Fabulous Food!

Caramel Cupcakes!

2011-09-12T22:39:00.005-06:00

Ladies and gentlemen, this was to DIE for! A light yet moist cake, mellow frosting, and sweet caramel drizzle. I had a hankering to make a batch of my Italian Meringue Buttercream, which is odd because normally one would crave the cupcake and have to find a frosting to match. But since I am a little backwards, this fits me fine.

So a cupcake to shine with the light and not-too-sweet frosting was needed, and it had to be one that I had all the ingredients for already since I decided to bake at dinnertime.

Ahh, aren't cravings wonderful?

The cake:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 Tbsp molasses
1 cup buttermilk (or soured milk, which is 1 cup milk with 1 tsp of lemon juice or vinegar added and let sit for a bit... and is what I used.)
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour

Cream together the butter and the sugars. As in the orange dreamsicle cupcakes, be sure to cream thoroughly, at least 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating at least 30 seconds after each addition.

Here's where the recipe is different from what I usually do, but that's because we are adding oil. Mix in your molasses, buttermilk, oil and whole milk. Beat until combined. Mine looked rather curdly and seperated at this point but I tried not to worry too much.

In a seperate bowl, combine your dry ingredients. Dump that into your wet stuff and mix until it looks all creamy and cupcake-batter-y! Don't over beat, it comes together just fine.

Fill your cupcake papers between 1/2 to 2/3's full of batter and bake at 3http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif50 for about 20 minutes. Or until they look and smell done and a toothpick, or large skewer like I use, comes out clean.

To fill my cupcakes, I use a melon baller scooper thing from Pampered Chef. The medium size that works great for even round cookies. Two scoops seems to be about perfect for filling cupcakes or muffin tins. So long as I don't make them heaping scoops.

The Icing:

I just used the meringue buttercream from this post, minus the orange soda and sherbet.

The Drizzle:

A jar of caramel hot sauce from my fridge! I warmed it up and drizzled it over, but you could also use caramel sauce from a squeeze bottle or something so it doesn't melt the buttercream like mine did.

Then, if desired, finish it off with a VERY small sprinkling of sea salt. Just a little! It dissolves into the caramel and gives it a little bit of depth of flavor. Totally optional though, I just happen to be one of those people that have this in their cupboards. :-)

Orange Dreamsicle Cupcakes

2011-06-13T17:47:00.007-06:00

I was in a cupcake-ey mood this morning, and asked my friends what they'd like to see me make. There were so many good ideas that it was hard to pick just one! But this one sounded like the perfect summertime cupcake, fresh and flavorful.

The Cake

1 stick butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 small can mandarin oranges, drained
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder*
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup melted orange sherbet
1/2 cup orange soda

Beat the butter until creamy and fluffy. Add the sugar and cream for a good 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Do not cheat on time! Dump in the oranges, mix them in. The beaters will chop them for you and the longer you mix, the tinier the pieces will be. I wanted them tiny.

In a small bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, mix your melted sherbet and the orange soda. Add both mixtures alternately into to egg/sugar stuff while beating. Don't over beat this part.

Scoop into cupcake liners, about 2/3's full. Don't be tempted to squeeze the last bit into a cup or two, they'll overflow and you'll feel silly. Stick it in a baggy in the fridge and bake it later! This recipe makes just over 24 beautiful cupcakes. :-)

Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let them cool completely, and if you want you can cover them and let them sit for a few hours. That sometimes helps the texture of a cake or cupcake. Sort of like when you let a roast sit before carving.

The frosting

This is fun. This frosting is a good old-fashioned Italian Meringue Buttercream. Not the powdered sugar stuff that has a tendency towards being gritty. I assure you, this is one you want to try! And don't panic, it will come together.

1 cup corn syrup
1 cup egg whites (about 8 large eggs)
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/4 cup sugar
1 lb butter, room temperature

Place corn syrup in a pan, heavy bottomed is prefferable, but if not then just keep a close eye on it. Turn it onto about medium.

Dump the egg whites into your mixing bowl. Beat on medium until frothy. Add the cream of tartar. Increase the speed to high and add the sugar. Beat on high until stiff peaks form. In my kitchenaid it only took a minute or two.

By this time your corn syrup may or not have bubbles, turn it up higher and let it come to a boil. Once it's got good, steady and decent sized bubbles, let it boil for about 1 minute. If your pan doesn't have a pouring spout, transfer the syrup to a glass measuring cup.

With the mixer running, pour the syrup in a thin, steady stream into the meringue. Try not to get it on the beaters or you'll have little whispies flying around. Keep beating until the mixture has cooled, body temperature is fine.

Once it's cooled, add your butter, 1 tbsp at a time. It may lose volume, that's fine. It may even curdle. That's fine too. Just keep beating and it will magically turn into frosting, right when you aren't looking! I promise. It may take a few minutes. :-)

At this point, you can use it as is, which is delicious. Or what I did: Scrape off about 1/4 cup of frozen sherbet, add it a little at a time. Then I added about 2 tbsp of orange soda and beat that in. I didn't want really strong flavor, just a hint of orange cream.

After frosting the cupcakes, I topped them with a piece of mandarin orange. Nice little POW to the final mix of flavor!

**To quickly bring eggs and even butter to room temperature, place in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes. Not too warm though, or you'll melt the butter.

Snickers Cake!

2011-06-06T10:35:00.004-06:00

I did this cake for my son's birthday, and it went over really well! Of course, who doesn't love chocolate and caramel together?

White Cake

makes a non-skimpy 9x13 pan

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups white sugar
4 eggs
1 tbsp +1 tsp vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp +1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup milk

Cream butter and sugar, beating for at least 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating at least 30 seconds each time. (Do NOT shortchange beating time. You need it so the cake doesn't have the texture of cornbread. Air is a good thing!)

Mix together the flour and baking powder. Alternate adding flour mixture and milk, beating until combined with each addition. (You don't want to overmix this part, or you'll start the flour developing gluten. That's good for bread, bad for cake. Any air you incorporate has been done with the eggs and sugar.)

Grease your pan. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan. This helps the cake release easily and helps with crumbs. Scoop batter into pan, level it out. Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes, or until cake is pulling away from the side and a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. Let cool about 10 minutes, then turn out onto cooling rack to cool another 30 mintues - ish.

