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Welcome to the September version of Dishin’ with Debbie and welcome (almost) to Fall! I just love Fall, don’t you? Since there were some “misplaced” months this summer (where does the time go???), we’ll be making up for some lost time with this edition. We’ll be covering France or England or Scotland for The Da Vinci Code, India (or seafood ;) for The Life of Pi and Germany for The Book Thief. Whew! We’ll be ready for a nap after this whirlwind literary/culinary journey. Now, last month I threw down a challenge, as I am wont to do, and not many of you picked it up. Know what I’m sayin’?? But to those of you who did, I give my most sincere thanks. And the

winner is……(imagine a long drum roll here…) Ms. Melanie Percha from the District 10 Engineering Office in lovely Indiana, PA!! Congratulations, Melanie! You win the fabulous prize of a lifetime supply of Rice a Roni! Wahoo! (I remember some game show that used to do this when I was a kid and I always wondered just how much a lifetime supply of Rice a Roni was?) Just kidding- she will get a REAL prize! OK- enough digression. Let’s get this party tour STARTED!

Those of you who read TDVC (or saw the movie. What was UP with Tom Hank’s hair??) know that this is a murder mystery with more twists and turns and clues than you can shake a stick at. It also takes place in some of the most beautiful and fascinating places in the world, such as The Louvre in Paris, Westminster Abbey in England and Scotland. NOT, as I pointed out in my August call for recipes, in Italy. What was I thinking? Da Vinci’s (who WAS Italian) most famous painting hangs in

the Louvre. Apparently the King of France acquired it way back in 1797. I guess the “Da Vinci” part of the name got me thinking of pasta. Mama Mia!

Melanie sent a recipe for an adult beverage that has very obvious ties to the book (and it sounds delicious and refreshing as well as QUITE potent. So only indulge in this delicious concoction at home or if you have a Designated Driver! ☺) She notes that the addition of the juices in the beverage are to your taste.

Mona Lisa Smile Ingredients:

• 1 shot tequila • 1 shot coconut run • 1 shot rum • Pineapple juice • Orange juice • Grenadine for color

Directions:

1.) Pour all ingredients into a shaker with ice. 2.) Strain or enjoy over ice.

DISHIN’ WITH DEBBIE! FOOD FOR HIGH ACHIEVING

INDIVIDUALS

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Katie Mathews, of the State Employees’ Retirement System has chosen not to focus on the countries, but the theme of uncovering secrets. She provides a delicious sounding recipe for a Chocolate Cherry Peek-a-Boo cake and she even provided a picture of her very own version of this cake. Bravo, Katie! Katie writes, “It’s been several years since I read the Da Vinci Code but my general recollection is that it is about uncovering secrets. This is a cake with a secret surprise inside. I tried making it for the first time for this past Mother’s Day. It’s a bit time consuming (Editor’s note: I’ll say! Better set aside an entire day to try this one!), but if it turns out like it’s supposed to, it’s got great visual impact (Editor’s note: I agree, Katie. Lovely!) You’ll definitely be asked, “How’d you do that?” NOTE: The cherry cake won’t rise much so you’ll need a cookie cutter that’s more short than tall.

Chocolate Cherry Peek-a-boo Cake

Cherry Bread Ingredients (Cake 1)

• 10 ounce jar of maraschino cherries • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour • 1 cup granulated sugar • 2 teaspoons baking powder • Pinch of salt • 2 large eggs • 1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil • 1 teaspoon almond extract

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Chocolate Pound Cake Ingredients (Cake 2) • 1 (3.4 ounces) package chocolate instant pudding mix • 4 large eggs • 1 1/4 cup water • 1/2 cup vegetable oil • 1 package Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Devil's Food Cake Mix

Cherry Glaze Ingredients

• 1/4 cup maraschino cherry juice • 1 teaspoon almond extract • 11/2 to 2 cups confectioners' sugar

The process: You’ll make and bake one cake in a loaf pan, let it cool, slice it, and cut out shapes with a cookie cutter. Then you’ll prepare the batter for the second cake, place a small amount of the batter in the bottom of a loaf pan, arrange the cut out cake shapes tightly from front to back, fill in with the remainder of batter, and cook.

