Time for Morels, the tasty Mushrooms more valuable than gold!

(picture from www.dcnr.state.pa.us)

I love morel mushrooms. I did not have a single morel mushroom last year but hope to this year. Feel free to send me a recipe( or morels ) of you have any.

Fettuccine Alfredo with Morels

Ingredients

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons Cognac
1 1/4 pounds fresh morels, rinsed, drained, and patted dry, or 1/4 pound dried, soaked, drained, and patted dry
1fettuccine
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan plus, if desired, additional as an accompaniment

Preparation

In a skillet melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over moderately low heat, add the cream, the Cognac, and salt and pepper to taste, and bring the mixture to a boil. Add the morels, simmer them, covered, for 10 minutes, and keep the mixture warm. In a kettle of boiling salted water cook the porcini fettuccine and the scallion fettuccine for 3 minutes, or until it is al dente. While the pasta is cooking, in a large deep skillet melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter over low heat. Drain the pasta, add it to the large skillet, and toss it with the butter, lifting the strands. Add the morel mixture, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan, and pepper to taste and toss the mixture well. (Alternatively, the 2 kinds of fettuccine may be cooked and sauced separately.) Serve the pasta on heated plates with the additional Parmesan.

On Saturday May 3, 2008, there is a Morel Mushroom Festival at Brown County State Park. There will be guided hunts, live cooking demonstrations, live music and much more. http://morelmushroomfestival.com/

Morel hunting and cooking video from NUVO on youtube.

How about some chocolate? How about some chili?

How about both?

A friend sent me an email with an interesting recipe that I am looking forward to making soon. It also reminded me of a local event here Bloomington called The Week of Chocolate. It is a week long celebration of chocolate that benefits a lot of great local agencies. What better way to help then with chocolate? From January 26th - February 2, there will be plenty of Options to enjoy chocolate.

Another fundraiser takes place tonight at the Indian Creek Fire Department, a chili supper. From 4:00 7:30, come out and enjoy chili, hot dogs, cole slaw, desserts and drinks. All donations from the fundraiser will be used to continue the operation of the volunteer fire department serving Indian Creek Township.

So what about the recipe in my email? A combination of Chocolate and Chili!

BUSH’S® Chocolate Lovers Chili

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 50 Minutes
Yields: 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoons olive oil 2 pounds lean ground turkey 2 onions, chopped 2 zucchinis, diced 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 tablespoons chili powder 2 tablespoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon oregano 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 (28 ounce) cans diced unsalted tomatoes, with liquid 3 (15 ounce) cans BUSH’S® Black Beans, drained and rinsed 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate For Garnish: 1 cup sour cream 1 cup grated Cheddar cheese Diced jalapenos Baked tortilla chips

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a large, heavy pot or a large enameled cast-iron casserole dish, set over medium-high heat, heat the oil.
2.	Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking the turkey with a wooden spoon and stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl and set aside.
3.	Add the onions and zucchini to the pot and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 6-8 minutes.
4.	Add the garlic, chili, cumin, oregano, salt, and black pepper and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
5.	Add the turkey, tomatoes with the liquid, beans and chocolate, stir until chocolate melts. Simmer the chili over low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6.	Serve the garnishes in individual bowls as a toppings bar, or serve individually, topping each bowl with a dollop of sour cream, sprinkle of cheese and scallions. Kids can crumble tortilla chips on top.

Here is a map to the chili supper.

Currently listening to Gravity by John Mayer

and thinking of

White Chicken Chili for Courthouse Fundraiser

Here is the recipe for the white chili I made for our soup lunch. There are many variations including using ground pork, ground turkey or ground chicken. I prefer the chicken in chunks. It is a little spicy but I took it easy on my co-workers this time. I prefer it a little fiery!
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 4 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts or chicken tenderloins, washed and cubed
• 1 large jalapeno pepper, seeded, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 cans Great Northern beans (16 oz) drained and rinsed well
• juice of 1 lime
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick saucepan over medium-high heat. When oil is very hot, add onion and garlic; saute until onion begins to brown, Add cubed chicken and brown on all sides; add coriander, cumin, and beans.

Reduce heat and simmer for about 5 minutes; add juice of one lime. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Cook chicken chili, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes longer; serve with sour cream, chopped red onion and chopped cilantro.

Boogie Breakfast!

Now before everyone starts emailing me and telling me that disco is dead, you need to calm down. I do not think there will be any Saturday Night Fever tunes playing while you eat!

2007 marks ABATE of Indiana’s 27^th Annual Boogie. The annual festival is expected to draw 13,000 bikers to the Lawrence County Recreational Park in Springville, Indiana.

But aside from that, it is also a time to help out the Grace Center Food Pantry. “Boogie Breakfast” will feature homemade biscuits and sausage gravy served by volunteers at the Harrodsburg Community Center. So, if you are looking for a good breakfast and want to support a great local organization then come out and to the Boogie Breakfast and have a little fun. Tattoos are optional!

Taste of Bloomington

One of my favorite events is coming up this weekend, the Taste of Bloomington. I hope the weather is nice for all of the visitors. I think that I have been at every Taste of Bloomington so I hope to make it to this one. There is always good food and good music. The waiter/waitress race is a fun event to watch. At the same time, the Arts Fair on the Square is going on. So head downtown and have a fun day!