pineapple rasberry frosty tequila beverage

4 oz tequila blanco
4 oz rasberry concentrate
12 oz water
4 oz tequila infused pineapple
1 cup ice

only used 2 oz first go round, will try 4 next time

Grits with Corn & Vidalia Onion

Serves 4-6

From "Bon Appetit, Y'all," by Virginia Willis (Ten Speed Press, $32.50). When we tested this dish at The Chronicle, the milk curdled slightly when poured into the onion and corn mixture. We continued with the recipe and the results were successful.

* 1 tablespoon canola oil
* 1 onion, preferably Vidalia, grated
* -- Scraped kernels from 2 ears fresh sweet corn (about 1 cup)
* 2 cups whole milk
* 2 cups water
* -- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
* 1 cup stone-ground or coarse-ground grits
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (about 3 ounces)
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Instructions: In a heavy-bottom saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until transparent, about 2 minutes.

Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kernels become soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the milk, water, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Whisk in the grits, decrease the heat to low, and simmer, whisking occasionally, until the grits are creamy and thick, 45-60 minutes. Stir in the butter, cheese, parsley and chives. Taste and adjust for seasoning with salt and pepper.

Per serving: 285 calories, 11 g protein, 31 g carbohydrate, 13 g fat (7 g saturated), 31 mg cholesterol, 278 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

Jamaican Rice & Peas

Serves 8

In Jamaican cuisine, "peas" usually refers to kidney beans or some other type of small bean.

* 1 cup long-grain white rice
* 1/2 pound dried red kidney beans, soaked in water overnight
* -- Kosher salt
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup chopped onion
* 14 ounce can unsweetened coconut milk (see Note)
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 clove garlic, minced
* 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 Scotch bonnet pepper (or habanero), halved and
* seeded
* -- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions: In a fine mesh strainer, wash the rice in cold running water for 5 minutes. This helps remove excess starch from the rice, and prevents it from becoming gummy or sticky. Set the rice aside to drain.

Put the kidney beans in a medium-size pot and add enough water to cover them by an inch or two. Salt the water liberally. Boil 30-45 minutes, until the beans are tender. Drain and set aside.

In a separate pot, saute the rice in the vegetable oil until opaque, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the onion and saute until slightly tender, about 2 minutes. Combine the coconut milk with the water and add to the pot. Add the garlic, thyme, bay leaf and the Scotch bonnet pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover, reduce heat to low and cook for 15-20 minutes, until all the liquid is absorbed. Fluff rice with fork and fold in the beans. Remove the chile pepper and bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Note: Coconut "cream" powder is a dry packaged product that can be found at Caribbean stores such as Art's Jamaican Market, 4042 Broadway (at 41st, Oakland); (510) 652-2168. If using, substitute 2 cups water for the coconut milk and water. After the rice has cooked 10 minutes, stir in 1 to 2 teaspoons of the coconut powder, then continue cooking for another 5 to 10 minutes or until rice is tender.

Per serving: 215 calories, 4 g protein, 24 g carbohydrate, 13 g fat (10 g saturated), 0 cholesterol, 9 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.

Ginger Lemon Pancakes

Pancake Ingredients
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 1/4 cups milk
2 Tbsp. molasses
1/4 cup butter, melted

Lemon Sauce Ingredients
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
pinch of salt
1 cup water
1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Grated peel from 1 lemon

Pancakes:
In a medium mixing bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, and salt. In a large mixing bowl beat the egg, milk, molasses and butter until well combined. Add dry ingredients to the milk mixture and stir till blended. Batter should be a little lumpy. Pour batter onto a pre-heated, lightly greased griddle or skillet. Cook over medium heat till browned, turning once. Serve with Lemon Sauce.

Lemon Sauce:
In a small saucepan stir together sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in water. Cook, stirring frequently until mixture comes to a boil and is thickened. Cook for 1 minute after reaching a boil. Remove from heat and stir in butter, lemon juice and lemon peel. Serve warm over pancakes.

Chicken & Dumplings

Serves 6

From Jay Foster, Farmer Brown, San Francisco.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt + more to taste

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon brown sugar

4 tablespoons butter, softened

2/3 cup milk

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 6 pieces

Pepper to taste

1 large onion, grated

3 cups chicken stock + more if necessary

1/2 stalk celery, roughly chopped

2 whole peppercorns

INSTRUCTIONS:

Instructions: Sift flour, 1 teaspoon of salt, baking powder and sugar into a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the butter and blend with fingers until evenly distributed. Add milk. Mix well with a spoon or your hands. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll until 1/8-inch thick. Cut into diamond shapes, about 1/2 by 1 inch, with a sharp knife or pizza cutter. One at a time, tuck one corner of diamond toward the center, and using your palm, roll dough into a torpedo shape. Set aside.

Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a wide, deep pan. Season chicken with salt and pepper, add the chicken and onions and cook 2-3 minutes or until chicken is browned. Add 3 cups chicken stock, or enough to cover chicken. Add celery and peppercorns. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pot, strain and reserve liquid, and return to stove and bring to a simmer. Add dumplings, season broth to taste, and cook on low for 15-20 minutes until dumplings are tender and cooked through. They will firm up the longer they cook, so don't simmer them for too long.

To serve, pour the sauce and the dumplings over the warm chicken.

Per serving: 320 calories, 25 g protein, 37 g carbohydrate, 8 g fat (4 g saturated), 63 mg cholesterol, 588 mg sodium, 2 g fiber.

Lemon curd

       Title: Lemon Curd
 Categories: Preserve, English
      Yield: 4 servings

           Grated rind and juice
           3 lemons
      2 lg Or 3 small eggs
      4 oz Butter
      8 oz Sugar

  Wash the lemons and grate the rind finely. Place the lemon juice,
  grated rind, butter and sugar in a bowl set over a saucepan of hot
  water. Stir until the butter has melted and the sugar dissolved.
  Beat the eggs in a separate basin and add slowly to the lemon
  mixture, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon. Transfer to a
  saucepan and cook, stirring occa- sionally, until the curd thickens
  and coats the back of the spoon. Pour into warm jars, cover and
  seal.

Fills approx. 1 qt jar.

Cornbread stuffing

Preparation time: 20 min

Yield: 8 (3/4-cup) servings

4		cups crumbled prepared cornbread
1/4		cup butter, melted
1/4		cup chicken broth
8		slices crisply cooked bacon, crumbled, reserve drippings
4		ribs (2 cups) celery, sliced 1/2-inch
1		medium (1/2 cup) onion, chopped
3		tablespoons reserved bacon drippings
1		teaspoon salt
1/4		teaspoon pepper

Stir together all ingredients in large bowl. Use to stuff 12 to 14 pound turkey.

Casserole Directions: Do not stuff turkey. Heat oven to 350°F. Place mixture into greased 1 1/2-quart casserole dish. Cover, bake for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown on top and temperature in middle reaches 165°F.

Recipe Tip
An 8-inch square baking pan of cornbread will make 4 cups crumbled cornbread.