Directions:

Cake 1 1.) Grease and flour one 9x5 loaf pan.

2.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

3.) Measure out ¼ cup maraschino cherry juice and set aside for the cherry glaze.

4.) Puree remaining cherry juice and cherries until smooth.

5.) In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

6.) In a small mixing bowl, combine cherry puree, eggs, oil, almond extract and vanilla extract.

Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients and stir to combine; don’t overmix.

7.) Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

8.) Cook for 50 minutes or until done.

9.) Let rest in pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack. Let cool completely.

10.) Slice cake.

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11.) Use a cookie cutter to cut out shape (e.g., heart).

12.) Place cut- out cake shapes in freezer while working on preparing chocolate pound cake.

(NOTE: You might be able to skip the freezer step – I wanted the slices a little cooler (not

frozen solid) so they didn’t over bake.)

Cake 2 1.) Grease and flour one 9x5 loaf pan.

2.) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

3.) In a large bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water and oil.

4.) Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.

5.) Pour a small amount of batter into the loaf pan – just enough to cover the bottom.

6.) Retrieve the cut out cake shapes from the freezer and arrange tightly in loaf pan from front

to back.

7.) Pour remaining chocolate pound cake batter into pan. (NOTE: Use discretion on fill level,

there might be extra chocolate pound cake batter.)

8.) Bake for 50 minutes or until done.

9.) Let rest in pan for 15 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.

Glaze 1.) Whisk together cherry juice, almond extract and 1 ½ cups confectioner’s sugar.

2.) Continue adding confectioner’s sugar until desired consistency is achieved.

3.) Drizzle glaze over cake.

4.) Enjoy!

Whew! I’m tired just formatting that recipe, but it sounds delicious. Thanks, Katie! I’m sure your Mother was thrilled to get it. The ever faithful Linda Avetta went way above and beyond (as she is wont to do) and sent me not

one but THREE recipes (but, since she is humble also, she deferred on winning the prize, but she’s still a winner in my book!) Here’s the first recipe.

Dan’s Three Cheese Eggplant Lasagna Ingredients:

• 1 large eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds • Olive oil as needed • 1 small onion, chopped • 1 clove garlic, crushed • 3-4 Roma tomatoes, remove seeds and chop • 2 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach leaves (NOTE: make sure spinach is thoroughly dry) • 1/2 cup ricotta cheese • 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided • 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided • 3/4 cup tomato pasta sauce (Linda says: I make my own homemade. If I don’t have

homemade on hand I prefer to use Classico Sweet Basil) • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning

Directions:

1.) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 2.) Brush eggplant slices with olive oil on both sides and place them on a baking sheet. 3.) Sprinkle garlic powder over the top. 4.) Bake for 10 minutes. 5.) Heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 6.) Add onion, garlic, tomatoes and spinach. 7.) Cook and stir for a few minutes until fragrant, and the tomatoes have released their

juices. 8.) In a medium bowl, mix together 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese

and 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese. Set aside.

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9.) Place the eggplant slices in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. 10.) Top with the spinach mixture. 11.) Spoon the cheese mixture over the spinach and spread into a thin layer. 12.) Pour the spaghetti sauce over the cheese layer. 13.) Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese over the top. 14.) Sprinkle with Italian seasoning. 15.) Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until heated through and the

eggplant is easily pierced with a fork.