This is the fun part. Put the cake back before it is completely cool, cover with tin foil, and let it sit for several hours. That's right, you can't make this right before dinner! I make my cakes the night before and let them sit in the pan overnight. They stay really moist, and they settle so they are less likely to crack when doing layers. And don't crumble as easily when cutting. For the layers you'll be doing, it's important to NOT skip this step, or the cake will absorb too much of the filling and get soggy.

While the cake is sitting in it's pan...

Whipped Chocolate Ganache

9 ounces chocolate chips. (I used milk chocolate, but semi sweet would work too. Use a good guality, like Guittard. Nothing with hydrogenated oils or it won't work! Cocoa, sugar, cream, and lecithin... that's all. You can use a bar of baking chocolate too, just break it up.)

1 cup heavy cream

Pour chips or chocolate bar pieces in a glass bowl. Heat cream just to boiling, watch it because it boils over REALLY quickly after it comes to a boil.

Pour cream over chocolate. The heat of the cream will melt the chocolate. Stir until everything is melted and well combined. Let it sit for several hours to cool, or put in the fridge for a while if you're in a hurry.

At this point, before it's chilled, you can pour it over stuff as a chocolate glaze. But after it's cool, you can whip it! Just like you would when making whipped cream. Make sure your mixer bowl and beaters have no water on them, or the chocolate will seize and be ruined. It may look a little grainy while beating, and that's okay. Nobody will care what it looks like. It does take a while to beat, but should be like fluffy chocolate frosting stuff, in between frosting and whipped cream. Set aside.

Putting the cake together

1 recipe white cake
1 recipe whipped ganache
1 bag fun size snickers, chopped up
1 jar smuckers hot caramel topping (You need stuff that is thicker, hence the hot caramel. The normal caramel topping is too thin and won't spread well. Smuckers is what I used and works really well.)
Cut your cake in half so you have to thicker rectangles. Cut each of those rectangles in half, so you have a top have and bottom half. This cut is called "torting", and results in thin layers. All together you should have 4 layers, all about the same size.

Put the first layer on your cake plate or whatever surface you'll be serving on. Spread 1/2 the ganache on this layer, and sprinkle on 1/2 the snickers. Lay on the second piece of cake. Spread this one with a layer of caramel. Another piece of cake and repeat the ganache and snickers. Lastly is the last piece of cake.

My frosting recipe is just whatever basic buttercream I feel like using, and mix in some of the caramel sauce. Canned frosting would be fine, I've done that. I add the caramel sauce when beating my butter soft, and since that adds a little moisture you may need to add some extra powdered sugar. Just taste the frosting until you like it. :-) Spread a thin coat of frosting on the cake. This is a crumb coat and seals the cake. Let that sit for a while, or stick it in the freezer for 20 minutes to let the frosting harden. Then frost with the rest of your frosting.

(Okay, I'm really just being selfish with my particular frosting recipe. But it's sort of a trade secret, like when you buy a sauce and they list tomatoes, peppers and spices. What spices? They aren't going to tell you! But really, any frosting is going to work, for this recipe it's the caramel you are adding that makes it yummy.)

Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

2011-01-28T11:35:00.004-07:00

In my search for the perfect cake batter recipes: moist and dense enough to hold shape without being a solid rock- I found my new vanilla cake!

Makes 18 cupcakes

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 vanilla bean

Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds. Add sugar. Beat on medium until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Don't scimp on the beating time. This is where you add air and start dissolving the sugar. Add the eggs one at a time, beating at least 30 seconds with each addition. Again, don't scimp on beating time. Here we are adding more air and finishing dissolving the sugar so you don't get gritty batter. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Measure out milk and vanilla and mix together. Add the seeds scraped out of 1/2 of a vanilla bean. (Slit them in half, open up, and use your knife to scrape out the seeds. The bean is moist in the inside, and the seeds will stick to the knife. They are VERY tiny.

Alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients, beating just until combined. you don't want to overbeat at this stage or you will take the air out as well as start the flour developing those glutens that will make your cake tough.

Scoop into cupcake papers, about 1/2 full. Don't overfill! Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes. My oven runs hot, so mine were done at about 20.

Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese Frosting

12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 stick butter, softened
4-5 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
seeds of 1/2 of a vanilla bean

Beat butter and cheese until creamy. Add 4 cups of sugar and beat until combined. Add the vanilla extract and the vanilla seeds and beat until combined. Add more sugar until it's the consistency and sweetness you like. I ended up with the full 5 cups plus a little more, because I wanted it stiff enough for piping on the cupcakes.

Coconut Shrimp

2010-02-17T21:53:00.003-07:00

Mark absolutely loves coconut shrimp. Specifically Red Lobster's coconut shrimp. But in looking for a recipe for it online, I discovered that they use pina colada mix, and rum. Neither of which I stock in my kitchen. So I combined a couple different recipes and added my own touches. Voila!

1 lb shrimp, deveined and tails on

1 egg
1/2 cup flour
about 1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white or black pepper
2 T vegetable oil, I used canola
Enough milk to make it a thinnish batter
A couple splashes tobasco
bag of coconut

lots of oil - heated to 375 on a candy thermometer, or really really hot.

Butterfly the shrimp. Take a sharp paring knife, and cut through the shrimp along the curve, almost all the way through. Open it up and kind of push it against the counter to help it stay flatter.

Mix dry ingredients except coconut. Add egg, milk, and tobasco sauce. Beat well, and let sit for a few minutes. Spread about 1 cup of coconut on a sheet. Dip the shrimp in the batter and then roll it around in the coconut.

Drop it into the oil. It will fry to a deep golden brown in 3-4 minutes. No more than 8 shrimp at a time, but I did 3 or 4 shrimp because it was a smaller pan. Drain on either paper towels, or a rack over a baking sheet. After each bigger batch, or every couple smaller batches, scoop out the coconut that falls off so it doesn't burn and smoke.

I found that after a little while the batter drippings clumped up the coconut. So I only put out about 1 cup at a time, and replaced as needed. A couple times I had to through out the clumpy coconut because it was far too clumpy and wet to stick to the shrimp. But it didn't waste that much coconut because there was only a little on the sheet at once.

Dipping Sauce:

We like sweet and hot, and wanted that coconut taste that Red Lobster has. So I used what I had.

