What is your signature dish?

Cold black and white bean salad- make the day before, refrigerate.

Yield: 8–10 servings, but infinitely expandable

2 cans black beans (drained)
2 cans white beans (drained)
1 can corn (drained)
1 chopped red onion
1 chopped red pepper
1 chopped yellow pepper
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
ground pepper
Cumin Vinaigrette to taste- I don’t use it all.

These ingredients may be fiddled w. I added chopped black olives and I think
that tuna would be nice, too..if you want to start w. fresh beans and corn
and cook and drain and scrape, that works, too. I have added some chicken salad , and that was a nice combo also.
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Cumin Vinaigrette

1/4 cup cider vinegar and 1/4 c. fresh lime juice
1 T. Dijon mustard
1 1/2 t ground cumin (I used more)
1 1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil
a sprinkle of kosher salt
1 t ground pepper

Combine vinegar, lime juice, cumin, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk
well. Slowly add olive oil, whisking constantly until smooth..

flour tortillas. I follow directions on the back of the “La Pina” flour bag(the one with a pineapple) and beans. Boil the water, mash the beans add the oil and voilà!

@gailcalled: I’m going to have to make your salad this week. It sounds so yummy!!!

I don’t know if I have just one… when we have guests over, I’ll always serve classic (pre-‘50s) cocktails and typically do a seasonal grilled meal.

In the summer, it’d likely be pork spare ribs & baby back ribs smoked over hickory & cherry wood with my original plum-bourbon BBQ sauce.

Greek Pasta Salad:

1 package Gemelli pasta (sub any short noodle you like)
1 can small black olives, sliced
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced (I like mine in big chunks)
1 cup (or entire package) feta cheese
1 bottle greek vinagrette salad dressing (I use Kroger brand or Kraft, any will do)
1/2 red onion (or to taste)

Chill and serve. Be sure to mix well each time you pull it from the fridge, dressing settles. Add more if it starts to get dry.

I do not have just one signature dish. Here is one I like.

Smoked Chicken White Chili
Meat from 2 cooked chicken breasts (or 1 breast and a leg quarter) shredded
½ large yellow or sweet onion, diced
1 can Rotel Original (mild if you don’t like heat)
½ Rotel can of water
½ c. catsup (I use Heinz low carb)
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
A few drops liquid smoke
2 dashes Worcestershire sauce
3–4 Tbsps. Cumin
1–2 Tbsps. Chili powder
Fresh ground black pepper
Dash of Tabasco or other hot sauce (to taste)
½ to 1 can cannellini beans (white kidney beans)

Saute the diced onions in evoo. Add Rotel, water, catsup, tomato paste and all seasonings. Simmer until flavors blend (10–15 minutes). Add cooked chicken and beans and heat through.

Serves 4.

Note: I developed this recipe after I was stuck with a ton of leftover chicken from a catered BBQ event. As a shortcut, purchase BBQ chicken from a smokehouse. If you use that, eliminate the liquid smoke.

I’m a chili purist, but this can be served with bowls of sour cream, minced fresh chives, and shredded jack or cheddar cheese, if desired.

Chocolate chip cookies. I use Mrs. Fields’ classic recipe, but people kill each other to get a hold of one of my cookies.

I’m the dessert guy in my social circle. This is the cake I whoop out for special occasions (if I can get good strawberries). It’s a “Fraisier”.

seafood quesidillas
recipe: secret
your going to have to ask me to cook it for you

@Harp One picture definitely worth 1,000 words there. Yum.

Pizza from Papa Johns with a little salt.
Put it on a big plate and tell the guests it took you 6 hours to make.

thank you all for sharing your recipes and dishes! harp, your cake looks AMAZING. will you share the recipe with us? :D

No where as good as my Aunt Marie’s recipe but everyone still loves it.

Portuguese Bean Soup

main dish, soups

1 lb dried kidney beans
1 lg smoked ham shank
1 can tomato sauce; Or diced tomatos
1 c chopped onion
1 clove garlic
2 tbsps salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 c potato; cubed
1 1/2 c carrot; cubed
6 c cabbage; coarsely chopped
1/2 pkg spaghetti; broken up

Wash and drain beans in 8 qt kettle, bring 4 qts of water to boiling add
ham, beans, tomato sauce, onion, garlic, salt and pepper.

Bring to boil and simmer, covered for 5 hours.

Add potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and spaghetti. Bring to boil simmer
uncovered 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove ham shank, cut meat into 2 inch cubes, return meat to soup.

Serve with garlic bread.

Yield:
“7 qts”

OK, I’ll share my “house cocktail” recipe:

Old Fashioned

2 oz Maker’s Mark bourbon whisky
One orange wheel, halved
One Maraschino cherry
Angostura bitters
Simple syrup
Pellegrino

1. In an Old Fashioned glass, muddle the orange, cherry, syrup, & bitters.
2. Fill the glass 2/3 full with crushed ice.
3. Add 2 oz bourbon.
4. Top with Pellegrino and stir lightly from the bottom to mix.