Ms. Diane Good of the Department of State sent a link to a recipe for Pepperoni Hopple Popple or Pepperoni Eggs. She says it was, “Inspired by an Italian grandmother but could be found in my PA Dutch grandmother’s home.” Diane further laments, “Did I ever have a chance to be thin—pasta and dumplings!?” which the DWD editors answers with, “Who cares? Good food is more important! ;)”

Pepperoni Hopple Popple (aka Pepperoni Eggs) Ingredients:

• 1 cup egg substitute

• 1 egg

1. 3 green onions, thinly sliced

2. 8 pepperoni slices, diced

3. ½ teaspoon garlic powder

4. 1 teaspoon melted butter

5. ¼ cup grated Romano cheese

6. Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.) Whisk egg substitute, egg, green onions, pepperoni slices, and garlic powder together in a bowl.

2.) Heat butter in a non-stick skillet over low heat. 3.) Add egg mixture, cover skillet and cook until eggs are set, 10 to 15 minutes. 4.) Sprinkle Romano cheese over eggs and season with salt and pepper.

Kris Langer, a bridge engineer in PennDOT sent a similar family recipe. Kris says, “It’s an Italian recipe from my dad’s family. It’s not quite a calzone because you can serve it hot or cold (we prefer cold). Not sure which part of Italy it’s from since my great-grandfather was from Naples but my great-grandmother was from Basilicata. Either way it’s good! This recipe usually makes two. It's best to do in two separate baking dishes.

Pizza Gain

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Italian sausage (hot or mild- we use mild), taken out of casing

• 1/2 stick (or so) of pepperoni, sliced

• 2 slices of thickly cut (about 1/2 inch) domestic ham, chopped

• 8 ounce package of shredded mozzarella

• Handful of Parmesan/Reggiano cheese (Editor’s note: more cheese is a GOOD thing. Make it a BIG handful!)

• 3 or 4 hardboiled eggs, chopped

• 2 Tablespoons parsley

• 1 lb. ricotta

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• 2 or 3 raw eggs (just enough to hold everything together and not be runny) plus one more for egg wash (optional)

• Pillsbury pizza dough in a tube, room temperature (or, if you are feeling really industrious, you can make your own bread dough!)

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

2.) Fry sausage until no longer pink and drain

3.) Combine meat with cheeses, eggs and parsley.

4.) Stretch out dough on a floured board and roll to approximately a 12 inch rectangle

(long enough to fit onto cookie sheet or 13x9x2 glass Pyrex dish.

5.) Fill the dough with the meat/cheese mixture in the middle.

6.) Fold over one side, followed by the ends and then the other side and seal.

7.) Put seam side down in pan (Pyrex works best).

8.) If using egg wash, beat one egg and brush on top of dough.

9.) Bake 15 min. at 450 degrees.

10.) Lower oven to 350 degrees and bake for 35 more minutes.

So, let’s move on to The Life of Pi. This was one of the few books made into movie where I thought the movie was as good as the book, but it may have been a little difficult to understand the movie without reading the book. The question remains; what really happened? Hmmm…

Melanie sent a hearty vegetarian stew recipe that reflects the Indian heritage of the main characters in the story. This stew is often served over jasmine rice.

Indian Chickpea Stew

Ingredients:

• 1 large onion, finely chopped • 2 Tablespoons olive oil • 1 Tablespoon butter • 2 cloves garlic- minced • 2 teaspoons ground cumin • 3 inch cinnamon stick • ½ teaspoon chili powder • 4 cups vegetable broth • 2 cups cubed and peeled butternut squash • 15 ounce can garbanzo (chick) peas – rinsed and drained • 14 ½ oz. can diced tomatoes • 1 red potato- cubed • 1 sweet potato- cubed • 1 lemon- thinly sliced • ¼ teaspoon salt • 2 small zucchini – cubed • 3 Tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Directions:

1.) Sauté onion in oil and butter. 2.) Add garlic, cumin, cinnamon stick and chili powder. 3.) Stir in broth, chickpeas, squash, tomatoes and potatoes, lemon and salt. 4.) Bring to a boil. 5.) Reduce heat cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

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6.) Add zucchini and return to boil. 7.) Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 8 minutes. 8.) Discard cinnamon stick and lemon slices. 9.) Stir in cilantro

Linda Avetta sent in a vegetarian recipe starring corn, which you can get fresh from the farmer’s field at this time.