A random can of Cream of Coconut - from the hispanic section I believe.
Peach jam from my mom last year
Dijon Country Style mustard
Tobasco sauce

Sounds wierd, but was sooooo yummy!

I dropped about 1/4 cup jam in a small saucepan. 1/4 cup -ish cream of coconut, about 1 heaping tbsp mustard, and generous splashes of tobasco sauce. Bring to boil, wisking occasionally, and let simmer for a while to reduce to about 1/2 of what it was. Gets a little thicker and concentrates the flavors.

Let cool to desired temperature, serve to husband, and watch his eyes get all big when you tell him you made it up yourself. Smile when he says he'll just eat yours instead of going out next time. And make sure to get your half of the plate!

Cherry Almond Blondies

2009-12-12T10:18:00.003-07:00

I was in a brownie mood last night, but large amounts of chocolate has proved to make the baby a tad on the cranky side. After digging through my cooking magazines, I happened across one with a recipe for "blondies", basically a brownie without cocoa. So I'd get that chewy texture without the fussy baby up all night! Score!

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped almonds (I used slivered because that's all I had)
1 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped

Drizzle:
2 oz baking chocolate
1 tsp shortening
OR 2 squares of chocolate almond bark which is what I used

Heat oven to 350. Combine brown sugar and butter in a large bowl, beat at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla, continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low, add flour and baking powder; beat until well mixed. Stir in almonds and cherries.

Press or spread mixture into a greased 9x13 pan. Bake for 28-35 minutes or until top is golden brown and center is set. Cool completely.

Combine chocolate and shortening in small saucepan, and melt together over low heat, stirring occasionally. Or microwave almond bark to melt. Drizzle chocolate over the brownies and cut into bars.

I'm thinking that the darker chocolate the recipe called for would have set the cherries off nicely, but the darker the chocolate the fussier my baby so I used the milkiest stuff I had. I also used up my dark brown sugar, so 1 1/2 cups of the sugar was dark and the other 1/2 cup was light. With the cherries it made it taste healthy, to quote my husband. It really did turn out yummy, and I had a piece of it for breakfast, reasoning that the cherries and nuts had fiber - so it is healthy. :-)

Last Word in Nutmeg Muffins

2009-12-11T09:12:00.002-07:00

I have this really neat cookbook, "The Breakfast Book", with all sorts of breakfast related recipes. Yeast and quick breads, differents sorts of toasts and muffins, egg recipes, fruit recipes, even breakfast cookies and pies! Our family loves breakfast, even though it's harder to make good ones in a hurry on school days. I made these muffins last night while the baby was sleeping and stuck the whole batch in the freezer. It was so easy this morning to wrap a couple in a slightly damp paper towel and warm them in the microwave. The texture was pretty close to fresh baked, and the taste was perfect!

These little babies use whole nutmeg, which you grate with a zester or very fine-holed grater. Nutmegs feel hard as rocks, but grate very easily, just watch out for your fingers! Creamy, tender-crumbed muffins, with a delicious nutmeg flavor!

2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 whole nutmegs, grated
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup milk
5 tbsp butter, melted

(I promised delicious, not healthy and low-cal...)

Preheat oven to 400.

Stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg and salt in a bowl. Beat the egg in a seperate bowl. Add the cream, milk, and butter to the egg and blend well. Add the cream mixture to the flour mixture and stir until there are no streaks of flour. Don't overmix.

Spoon batter 2/3'rds full into each muffin cup. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until muffin tops are rounded and lighlty golden. Remove from pan and serve warm. Or cool on racks and freeze for later use.

Yes, all that cream and butter - I used margarine - aren't exactly healthy, but that's what makes it a moist and tender muffin. The nutmeg isn't a heavy flavor, just perfect. I think if you wanted to substitute ground nutmeg, use about a tablespoon or so.

Fabulous Mustard Turkey!

2009-12-09T21:47:00.003-07:00

Ok, I didn't actually take pictures of this one, but when I make it again I'll take one then. I just had to get dinner on the table super fast on Tuesday and it was literally: get home, heat veggies, plate turkey, and eat!

Now, mustard on a turkey? Crazy? Just a tad.... *insert high pitched giggle* But don't knock it 'til you try it! This would probably work on a beef roast, would be fantastic on a chicken, pork chops, or ham too.

Mustard Turkey:

1 boneless turkey breast roast, mine was about 3 lbs I think
jar of country style dijon mustard
salt and pepper

That's it! Pat turkey dry, rub a bunch of mustard over it, salt and pepper over that, and toss it in the crockpot. Mine was perfectly cooked and wonderfully tender after 8 hours on low heat. I took the juices from the bottom to make a gravy that I served to happy kids over the turkey and stuffing. The mustard mellows after the long cooking, but still has a little kick to it. A kind of "I can't place it, but dang it's good!" sort of kick.

I'll be doing this again for the church Christmas party. If I cook a turkey I'll try rubbing it under the skin on the breasts, and then all over the outside, and cook it breast side down in a cooking bag. Really juicy breasts this way. If they send me a ham to cook, then I'll just rub it on the outside and roast it, basting with the pan juices every 30 minutes or so. Yumm!

Pumpkin Cupcakes!

2009-11-25T16:51:00.002-07:00

I must apologize for my long absence. Due to being pregnant and having gestational diabetes, I had no energy or time for cooking lots of goodies, and we relied on the same general menu of lower carb options. Nothing fancy, just lots of broiled or baked meat dishes, with predictable sides for blood sugar control.

But my little guy is here safely now, and it looks like my sugars are back to normal, so bring on the food! I still have little time, but will try to post a little more frequently the recipes that I do have time to try.

These cupcakes are what I made for my sons' class party today. Pumpkin cupcakes for a harvest theme, and a special cream cheese frosting that was so creamy and delicious!

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinammon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups flour

Cream together the butter and the sugars. Add eggs, beating after each one, and add the vanilla. Mix in the pumpkin and the milk.

Combine all the dry ingredients and carefully beat into the wet mixture until everything is mixed in well.

Spoon into cupcake cupes, it made exactly 24 for me using a Pampered Chef ice cream / cookie scoop thingy. 2 scoops per liner. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Let cool before frosting.