@PupnTaco – now I’ve got alcohol on the brain! :)

Here’s my signature creation:

Rum Sunset

3oz Rum (or to taste) :)
Orange juice (pulp is nice)
1–2 tsp lime juice
2–3 maraschino cherries
2 tsp plash maraschino cherry syrup

1. Fill glass 1/2–2/3 full with crushed ice
2. Add rum (I use Bacardi)
3. Add orange juice until full
4. Add lime juice and stir
5. Add syrup and top with cherries (and pineapple, if you like)

Use a clear glass…the drink fades in color from orange on top to red on bottom. Reminds me of a sunset. Be careful…this is a sneaky drink. Can’t taste the rum!

<——enjoys a Rum Sunset as we speak. Thanks PupnTaco ;)

I’ll try yours if you try mine! :)

I forgot to mention that’s four drops of bitters in the drink. Not the same without it!

p.s. Simple Syrup = 2 cups sugar & 1 cup water, boil then simmer to dissolve sugar crystals.

extra crispy Italian parmasian encrusted buffalo wings with a warm gorgonzola dipping sauce.

Tarte Tatin
Preheat oven to 350.
Peel, halve and core 4 apples – Granny Smiths are great, they must be very acidic.
Put half a cup of brown or white sugar in the bottom of an omelette pan and melt it
over a fairly low flame. Don’t let it burn or even get very brown.
Take the pan off the heat and place the apple halves in it, round side up.
Pour over the apples l/4 cup of apple cider mixed with 2 tsp of real vanilla.
Dot the apples with lots of little dots of butter.
Cover the whole thing with a good flaky pie crust. (I’m ashamed to say that I use the
Pillsbury ones you can get in the red boxes, already made. Mine aren’t as good.)
Bake for about 40 minutes, till the crust is very brown and the apples are very soft.
(poke with small thin knife).
Let cool very slightly, loosen the edges, put a big plate over the pan, and flip the whole tart intact onto the plate. It will be beautiful: brown, a little juicy, with the crust crispy and the apples melting into each other.
Serve with a little unsweetened whipped cream.

Susanc, Tarte Tatin is my single favorite dessert in the universe.

Me too! I hope you approve of this recipe for it. I think it would be everyone’s
fave if everyone knew about it.

Susanc, I’ll have to try this recipe it’s so simple. It’s the complicity of the usual recipe for Tarte Tatin that keeps me away. :D

I don’t think that making a Tarte Tatin involves wrongdoing or illicit activities w. others, does it? (perhaps you mean “complexity?”)

Yummy dessert, tho. I agree w. that.

“First, steal 5 apples….”

LOL! @gailcalled Your right! I was basically asleep when I posted that.

All is forgiven. Just send me an apple tart. (my address on request.)

gailcalled strikes again ;)

So, is my tarte tatin in the mail?

LOL! I need to go buy or steal some apples first. Tho’ I’m not sure it would arrive in one piece or just crumbs. :D

I make an apple sausage and cabbage dish

I use apple sausage from trader joes (any apple and chicken sausage will do), apple pieces, maple syrup, cabbage, and sometimes brussels sprouts.

Chop or shred the cabbage and or brussels sprouts.
Heat olive oil or pam on low, and add the chopped mixture.
Let it SLOWLY cook and soften in the pan
While it is cooking, chop the sauage into think pieces and add to the skillet
Chop and add the apples
Add a little maple syrup (I usually just eye-ball it.. maybe 1/4 cup) and stir
You can also add a little apple cider vinegar to cut the sugar, but use sparingly
Cover and let all the flavors mix together on low

Oh PLEASE! Don’t tell me about Trader Joes! I miss that store SOOOOO! MUCH! I wish one would open here in Pocatello.

MMM, I’m going to have to try that recipe out. Sounds really good!

Gumbo or marinated pork with rice and gravy.

A classic almond-anise biscotti with chocolate drizzled on top. Also, Mom’s cheesecake recipe, which is second to none.

I get asked to bring broccoli salad to a lot of things:

Broccoli Salad

2 bunches of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces (fresh bagged broccoli works too)
1 Vidalia or red onion, chopped
1–1/2 cup dried cherries or cranberries
1 lb bacon, fried crispy and chopped (2 boxes microwave bacon)

Dressing
(Best if made the night before or at least several hours before)

1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup sugar
¼ cup cider or raspberry vinegar (something mild; not white, not red wine)

Mix the mayonnaise, sugar, and cider together in a jar or plastic container. Shake well to blend together. Chill in refrigerator.

I usually prep everything ahead of time and keep in the fridge in plastic bags. When you’re ready to serve, put broccoli, onion, cranberries and bacon in a bowl. Drizzle dressing on top. (You probably won’t use all of it. It keeps for a long time.) Serve right away.