Nourish! The Azerothian Menu

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp (42.5g) unsalted butter
• 3 tbsp (42.5g) all-purpose flour
• 3 cups (70cl) milk
• 4 quarts (3.75l) water
• 1 lb (450g) radiatore pasta
• 12 oz (340g) sharp cheddar
• 4 oz (115g) feta
• 1 large (large) onion
• Salt and pepper to taste

You may use any sort of small pasta you like. (This doesn’t work as well with long pastas like spaghetti.) The quest calls for Limburger, but since mosquitos can’t tell the difference between Limburger and human feet, you’re getting cheddar, with feta in to simulate the texture of Limburger.

Directions

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F/180C.
2. In a large pot, boil the water. (This is becoming a trend.)
3. While the water is boiling, dice the onion and grate the cheddar. (You may, alternately, buy pre-grated or shredded cheddar, but you still have the dice the onion.)
4. When the water boils, add the pasta and cook according to the package. (Usually about 10 minutes.)
5. Over very low heat in a separate saucepan, melt the butter. If the butter turns brown, start over with new butter.
6. When the butter is molten, add the flour and stir until the lumps smooth out.
7. Gradually stir 1 cup of milk into the butter/flour mixture. Continue stirring until the new lumps smooth out. (Adding the milk chills the butter/flour mixture, which makes it clump up because of the way starches work.)
8. Add the other 2 cups of milk to the sauce. The new milk shouldn’t make it any lumpier. Stir until the sauce has returned to its higher temperature in accordance with prophecy the heat of the burner.
9. Add both kinds of cheese and let the cheddar melt. (The feta will not melt as readily; don’t worry about it.)
10. When the pasta is done, drain it and immediately transfer it to a large casserole dish. (Mine’s 9″x13″ – 23cmx33cm.)
11. Toss the diced onion liberally over the pasta.
12. When the cheese has fully melted, pour the sauce over the pasta and onions. It will settle to the bottom. This is okay. Toss the pasta in the sauce.
13. Cover the casserole in aluminum foil. Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Special thanks to Diane Clahsen! In her Aussie honor we’ve included metric conversions in this recipe.

Just about everyone I know loves salsa – who doesn’t?  It’s good for any occasion at any time – picnics, movie nights, Super Bowl Sunday or just for yourself because you want it!  While the convenient thing is to run to the store and get some salsa from a jar, homemade is always best!  But what makes the best even bester (yes, it’s a word!  *cough*) is using fresh tomatoes – it absolutely makes a difference.  If you have a farmer’s market or perhaps roadside stands, stop by and pick up some tomatoes to give your salsa a little more oomph.

This recipe is roughly what my dad makes, toned down for those of us that haven’t burned off our taste buds.  It makes a pretty big bowl-ful, so make sure you stock up on plenty of chips!  I like to use Garden of Eatin’s Blue Chips – adds a bit of tasty color to the salsa setup.

Ingredients:

• 15 roma tomatoes OR 7 regular tomatoes
• 1 medium largish white onion OR 2 bunches green onions
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3 or 4 jalapenos
• cilantro – handful, coarsely chopped
• salt

Directions:

Chop everything up as chunky (or as finely) as you prefer!  Mix everything up in a large bowl and salt to taste.  You could even put it in the blender and puree it a bit if you have super picky paladins in the house.  If you want to go for the presentation bit, you could garnish it with a bit of the cilantro as well.  Enjoy!

Also, don’t forget about PixelatedExecutioner’s plea for help naming contest!

Open mouth, insert noms!

(Based on Mulgore Spice Bread – World of Warcraft)

Submitted by Cadistra of World of Warcraft, eh?

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dark corn syrup
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed (use the heel of your hand to press the sugar into the cup – add sugar until full)
• 1 egg
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F
2. Combine corn syrup, brown sugar, and egg; mix well (if you have a mixer, use it on a very low setting)
3. Combine dry ingredients in another bowl; use a mixing spoon or spatula to mix the dry ingredients together – just be gentle! (Optional – add 1 1/2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice for more spice!)
4. Add dry ingredients to egg mixture and alternate with milk (just add a little at a time to properly blend it all together); mix well.
5. Pour into a greased, wax paper-lined 9×5 loaf pan
6. Bake for 80-90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean (the toothpick test)
7. Allow loaf to cool for 10 minutes in the pan before removing it; place on wire rack to allow loaf to cool completely (alternatively, if you don’t have a wire rack, a bacon rack or other item that allows air to circulate under the loaf will work as well).
8. Wrap and let stand for 24 hours before slicing.

Enjoy!