Cinammon Brown Sugar Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp cinammon
3 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tbsp half-n-half (varies)

Cream together the butter and cream cheese. Add the brown sugar and cream for at least 2 minutes to help dissolve it for a smoother frosting. Add in the cinammon and powdered sugar, mix in well. Start with 2 tbsp of the half-n-half, beat the frosting for a couple minutes until it gets a tad lighter and nicely fluffy. If you need more half-n-half to get it to the right spreading consisteny you want, that's fine. I used 2 the first batch, but the 2nd batch needed all 3 tbsps. It will be just a hint gritty from the brown sugar and the cinammon, but unless you're looking for the texture you shouldn't be able to tell. All the beating works!

I like cream cheese frosting anyway, but this was something special! It went so well with the pumkin in the cupcakes! The cupcakes are a bit denser, because it was a pound cake recipe that was adapted a bit for cupcakes, and so this light and smooth frosting matched in wonderfully. A huge hit, and a definite keeper in my book! 4 dozen cupcakes vanished fairly quickly and my sons reported that the kids all loved them. :-)

I did it again!

2009-06-11T22:12:00.004-06:00

That's right ladies and gentlemen. I cooked! Actually, I've been cooking up yummies all week, but today was the first day I remembered to take pictures before I started eating. Yesterday's dinner was some amazing grilled spare ribs with a dry barbeque spice rub and served with Alabama White Sauce- courtesy of my sister's blog- baked banana squash, and green beans with bacon. And not a single picture did I take! You'll just have to take my word for it that it was delicious and I'll make them again and tell you all about it.

Tonight however, was equally high on the taste points. Spinach-stuffed Flank Steak, Easy Cheesy Broccoli & Rice, and Fruit Tart.

First, the steak. Flank steak is basically a large hunk of flat meat, with a very distinct grain line. A 2 lb steak was enough to make 8 of these steak thingies, and cost me about $6. Not too expensive....

1 2-lb beef flank steak
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 10 oz pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Score both sides of the steak in a diamond pattern by making shallow diagonal cuts at 1 inch intervals. Place steak between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Using the flat side of a meat mallet, pound the steak into a 12x8 rectangle. Remove plastic wrap, season steak with salt and pepper.

Spread spinach over the steak. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Starting from a short side, roll up the steak. Secure with wooden toothpicks at 1 inch intervals, starting about 1/2 inch from one end. Cut between toothpicks to make 8 1-inch thick slices.

My recipe said to place under the broiler for 12-16 minutes or until medium doneness. But how can I have this great grill and a gas tank with gas in it and not use it? Exactly. I placed a sheet of tinfoil on the grill grate, and had the flames at low. About 8-9 minutes on one side, then turned the steaks over carefully. Another 8-9 minutes and they were a perfect medium! After I let them rest for 10 minutes of course, and oh my! They were amazing!

The cheesy broccoli rice was seriously easy. I had everything for it, and even my friend's picky 1 year old was licking the plate clean.

1 10 oz package frozen chopped broccoli
1 cup instant rice - the minute rice kind
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Place broccoli, rice, water and salt in a pot. Bring water to boiling, stirring frequently to break up broccoli. Remove pan from heat and let sit 5 minutes. Return pan to heat and stir in the cheese, let it melt. This was a bit sticky, so I added a touch of milk.

The kids loved it! And it was easy to do, cheap, and didn't do too bad with my glucose levels. A make again at our house, for sure.

Now, I have been trying to get dinner on the table by 6 every night, because that's when my sweetie comes home for dinner break. My friend had been hanging out, we traded sitting while the other hit the store for groceries. It's 5:15 when I get home, with this great meal in mind that would make lots of food. She is going to have to load up her kids, drive 20 minutes to get home, and then start her own dinner. Not cool! Of course I invited them to stay for some good food! And I was so glad I did, because my poor hubby couldn't come home for dinner and at least somebody was there to make yummy noises for me. We saved him some, don't worry.

Le Fruit Tart!

I happend to have some pie crusts in my freezer from the holiday season, so I yanked some out this afternoon to thaw. Unrolled it into my tart pan and baked it at 450 until I remembered it was in there, luckily it was perfectly done.

1 pkg cream cheese softened
1/4 cup sour cream
1 cup cool whip
3-4 tbsp splenda or sugar

Stir together and spread in bottom of tart crust. I guestimated the sugar amount, I just poured in some splenda until it was sweet but not too sweet.

1-2 nectarines, sliced. Or whatever fruit you feel like sticking in there.
Sugar free blueberry syrup, like the kind you find above the maple syrup at the store.

Arrange the fruit over the cream cheese stuff. Drizzle some syrup over the fruit and refrigerate for about an hour. Slice and prepare to drool.

My husband is lucky my friend left any of this for him! The entire dinner went together really well, and it all came together in 45 minutes. Or therabouts. We were eating shortly after 6, so if he had been home it would have been perfect timing. Now he has to eat reheated steak, which is never as good or as tender as fresh off the grill. *sniff*

Bacon and Sundried Tomato Alfredo!

2009-05-28T19:37:00.005-06:00

Right, so I know it's been nearly 6 months since my last post, and for that I apologize. However, January and February were very busy, and in February we found out life was just going to get more hectic! We are expecting boy #4 around the middle of October!

So after 3 months of being too tired, and nauseous to really cook anything at all, in addition to my insane schedule of therapy and piano lessons, and then another 1 1/2 months of being just too tired and busy to cook much of anything inspiring, I am happy to say that I finally have found some energy!

So I dug around in one of my new cookbooks, a Weight Watchers magazine, because I have to really watch my diet since I have gestational diabetes. This is a 5 ingredient, 15 minute recipes magazine, which sounded perfect for me. It was so hard to choose, but I settled on a nice Alfredo and some grilled asparagus.

Bacon and Sun-Dried Tomato Alfredo Pasta

8 ounces multigrain penne

1 10 ounce package refrigerated alfredo sauce, or regular jarred sauce
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed without oil and cut into julienne strips
4 slices bacon
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 tsp black pepper

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.

While pasta cooks, combine alfredo sauce and tomatoes. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally , 6-8 minutes or until thoroughly heated and tomatoes are juicy and plump. While sauce cooks, microwave bacon until crisp. Takes about 1 minute per slice in my microwave, so about 4 minutes total. Let bacon cool and crumble. Set aside.

Combine pasta and sauce in large bowl. Mix in the bacon, basil, and pepper. Place in mouth and enjoy!

