Vegetable, Beef, and Brown Rice Salad

2007-07-10T11:04:00.000-12:00

This recipe is one of our favorites. Saucy Sally and I make it fairly regularly. Some notes: We often forget to marinate in advance. It's not that much of a problem with this recipe. If you put the rice on to cook when you start prepping the veggies and move on from there, you should have plenty of time to get everything done (including letting the meat stand for 10 minutes) at about the same

Smoked Salmon Benedict

2007-06-25T04:10:00.000-12:00

Servings: 4Rating: 3 (We think this will change to a 4 or 5 when we figure out the eggs.)Definitely okay for guestsI made some changes to this recipe per the notes from our first attempt at it. Didn't quite get the eggs right, but we'll try again soon. (The first time, we poached them in vinegar water as the original recipe suggested. It was a burdensome task, besides being time-consuming and

Crawfish Etouffee

2007-06-08T03:50:00.000-12:00

This étouffée is relatively simple to prepare and, I imagine, pretty hard to mess up.After lamenting my lack of access to some Southern staple foods (namely, The Gumbo and The Crawfish), a cohort mentioned that a crawfish boil was going down at his office. I couldn't attend, but the man, he takes care of me. Right around noon Thursday, he hand-delivered three gallon-sized bags of the little

Lamb Chops with Pistachio Sauce and Vegetable Saute

2007-06-05T20:00:00.000-12:00

Technically, those tomatoes and artichoke hearts should be mixed together, but Saucy Sally had an inkling that we wouldn't care for the artichokes. (She was right, of course.)Servings: 4Total Time: 30-40 minutesDefinitely okay for guests (if we could ever afford it!)(Note: While the lamb chops get a 4, the vegetable saute gets a 2.)Saucy Sally and I loved the flavor of this tender meat and the

Floating Cloud Biscuits

2007-06-05T17:32:00.000-12:00

These biscuits were easy enough for me to handle and pretty quick to throw together.Servings: 10 (small) biscuitsTotal Time: 20 minutesI made biscuits! I probably kneaded them too much, but they turned out okay (I think). Saucy Sally says they need to be tested again.2 c flour4 tsp baking powder1 tbsp sugar½ tsp salt½ c (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces*2/3 c milk1 beaten egg

Spinach-Stuffed Flank Steak

2007-06-05T17:00:00.000-12:00

This flank steak didn't do it for us. Servings: 4Total Time: About an hourPresentation: Not for guests Saucy Sally and I didn't really care for this flank steak, which we pulled from the May 2007 issue of Everyday Food and served with biscuits, steamed broccoli, and small baked potatoes. The meat was tough (perhaps overdone), and the vinegar taste in the spinach mixture turned us off (despite

Roasted Pork Club with Basil Mayonnaise

2007-06-05T16:49:00.000-12:00

Servings: 4Prep Time: 20 MinutesTotal Time: 20 Minutes Making these sandwiches took no time. They were attractive, and we’d definitely try them again. Saucy Sally didn’t like the bread we used (Pepperidge Farms something or other), so I think we should buy a loaf from a local bakery next time. The bacon was a bit overwhelming (my fault, I overcooked), and our avocado wasn’t quite ripe. Aside

Fajita Rub

2007-06-05T16:41:00.000-12:00

Saucy Sally got this rub from this recipe. She made extra, and we keep it in the cabinet.1 tbsp ground cumin1 tbsp chile powder3/4 tsp black pepper3/4 tsp cayenne*1 1/2 tsp salt* Saucy Sally is kind of a spice wimp. She says she probably puts in 1/4 tsp cayenne (and even then she'll still tear up a little).

Roasted Pork Loin with Black Bean and Sweet Potato Salad

2007-06-05T16:40:00.000-12:00

Colorful and tasty. We would definitely serve this meal to guests.Servings: 4 (Plus leftovers for Roasted Pork Club)Total time: 1 hour 15 minutesGood for Guests This meal was fan-freakin'-tastic. Every single bite was an explosion of flavor. We served the two dishes detailed below with a simple tomato and basil salad* (pictured above), mainly because we happened to have some tomatoes we needed to

Our Rating System

2007-06-05T14:40:00.000-12:00

1: We tossed it and ordered pizza.2: We probably wouldn't make this again.3: We like it enough to try it again, but we'll probably change a thing or two.4: We're really pleased with this one.5: Better. Than. Sex.

What's Up With 'These Tacos'

2007-06-05T08:45:00.001-12:00

Just a little note of explanation.Saucy Sally and I met in 2005 when we were interning at High-Falutin' magazine. Saucy Sally was the food intern, and I (Betty) was the Web intern. We've been living together since August 2006 in the D.C. area.Saucy Sally tends to cook every week night. She's incredibly good at planning and organizing the dinner menu (seriously. I'll have to post a list one of