Leek and Goat Cheese Galette

(Contributed by Ursula) OK, I admit it. I am completely obsessed with galettes. I can’t help it. My husband brings home pizza what feels like every other night and there is just so much goopy cheese I can take. Galettes are the perfect alternative for me: yummy dough, hearty filling and just a sprinkle of cheese on top. This particular recipe, from Deborah Madison, is a perfect springtime dish. The herbs don’t need to be fresh; if you use dried, simply cut the amount in half. If you don’t have any cream or crème fraîche around, do not substitute with milk, just omit this ingredient completely; you don’t want the leek mixture to be watery. There is an excellent wine I found at Trader Joe’s. It’s not dry but more reminiscent of a Viognier, but works in this recipe well. Chariot Gypsy from California for under $10 a bottle. Pop the bottle in the fridge in the morning, use ½ a cup for the leeks and drink the rest while you cook. You can thank me later. One last note about the dough: pre-made frozen pie crust works just as well as a homemade galette dough. The flaky, buttery galette dough is no doubt superior, but for time and sanity’s sake, pie crust is a great alternative. Enjoy.

Hunan Chicken with Nuts

I take no credit for this one; not only is the recipe not my own, but I didn’t even make the fabulous dish pictured above. This is my husband’s specialty and he does it well. It’s based on a recipe by Martin Yan, which calls for asparagus and Chinese okra rather than green beans, but we had green beans in the fridge in need of using, so Mr. Ranylt went with those. He’s also made the recipe with roasted unsalted peanuts, which also works. This is a fairly spicy recipe (it falls somewhere between moderate to tolerably hot on my palate; folks with low spice tolerance may wish to leave out the dried chilies and reduce the amount of chili garlic sauce). What makes it sing, besides the incredible sauce, are the deep-fried eggy-bready chicken pieces that melt on the tongue (if you like General Tso’s chicken, you will love this dish). The amounts below make a full meal for 2 people, or a dish that can be shared with 4 people as part of a larger selection.

Spice Chiffon Cake with Maple Boiled Icing

The following recipes for cake and icing are found in the old — very old — Red Roses Cookbook, a mid-century Canadian kitchen staple. Mine is some ancient edition with the covers long gone so I can’t say for sure what version it is. If asked, I respond, “The stained one.” I paired the maple icing with the spice cake on a whim, but the cake recipe suggests any old frosting (or a dusting of icing sugar) will do, so if maple isn’t your thing, improvise! (a plain boiled icing would also be gonzo).

Fresh Apple Cake

In a large mixing bowl, beat together:
1½ Cups cooking oil
3 Large eggs

Measure into a separate bowl:
3 Cups plain flour
2 Cups brown sugar
1 teasp baking soda
1 teasp salt
Mix the dry ingredients together with a fork until the flour and sugar are evenly combined.

Then with the mixer running in the oil/egg bowl, add the dry ingredients a little at a time until the wet and dry are well-incorporated.

Peanut Butter Fudge

(Contributed by Ursula) Today I had an overwhelming taste for something sweet and salty and had no patience for elaborate baking recipes. I found this simple fudge recipe at Mihow.com, a blog written by a poor soul who was 41 weeks pregnant with no contractions in sight and a need for something sweet and salty as well. Thank you pregnant Mums for giving us delicious and simple recipes!

Lentil Curry

(Contributed by Ursula, who never met a bean she couldn’t make absolutely delicious just by looking at it.)

White Bean and Artichoke Heart Pasta

White Bean and Artichoke Heart Pasta

So good, my camera gets all steamed up just looking at it...

I make this dish a lot — it’s easy and it doesn’t take very long, and miracle upon miracles, everyone who eats it loves it. Your life feels better after eating it, I promise.

Siege’s Lazy-Person Enchiladas

Hi, I’m excited to be making my debut here at Godtopus Eats. I hope my food doesn’t make you barf

I will admit something to you — I am lazy. Very lazy. On occasion I like to do big-deal cooking, but if I am going to cook during the week, it is likely going to be something VERY simple. This Green Chili Enchilada recipe is adapted from one I found on Simply Recipes, which is a great food website. I made it a lot easier and a little more filling.

Meatloaf Sammiches

That’s right, SAMMICHES. Love them. Covet them. Eat them.

The mister and I are unashamedly enamored with the carb+meat+cheese+tomato combination. Tacos, pizza, sandwiches (*ahem* sammiches), whatever. There are days when any other type of meal just won’t do.

Why is the photo focused on my beer instead? Because that was certainly not my first beer. (Not Sam Adams, however -- a French one called la Divine.)

Pasta with Garbanzo Bean Sauce

(Contributed by Ursula) I have been eating nothing but room service and convenience store food for the last two weeks. So when I woke up at home Saturday morning, nothing sounded better than a couple of bottles of wine, a marathon of Firefly and a home cooked meal. I wasn’t up to making anything involved so I decided upon pasta, and the below recipe is one of those super adaptable ones.