My 2-yr old ate 2 servings of this, and my other kids gobbled up their plates too. If I wasn't watching my carbs like a hawk to avoid a 12 pound baby, I would have had seconds myself!

Grilled Asparagus

1 pound fresh asparagus- I recommend the thin ones
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp black pepper

Prepare Grill. I set it to high, to heat the grill plate. Cleaned it off with a brush and turned it down to medium.

Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus.

Combine olive oil and next 4 ingredients in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add asparagus to bag, seal and shake to coat.

Place asparagus on grill rack. Grill about 2 minutes or until crisp tender. I did this with the lid closed. Remove and serve immediately.

I had to do a taste test of this, and um.... I could have eaten it like it was candy! It had this great smoky flavor, with just the right amount of a tang from the vinegar. I guess you could do this under the broiler and it would be fine, but is so much better with a grill!

Cranberry Glazed Ham

2009-01-15T13:05:00.003-07:00

IE- the only ham with personality at the church Christmas Party!

I volunteered to cook a ham for our church's Christmas party, even though we were planning on going to my husband's work party that same evening instead. No one else had signed up for it, so I figured I would. (Don't worry, they had some last minute people decided to pitch in.)

I didn't want to just do a regular, boring old ham. Or the normal pineapple clove thing.... Why not get a little festive? Again, I dug into my magic cupboards and fridge, and pulled forth the following glaze recipe.

1/2 can jellied cranberry sauce
2 tbsp dijon mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp salt
splash red wine
splash of orange juice

I mixed all these in a saucepan and heated them through. The ham came presliced, so I took a big thing of dried minced onion and had some fun. I inserted about 1/2 tsp in between each slice, which took a while but was actually quite fun. Then the glaze was liberally smeared over the ham and I placed it in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes, covered with foil. Basted with the juice, reapplied the glaze, another 20 minutes. Took off foil, last bit of the glaze went on, back in for 10-15 minutes. Just enough to dry some of the glaze on.

There was none of this left. I asked for my friend's honest opinion since I wasn't there to enjoy any. She said it was the most festive one on the table. And that while it isn't "the ham", the one recipe that she will always use when she cooks a ham, it was delicious enough that if it was on the buffet table, she knows which one she'll be taking! If anyone makes this, let me know what you think!

German chocolate-ginger cake Trifle

2009-01-15T12:53:00.003-07:00

Again, it seems like it has been forever. But I have decided to sit in one place for a while today, kicked my husband off the computer, and found some more recipes I never got posted!

I had signed up for a dessert for our Christmas party but had no idea what I would throw together. I had about 3 boxes of german chocolate cake mix, some random pudding mixes, and a bunch of heavy whipping cream. Aha!

1 box of german chocolate cake mix
1 tsp cinammon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
pinch cloves
3 eggs
1/4 cup applesauce
1 cup water
1/3 cup oil

Mix together just like a regular cake mix. Grease a jellyroll pan or cookie sheet. Pour the batter in the pan, and sprinkle the top liberally with sugar. Bake at 350 for around 20 minutes. Cool and cut into 1 to 2 inch squares.

1 box french vanilla and 1 box pumpkin spice pudding mixes, made with pudding pie directions so it is thicker set.

Heavy cream and sugar

Whip together with a little cinnamon for whipped cream, or add some cinnamon to cool whip.

Layer together in a trifle dish, try to refrain from "tasting" too much of it. Chill for 2-3 hours. Send a full bowl to Christmas Party with friend, attend boring work party instead. Recover bowl from friend's fridge later with barely enough left for 1 serving!

Smokey Turkey Joes

2008-12-29T19:46:00.002-07:00

Sorry everyone. I have been gone for quite a while, I know, and it has been driving me crazy. I sort of took some time off from all domestic duties, partly due to some mild depression. But I not only cooked something today, I made up the recipe! And it actually tasted good enough to have Oren, who is 6, to inform me that I have to make these on Mondays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Forever....

1 lb ground turkey
1 tbsp dried onions
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup chopped frozen spinach
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp cajun seasoning
1 tbsp smoked red paprika (it has to be smoked.....)
1 tbsp cilantro
1 can tomato sauce
1/2 minute rice
1 cup water

Pour a little oil in a skillet. Brown the turkey with the onions and garlic. Add the frozen chopped spinach, it will thaw in the pan with the turkey. Season with salt and pepper to taste, the cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, cilantro, and tomato sauce. Bring to a simmer.

Stir in the minute rice and water. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice is tender and liquid is gone.

We served our turkey joes on pub buns, they are a little thicker than hamburger buns. Kaiser rolls would be a great choice too. Put under the broiler for a couple minutes... I buttered the inside of the rolls and sprinkled on some onion powder before I broiled them.

We really liked these! The taste is awesome enough that you wouldn't think it's ground turkey. I added a dash of hot sauce to mine halfway through, and that was good. The smoked paprika is what gives it that smokey flavor, and it an essential ingredient. They would be alright with just regular paprika I would imagine, but you really should invest in some smoked paprika. McKormic's gourmet collection in the glass jars, I think it was a couple bucks.

And it wouldn't just be for this recipe. Smoked paprika on deviled eggs is to die for! Put it on your deviled eggs and you'll have people trying to guess what made your eggs so yummy. Mix it in with the mayo to be really sneaky! I'm telling you, I love this stuff! I'll even flip the lid and just smell it sometimes! (Is that wierd? Sorry...)

Date Night Delights!

2008-12-13T10:12:00.003-07:00

Sometimes Mommy and Daddy just need a little time together. But what do you do when you don't feel like getting a sitter and paying a huge amount of money for cheap food, iffy service, and no dessert menu?

You eat in! After the kids are in bed! Because you can cook better than the local restaurant chefs can anyway!

Spinach-stuffed Chicken Breasts, Lemon Linguine, and Chocolate Mousse. Sounds good to me! I'll take 2 orders, at my table at home, please...

The lemon linguine was the first course, but I didn't take pictures because I have already posted the recipe here before. I used angel hair pasta last night, and shredded parmesan instead of grated. Otherwise, the rest of the recipe is the same.

