by Lisa Carlson
Index of Recipes
Welcome to the Cook's Corner.

Announcing the details of the Chili cooking contest. Send your entries for the chili cooking contest to cookscorner@townweb.com. Entries are open until February 8. The winners will be announced at the end of February. I and the other members of the townweb team will be doing the judging. The winners will have the option of a free cooking class with me, a free web page or free advertising on the townweb. Your recipe will also be featured in an upcoming Cook's Corner, we can include your picture too.

In keeping with the blizzard of 1996, I am providing lots of warming soup and bread recipes.

Look forward to lots of warming recipes - soups, stews, casseroles. More low-calorie recipes and we will explore vegetarian cooking too. We will also be featuring the food pyramid in an upcoming article.

Cook's Corner can also be accessed through the columns section of the Herndon/Reston web.

Please continue sending me your comments, inquiries and suggestions.

On to the recipes:


Saute the onion, green pepper and beef with garlic powder, paprika and cumin until the beef is browned. Add the rest of the ingredients except for the egg noodles. Simmer for 30 minutes or until the potatoes and cabbage are almost tender. Add the egg noodles and simmer until they are cooked.


Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, sour cream and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients. Mix just until the ingredients are blended. The batter may still be a little lumpy. Bake 15-20 minutes in a 375F oven.


Slice the chorizo into 1/4 inch rounds and then slice those into half moons. Saute the onions and green pepper with the garlic powder and a little oil. Brown the sausage and ground meat. Add the sauteed onion mixture, beans, tomatoes, broth and spices to the browned meat. Allow this to simmer gently for at least 30 minutes. Add the corn 10 minutes before serving the chili. This chili is very dark, thick, and spicy. It is excellent with a hearty sour dough bread or the following bread recipe. I would suggest a dollop of sour cream and a lime wedge as garnish.


Mix the wet ingredients. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Combine the wet and dry ingredients until just mixed. Bake 15-20 minutes in a 400F oven until golden brown.


Saute the onion, green pepper, and garlic. Add the broth, beans, spices, tomatoes, carrots, and potatoes and simmer until vegetables are tender. Add the meatballs (see meatball recipe below), zucchini, greens and pasta and simmer until the pasta is tender. Taste the broth and add any additional spices, salt and pepper.


Use a third and half of this meatball mixture for the soup. Put the meatballs into mini muffin tins and bake in a 350F oven for 12-15 minutes.


Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix. On a lightly floured surface knead the dough until it is smooth. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Roll into 6-10 inch breadsticks. Roll the breadsticks in sesame seeds. Place on a cookie sheet. Bake in a 400F oven for 20 minutes. The secret to a crispy breadstick is to leave them in the oven for an extra 5-10 minutes while the oven is off.

Thank you for stopping by the Cook's Corner. There will be new recipes and suggestions next week. Please send your favorite recipes, suggestions, comments and questions to cookscorner@townweb.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Lisa Carlson has been a cooking instructor for over three years with the Fairfax County Adult Education program. She also teaches cooking and art classes for children and adults at the Herndon Community Center. She studied cooking during her junior year of college in Scotland, while she traveled throughout Europe, and during her year long tenure in Japan. She has appeared in 9 television programs on cooking, puppetry, and gift basket design on the Fairfax County public access channel.


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