Ingredients:

2 red bell peppers, roasted and cut into small cubes
1 dried New Mexico chili pepper *
1 cup boiling water
1 large onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 cups corn kernels, thawed if frozen
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cans (6 oz. size) drained crabmeat
2 cups whipping cream
fresh chopped parsley or cilantro

Directions:

In a heatproof bowl, soak chili pepper in boiling water for at least 30 minutes. (If chili is not properly reconstituted, it can impart a bitter flavor to the soup.)

In a blender or food processor, puree chili, onion, garlic, cumin seeds and rosemary with 1/2 cup stock. Add to slow cooker stoneware along with remaining stock, bay leaf, salt, black pepper and corn. Cover and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours.

Add roasted pepper, crab and whipping cream. Cover and cook on High for 15 to 20 minutes until heated through. Discard bay leaf. Spoon into bowls and garnish with parsley or cilantro.

* If you can’t find the dried pepper, add smoky hot pepper sauce, preferably made with chipotle peppers, to taste, when soup is done.

- serves 2 -

Adapted from Kitchen Express by Mark Bittman.
Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup pitted black olives
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3 plum tomatoes, chopped (or use canned)
2 tablespoons capers
Small handful basil leaves, slivered
2 eggs
2-4 thick slices peasant bread, toasted (depending on size)
Procedure

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan or skillet over medium heat and add the garlic and onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until soft, then add the olives, tomatoes, and mushrooms. Simmer as the mushrooms release their juices to form a sauce.

2. In the meantime, bring a small pot of water to boil with a splash of vinegar and poach the eggs until the whites are set and the yolk is still runny, about 3 minutes in barely simmering water.

3. Stir in the capers and basil leaves into the mushroom mixture and season to taste with salt and pepper. Toast the bread. Either spread the mushroom mixture onto the bread and top with poached eggs, or put the mixture in individual bowls and top with the eggs, bread on the side. Serve.

Read More: Dinner Tonight: Mediterranean Poached Eggs | Serious Eats : Recipes

Flickr Photo by: Southern Foodways Alliance

However if you’re vegetable gardening to feed your family, you might not want to heed my garden gluttony advice. If you’d like to guarantee there will be plenty of your favorite vegetables, here are some guidelines for how much to plant, per person, in a vegetable garden.

Read More at: About.com

- makes about 4 1/2 to 5 dozen cookies -
Ingredients

4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 teaspoons baking soda
4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cup vegetable, canola or sunflower oil
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
Additional granulated sugar for rolling the cookies
Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

2. Lightly grease two cookies sheets with non-stick cooking spray or butter and line them with parchment paper.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon and set aside.

4. Using and electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the oil, sugar and eggs on medium speed until the mixture is smooth and light. Beat in the eggs, one at time, followed by the molasses, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. On low speed, beat in the dry ingredients to make a firm dough.

5. Place some granulated sugar in a medium bowl. Using lightly floured fingers, form the dough into 3/4-inch balls. Roll each ball in the granulated sugar to evenly coat them. Place the cookies on baking sheets, evenly spaced and inch apart, and lightly press them with your fingers to flatten them slightly.

6. Bake the cookies until they are puffed, cracked, and lightly golden brown, about 16 to 18 minutes, rotating the pans 180° halfway through the baking time to ensure even browning. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for two or three minutes, then use a spatula to gently transfer them onto a wire rack to cool completely.

7. Store the cookies in an airtight container, kept in a cool, dry place, for up to a week.

Read More: | Serious Eats

- makes 30 cookies -

Adapted from Nigella Christmas by Nigella Lawson.
Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 stick (8 tablespoons) plus 1 tablespoon soft butter
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup roughly chopped pecans
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Measure the flour, baking powder, salt and oats into a bowl.

3. Put the butter and sugars into another bowl, and beat together until creamy – this is obviously easier with an electric mixer of some kind, but otherwise you just need to put some muscle into it – then beat in the egg and vanilla extract.

4. Beat in the flour, baking powder, salt and oat mixture, then fold in the cranberries, chopped pecans and chocolate chips.

5. Roll tablespoonsfuls of dough into balls with your hands, then place them on your prepared cookie sheets and squish the dough balls down with a fork. (You may need two cookie sheets or be prepared to make these in 2 batches.)

6. Bake for 15 minutes; when ready, the cookies will be tinged a pale gold, but still be too soft to lift immediately off the sheet, so leave the sheet on a cool surface and let the cookies harden for about 5 minutes. Remove with a spatula, or similar, to cool fully on a wire rack.

Source: Serious Eats

- makes 18 cookies -
Ingredients

2 large egg whites
1 7-ounce bag of sweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup grated almond paste
One pinch of sea salt
Procedure

1. Preheat over to 325°F.

2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the egg whites until very frothy. Add the remaining ingredients and mix by hand until well-combined.

3. Form little haystacks, about a heaping teaspoon in size, using your fingertips and palm. (Have a bowl of water nearby for dipping sticky fingers while shaping.)

4. Place cookies on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, until a nice golden brown and set. Let cookies sit at room temperature until cool.

5. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container to keep moist.

Source: Serious Eats

Makes about 20 mini patties.
Adapted from The Kitchn.

Ingredients

2 cups powdered sugar
1.5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons heavy cream
8 ounces dark or bittersweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon vegetable shortening

Procedure

1. With a blender or StandMixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar, butter, extracts, and heavy cream on low. (Note: if using the StandMixer, it’s important to add the ingredients in that order. Otherwise the mixture becomes concrete on the bottom and crumbs on the top.) Once ingredients are combined, turn mixer to medium speed and beat for another minute or two. The end result should be smooth and adhere very well, almost like a paste. It shouldn’t be lumpy or powdery.

2. Line a large cookie sheet with wax paper. Using a teaspoon or your hands, roll mixture into small balls (about 1-inch or so). Place on cookie sheet and flatten each one into a patty. Once all are made, place in fridge for 20 minutes.

3. While patties are chilling, melt chocolate and shortening together in a microwave, with a double broiler, or using a metal bowl placed over a pot of simmering water. Thenm let mixture cool to room temperature. (Note: don’t place it in the fridge, though. You don’t want it to harden prematurely.)

4. When 20 minutes are up, remove patties from fridge. Using two forks, dunk them one by one into chocolate mixture and roll around until totally coated. Remove and place back on wax paper. When all are finished, place the cookie sheet in the fridge and leave for a few hours, until chocolate hardens.

5. Eat. Store leftovers in the fridge, sealed in a container and separated by wax paper.

Source: Serious Eats