1 10oz pkg chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup grated swiss cheese
1/3 cup cottage cheese
1 handful shredded parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tbsp finely chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2-3 bone-in chicken breasts, with skin (depends on size)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme

In a bowl, combine the spinach, cheeses, onion, garlic, salt, nutmen, and pepper. Carefully loosen the skin on one side of each checken breast to form a pocket.

Stuff each breast with 1/2 cup spinach mixture. Place checken skin side up in a backing pan. Comine the oil, paprika, oregano, and thyme. Brush over chicken.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 1 to 1/4 hours, or until juices run clear.

My skin was really loose, and I was worried about a bunch of the filling coming out when the cheese melted, so I secured the skin with toothpicks. I just stuck them straight down through the skin and meat. Remove before serving.

This looked gorgeous before and after baking. We aren't the hugest fans of frozen cooked spinach, but I thought the stuffing was yummy with the cheeses and everything. Maybe a little cream cheese in there too would be awesome! I will be trying this with other vegetables too. Some broccoli perhaps? The paprika on the crispy skin was delicious too!

I was totally in the mood for some rich, decadant chocolate. Smooth and creamy, cold and only for grownups. And not too difficult- with stuff I already had on hand.

Chocolate Mousse!

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream

Place the cream in a microwave safe something, heat for 1-2 minutes on high. Don't let boil, but get it good and hot.

Throw the chocolate chips, vanilla, and egg in the blender. Blend for 30 seconds. The chocolate chips won't all get tiny, but that's okay.

Remove the center of the blender lid and while the machine is running, slowly pour the heated cream into the chocolate mixture. Blend until well mixed and the chocolate chips are melted.

Pour into serving dishes, parfait glasses, or wine glasses. Refridgerate until set, takes a couple hours. Serve with a little sweetened whipped cream if desired. (You'll desire it...)

HEAVEN!!!!! This was so rich and smooth... and it looked very pretty on the table too. Not something to make often, since it is chocolate and heavy cream, but a definite for special occasions. Make pudding for the kids, this is for adults only!

I've been Tagged!

2008-11-25T08:04:00.003-07:00

Lisa, from What We Eat hit me with this fun tag. Thanks Lisa! Here we go...

1. I am the oldest of 8 kids, and we range from almost 27 to 8. My oldest son is 6 and loves to play with his 8 year old uncle. Too funny! He and his "Uncle Sam" are great friends, and it's going to be fun to watch when they are teens... :-)

2. I often feel like I don't have one big thing that I'm good at. I love to cook, scrapbook, sew, garden, play with my camera, and teach piano. But there isn't one clear thing that is my thing, my forte.

3. I own a Motorola Razr, and can't imagine using a thick cell phone again. Although, the style used to drive me nuts when I used my friend's, I love that it can fit so great in my pocket. Plus, bluetooth was invented for a reason, so I don't have to hold the phone between my neck and my ear and get a crick in my neck!

4. My favorite sandals gave out this summer after lasting for 6 years. Very sad.

5. When I make Ramen Noodles, I drain off almost all the water and use the full seasoning packet. I like my noodles salty!

6. All my pets (2 cats and a hamster) are girls, to help even out the boy:girl ratio in the house.

7. I don't have a "must see" tv series favorite. There are several shows that I like, and some that I prefer to watch over others, but none that I absolutely have to watch every whatever night. There are plenty that I don't like, I just don't feel the need to fight over the tv channels. Although, if I could figure out what time and channel "Scrubs" , "House", and "Private Practice" were on, it might be different!

I could tag someone, but I don't really know who to do it to, so if you are reading my blog and feel like doing it, go for it! Just leave a comment so I can go check out your list!

Hawaiin Haystacks

2008-11-24T12:57:00.002-07:00

For those of you who have had these little babies, sorry for posting the chicken gravy recipe. But, I did make a change in the dish!

For everyone else who has not experienced the joy, buckle up your seat belts!

What's that? Something doesn't look right? Oh, you've just spotted my small substitution. Nothing major... just noodles instead of rice. :-) And guess what! I like it better! That's right, heresy it's not, yummy is what it is!

Chicken Gravy

2 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed
1 can cream of chicken soup
milk, about 1/2 the soup can worth or so
1 tbsp thinkly sliced green onion

Heat in a saucepan until heated through.

Cook according to package directions - 1/2 box linguine noodles, broken into 3rds

Toppings:

Shredded cheese
Chopped tomato
Sliced olives
Thawed frozen peas
Chow mein noodles
Coconut
Dried fruit - apricots, cranberries, raisins
Sliced green onions
Pineapple chunks

Plop some noodles in a bowl, ladle some of the chicken gravy over them. Then layer on whatever toppings you want! Trust me on the dried fruit, it's really good with the gravy and cheese!

You can use rice instead of noodles if you want, but I find the rice soaks in more of the juice and leaves the dish somewhat drier. The noodles keep everything good and juicy!

These are great for kids and picky eaters, since everybody puts on whatever they want. The rule at our house is that if you stick it on your haystack, you have to eat the haystack. And I've never had bad one yet!

Spaghetti Pie

2008-11-20T10:09:00.003-07:00

After we had our third son, a friend from church brought us dinner. Isn't that sweet? Spaghetti Pie is one of their favorites, so she was pretty sure that we would like it too. She was right! I had to ask her for the general recipe guidelines, and our kids get a big kick out of dinner when I make this particular pie... :-)

1/2 package spaghetti noodles, cooked

or noodles left over from a previous recipe

1 egg

about 1/2 cup cottage cheese

about 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/2 pound ground beef, cooked and crumbled

and 2 cups spaghetti sauce, mixed

2 cups shredded mozzerella cheese

another 1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Mix the noodles, egg, cottage cheese, and parmesan cheese together. Put in bottom of a lightly greased glass pie plate. I like to build it up on the sides a little if it cooperates.

Next, either layer the meat and then the sauce over the noodles, or mix them together and put the mix over the noodles. I used the spaghetti sauce left over from dinner a couple days before, that already had the meat in it.

Last, sprinkle on the mozzerella and parmesan cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for around 20 minutes. The cheese should be nice and bubbly! Plus, you want the egg to cook all the way through. Keep a close eye on it though, because it's not so yummy if it dries out!

Let it sit for a few minutes before slicing into wedges and serving, so it holds it's shape better.