Curried Corn

Ingredients:

• 6 ears of corn (kernels cut off cob) • 1 cup peanuts (crushed) • 1/8 teaspoon turmeric • ½ teaspoon whole cumin • ½ teaspoon mustard seed • 2 whole cloves • Salt and cayenne pepper to taste • 1 clove garlic, crushed • ½ teaspoon ginger • 5 Tablespoon oil (peanut or olive) • 1 can (15 ounces) crushed tomatoes • Chinese parsley

Directions:

1.) Heat oil to hot. 2.) Add mustard seeds and cloves. 3.) Cover the pan and when it begins to crackle, add cumin. 4.) When it all comes to a brownish color, add tomatoes. 5.) Cook for 5 minutes. 6.) Add the remaining spices and corn. 7.) Cook until corn is tender. 8.) Garnish with Chinese parsley.

Last, but certainly not least is The Book Thief. This spine tingling and somewhat dark tale of Nazi Germany was apparently meant to be a young adult/teen book, but adults took to it as well. This is another one where, IMHO, the movie was as good as the book. The young actress who played Liesel Meminger in the movie (Sophie Nélisse) was phenomenal. But I digress (again…). Linda Avetta sent an absolutely scrumptious recipe for pork chops. I can’t wait to try it! However, it is a little complicated, so pay attention to Ms. Avetta’s detailed directions!

Pork Chops with Glazed Carrots and Pan Potatoes

Ingredients:

• Bourbon pepper (found whole in grinder) • 6 thinly sliced pork chops • Thyme, divided • Olive oil, divided • 1/3 cup orange juice • 3 large carrots, julienned (microwave first just to start to soften them) • 2 very large baking potatoes or 4 medium red skinned potatoes (I prefer red-skinned);

julienned or grated (large grate) (just like carrots, first bake potatoes slightly in microwave so they are not completely raw)

• ½ small onion, chopped • 1 egg, beaten • 1 Tablespoon flour

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• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1.) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 2.) Crack bourbon pepper and sprinkle that and the crushed thyme leaves on both sides of

pork chops. 3.) Heat olive oil in oven-safe skillet, just to coat pan bottom, to hot. 4.) Sear chops, about 3 minutes on each side. 5.) Add carrots. Put into oven for 10 minutes. While that’s in the oven … 6.) Beat egg in large bowl. 7.) Add onion, salt and pepper to taste and a few crushed thyme leaves. 8.) Add potatoes and stir gently until all are coated. 9.) Add flour and stir gently again until coated. 10.) Heat olive oil, coating bottom of small sauté pan. 11.) Dump potatoes into pan and flatten with a spatula. 12.) Allow to brown, then flip and brown the other side. I usually cut the pan potato into 4 and then flip each section separately. 13.) While potatoes are cooking…remove pork skillet from oven and place back on stove. 14.) Remove chops and keep on warming plate; carrots remain in skillet. 15.) Turn burner to high heat and add OJ to deglaze skillet and thicken slightly. 16.) Serve carrots and glaze with pork chops and potatoes.

DWD Cooking Lesson: Deglazing

Deglazing is a fancy word for pouring cold liquid into a very hot pan and stirring vigorously to get up all the brown bits or “fond”, which is where the flavor lies, stuck to the bottom of the pan.

Steps:

1.) Remove any burnt material in the pan you are going to deglaze. 2.) Pour off most of the fat. 3.) Turn the heat up to high. 4.) Add cold liquid to the hot pan. The liquid will come up to boiling very quickly, bringing up the

brown bits on the bottom of the pan 5.) Using a spoon or spatula, scrape up the fond as the liquid boils. Stir frequently. 6.) Once the fond is dispersed throughout the liquid, turn down the heat

Mandy Book provided web links to recipes about a number of the books for this year and here’s a recipe specifically mentioned in the book, Pea Soup! Since the Memingers are very poor, it is

described as a meager soup that is not incredibly tasty, but it is nourishing.