It's a good way to use up leftovers if you are like me and always make too many noodles when I do spaghetti. Did you know you can freeze noodles? Yep! Toss with a little oil, and seal in a freezer bag. When you're ready to use them, you can either thaw in the fridge overnight, or stick it in the microwave. I've never had a problem with the noodles tasting funny or anything, so if you don't feel like eating spaghetti pie the same week as spaghetti, you don't have to!

Or you can put this together and freeze it that way! Either way, it's a yummy dinner that is sure to please!

Pecan Pancake Pizza

2008-11-18T12:12:00.004-07:00

In my search for fast and filling breakfasts, I came across this awesome pancake recipe! This is out of one of my Quick Cooking magazines, which are no longer published. Darn it.

Let me tell you... the best way to wake up a boy in the morning is the word "pizza". He sat straight up and said, "The word 'pizza' will always wake me up, Mommy!"

Cool.

2 cups pancake mix (any one would work)

2 eggs, beaten

1 3/4 cups milk

2 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp maple flavoring
3/4 cup granola cereal without raisins
3/4 cup pecan halves I used chopped because that's what I had

Place pancake mix in a bowl. Combine the eggs, milk, oil and maple flavoring; add to pancake mix and mix well. Pour onto a greased 14-in pizza pan. It is like pancake batter, so you really do just pour it onto the sheet. It spreads, but not super much.) Sprinkle with pecans and granola.

Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick coms out clean. Cut into wedges. Serve with syrup if desired.

My pancake poofed in the middle, probably the mix I used. We all thought it was pretty neat. This makes 8 decent sized wedges, and is more filling than regular pancakes. Probably because of the nuts and granola. I had one wedge, and that was plenty for me! You could cut it in half for a smaller family...

We'll be making this one again!

Best Rice Crispy Treats Ever!

2008-11-17T17:26:00.002-07:00

Mark wanted to do something with the kids, involving some sort of sugar, possibly chocolate, marshmallows? Rice Crispy Treats sounded like the very thing!

He and the boys had a blast getting all buttered and sticky and messing up the kitchen. I closed my eyes and tried not to watch the massacre... But the end result was worth the hour of cleanup time!

3 tbsp butter

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

6 cups cocoa crispies

1 bag mini marshmallows

Melt the butter and peanut butter over low heat. Add vanilla and marshmallows. Stir until melted. Remove from heat and stir in the cocoa crispies. Using buttered hands, press into a 9x13 pan. Let cool and cut into squares.

Mark came in with a piece and said that this is the only way I am ever allowed to make rice crispy treats, ever! I retorted that I have not made rice crispy treats the entire 7 1/2 years we have been married! It's not that I don't want to, I just never think to. Sad, huh? But I have to agree with him. These are amazing! The photo above are the last 4 in the pan. The next afternoon. Yeah, they went fast!

Tuna Pinwheels

2008-11-17T16:54:00.004-07:00

I don't recall having an actual recipe for this, but I made this the first time when I was around 11. Yep, Mom got me started young! These fun pinwheels have been in the back of my recipe files for some time then, and I finally pulled out the recipe the other day.

I have always made these with tuna, but my friend wanted to donate chicken to our dinner. We didn't like it very much. The chicken is drier, and didn't seem to have a strong enough flavor. The recipe posted here uses tuna, because trust me, it tastes better!

1 recipe baking powder biscuit dough
1 onion, chopped small
1 tsp minced garlic
2 cans tuna, drained
peas- either 1 can rinsed and drained well or 1 cup thawed frozen peas
1 egg, beaten
about 2 cups grated cheese

Saute chopped onion in butter until softened. Mix together the onion, garlic, peas and tuna. Stir in the egg.

Roll your biscuit dough to about 3/8 inch, in a square or rectangle. Basically, don't let it get too thin or it will rip like crazy when you roll it.

Gently spread the filling over the dough. Keep it about 1 1/2 inch from the edge of the dough.

Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top.

Carefully roll up and seal the edge. Cut into 1 1/2 to 2 inch slices. It's easiest to wiggle a long piece of thread under the roll. Bring the ends up, cross them, and pull. The crossed thread will pull down through the roll, cutting the dough and filling to make your slice.

Carefully ease it down onto a spatula and place on a lightly grease baking sheet. Or cover the sheet with parchment paper first.

Bake at 375 until dough is done and top is slightly browned. Serve with more cheese on top if desired.

I never remember to note how long mine cook for. Sorry...

The recipe I used this time for the biscuits is a "supreme" recipe, and the dough rises really high in the oven. I don't think that helped the dryness any. You could also use frozen bread dough. Thaw it out and roll it out. Maybe I'll try that next time?

Pumpkin Mush

2008-11-17T16:38:00.003-07:00

Before you go "EEEWWW!", rest assured that this really does taste good.

Earlier this year I checked out a book from the library. "The Breakfast Book", a very intriguing title. After flipping through, I made copies of all the ones that looked yummy or interesting. This is one of the ones I liked the sound of! The kids think it's pretty cool to have orange cereal for breakfast!

2 cups milk
1 cup pureed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix in a can)
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal (like you use for cornbread)
1/3 cup cold water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground ginger

Put the milk and pumpkin in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with a lid. Heat, stirring to blend, over medium-low heat.

Put the cornmeal in a small bowl and stir in the cold water. (Always wet cornmeal with cold water before adding to a hot liquid- this prevents it from getting lumpy.) Stir the cornmeal mixture in to the milk and pumpkin, and add the salt and ginger. Cook until thickened, stirring every minute or two to keep the mush from burning. It should be done in about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and spoon into bowls. For slightly thicker mush, let it stand a few minutes.

I like it best with brown sugar and milk! Add some pumpkin pie spice for a slightly different flavor, mix some nuts in. Mix it up a bit! And who could resist orange cereal? :-)

Still here, I promise!

2008-11-17T12:19:00.003-07:00

It has seemed as if I am never home lately! I have recipes that need to be posted, so today I will be working on getting the photos downloaded and organized. I'll try and get at least some posted up today!

Meatloaf Cupcakes

2008-11-08T13:53:00.003-07:00

First, I have to apologize for my somewhat extended absence. Between my litte one having surgery to correct a throat deformity and my husband stealing the computer because he is on leave for a week, I haven't really had a chance to cook, let alone blog what I have cooked.

I had defrosted the hamburger a little later than I had originally planned, so the meatloaf I intended wouldn't have been ready until late. But, cooking something in a smaller form takes less time, so that's what I did. Meatloaf cupcakes!