Liesel’s Mama’s Pea Soup

Ingredients:

• Peas • Enough chicken broth to just cover the peas in the pot • Lemon juice to taste • Olive Oil to taste • Smoked Paprika to taste

Directions:

1.) Put the peas in a pot with just enough chicken broth (or water if you want to make this vegetarian) to cover the peas over medium heat.

2.) Cook for about 20 minutes, until the peas are cooked through, but slightly al dente. 3.) In a blender, or with an immersion blender, liquefy 3/4 of your mixture.

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4.) Add in the rest so that your soup has some texture. 5.) Squeeze in some lemon juice. 6.) Place back on the burner until the mixture is the consistency you like. You’ll notice that

mine is rather thin, but if you left this on the burner for longer, it could easily be much thicker.

7.) Pour into a bowl and top with some smoked paprika and olive oil.

In keeping with my philosophy to always provide at least one sweet recipe, our last recipe is from Melanie and it sounds divine. It’s a stolen (a German pastry) which is popularly served during the Christmas holidays. It’s made with yeast, so it’s not an easy recipe, but well worth the trouble!

Fruit and Nut Stolen

Ingredients:

• 4 ½ cups flour • 1 teaspoon cardamom • ¼ cup sugar • 3 teaspoons active yeast • ½ teaspoon salt • 1 ¼ cups milk • ½ cup plus 3 Tablespoons butter, softened and divided • 1 egg • ¼ cup each – raisins, dried cranberries, chopped dried pineapple, chopped apricots,

chopped pecans, chopped almonds, chopped walnuts • ½ teaspoon lemon extract

Glaze • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar • 4 ½ teaspoons lemon juice

Directions:

1.) Combine 2 cups of flour, sugar, yeast, cardamom and salt in a large bowl. 2.) In a small saucepan, heat milk and ½ cup butter to 120 to 130 degrees. 3.) Add to dry mixture and beat until moistened. 4.) Add egg and beat until smooth. 5.) Stir in remaining flour to form a soft dough. It will be sticky. 6.) Turn onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic (about 6-8 minutes). 7.) Place in a bowl coated in oil or cooking spray and cover and let rise in a warm place

until doubled in size (about 1 hour). (Editor’s note: It is important to make sure the place you put the dough is the proper environment. If it doesn’t rise enough, you’ll have very HEAVY stolen!)

8.) In a small bowl, combine nuts and fruits and extract. 9.) Punch down dough after it has doubled. 10.) Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead fruit/nut mixture into dough. 11.) Divide dough into thirds. 12.) Roll each portion into a 10 x 8 oval. 13.) Melt remaining butter and brush over dough. 14.) Fold long side over and press edges to seal. 15.) Place on a baking sheet coated with spray and cover. 16.) Let rise until double (about 45 minutes). 17.) Bake at 375 degrees for 14 to 16 minutes. 18.) Make glaze and drizzle over loaves.

WHEW! That’s all for this month, but start thinking about what culinary delights are conjured up in your mind by It- Stephen King. Now, I threw this one in as a bit of a puzzle. It may

require that you get a little creative, perhaps even a little creepy….

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Have a lovely fall, All.

• November – The Hunger Games – Suzanne Collins • December – Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen

Send me those recipes as soon as you can! I will be forever grateful to you to not

have to come up with them all on my own. P l e a s e s end recipes to

dereihart@pa.gov. Hurry up and do it now so you ! -Debbie

Until Next MonthUntil Next MonthUntil Next MonthUntil Next Month---- Keep on Dishin’!Keep on Dishin’!Keep on Dishin’!Keep on Dishin’!