1 1/2 lbs ground beef
12 saltines, crushed
1 egg
2 tbsp Heinz 57 Sauce
1 tbsp Ranch dressing
1 tbsp dried minced onions
1 tsp fresh minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl. Fill muffin cups with meat mixture. It took about a rounded 1/4 cup per muffin cup. I was able to get 11 "cupcakes".

Bake at 375 for about 20-25 minutes. Watch them closely, 30 minutes turned out to be a little long.

My boys thought these were the coolest thing every! We ate them with a little more Heinz on top, becuase it tastes good. :-)

We also did some boiled potatoes, tossed in butter, with a little cheese sauce on the side.

For an easy cheese sauce:

Melt shortening in a pan. Stir in an equal amount of flour, cook into a paste. Slowly add milk, stirring constantly to avoid lumps, until it is however thick you want it. Throw in a bunch of grated cheese, salt and pepper, and stir until the cheese melts.

Happy Food!

Apple Crisp

2008-10-27T09:10:00.003-06:00

We had some young missionaries from our church over for dinner last night. We love to feed these guys, they always appreciate good food. Especially great, home cooked desserts! Ice cream on the side never hurts either... :-)

My husband, Mark, found some grapes that were ~~rotting~~ leaking in the front of our fruit drawer. He took them out, along with the apples in the back of the drawer and placed the apples on the counter. The grapes of course went in the trash. But what do I do with the apples? They were perfectly fine, but I needed some sort of dessert to go with dinner. We were just having some baked chicken and mashed potatoes, so simple was the way to go.

Aha! How about a nice apple crisp!

All these amounts are approximate, since I forgot to measure and write down. I just kind of threw stuff in!

3 apples, peeled and cored - Granny Smith are great!
a small squirt of lemon juice
about 1/2 cup sugar
maybe 1/3 cup flour
2 tsp -ish cinnamon
kind of 1 tsp nutmeg
the same of ground cloves
another 1/2 cup of flour, I think
1/2 ? cup oatmeal
big handful of pecans, chopped fine
1/4 cup butter

I cut the apples in half, from top to bottom. Then I turned them on their flat cut side and sliced them about 1/4 inch. In a bowl they went, with a little lemon juice squirted in and tossed around.

In a different bowl I mixed the sugar, flour, spices. I sprinkled it over the apples and tossed them well.

Next I stirred the flour, oatmeal and pecans together. I cut the butter into smaller pieces and dropped them in. I kind of cut it in with a fork, mashed it around. I don't think I put any more spices in with this stuff, but I know it got sprinkled over the top of the apples. I also dropped a few slices of butter on top, because some of it looked a little dry-ish.

The chicken was not as thawed as it should have been, so it was cooking at 450. When it got done I turned the oven down to 400 and stuck the crisp in. I wanted it done a little before we got done eating so it wouldn't be too hot, just warm enough to soften the ice cream. About 20 minutes later I pulled it out, the apples were cooked through and the topping looked golden and nicely crisp.

We all really enjoyed it! The crisp went well with the ice cream. There really wasn't much left. I think what made it different was the cloves, I don't recall ever putting cloves in a cobbler or crisp before. It added a slightly different flavor, and tasted really good. There may be a small scoop left today, unless Mark finished it off while I helped a friend take care of some stuff. I haven't looked yet, because if there is any left I may not be able to leave it for Mark's lunch today!

Stovetop Ranch Chicken

2008-10-22T21:55:00.003-06:00

Yesterday for dinner, I asked my husband what sounded good. Usually he just says "Whatever, I don't know..." But yesterday he had an actual answer for me. Holy Cow! "We have all those green tomatoes that haven't gone red yet, let's do fried green tomatoes. And can you make stuffing? Because I keep eating the dry mix out of the canister."

Sounds okay to me! Our fried green tomatoes came from my sister Stephanie's blog, Fun Foods on a Budget. For that recipe, click here. I dipped ours in eggs instead of milk, just for kicks, and it turned out fine that way too.

I really didn't want regular Stovetop stuffing that night. I was in the mood for really crunchy! I buy in the big canisters instead of the boxed packages because it is cheaper and I decide how many servings to make. I whizzed some up in our little Black and Decker Handy Chopper (think mini food processor) until it was smaller crumbs.

1 cup stuffing crumbs

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup ranch dressing (use more if you need to... )

4 small or 3 huge boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Mix together your stuffing crumbs and the Parmesan cheese on a plate or in a shallow dish.

Pat the chicken breasts dry. Coat with the ranch dressing and then in the crumbs. Lay in a glass baking dish.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink and juices run clear. Serve to your sweetheart and enjoy all the yummy sounds he makes!

Apparently I have to make this again. He said so, and he's the boss... ;-)

Roasted Fall Vegetables

2008-10-20T10:01:00.004-06:00

I was reading Life, Lightly Salted (see side bar) and Michele was asking for savory apple ideas. My gears got turning and several ideas popped out. Boiled apples pureed with mustard and salt over chicken? Maybe... Roasted somehow with something? Sounds even better!

1 small to medium butternut squash
2 apples, I used gala, but any firm apple will do, peeled, cored, and cut into wedges
1 onion, cut in half and then into wedges
olive oil
salt and pepper
2 tsp thyme
2-3 tsp minced garlic

Cut your squash into 2 inch slices. Cut those into quarters. Place into a microwaveable dish with a tbsp of water. Microwave for about 4-5 minutes until somewhat tender. Cut skin from squash.

Put all the veggie wedges in a glass baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, I used a couple tbsp. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and the thyme. Add the garlic, toss to mix.

Roast, uncovered, at 425 for somewhere around 20-30 minutes. I didn't keep track, sorry.

We had friends eating with us, and her kids liked the apples and ate the squash. My kids ate the onions, liked the squash, and loved the apples. The 3 adults had huge servings, and were sad that there wasn't more of it! Granny Smith would have been too tangy, we found the Gala to be mild enough to take the savory, and firm enough to go tender but not mushy! Yumm!

The chicken in the background is a standard sauteed recipe that I use often. Especially when I want meat but a veggie or pasta dish is the star of the meal.

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper
onion powder
garlic powder
olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Pat the chicken breasts dry. Sprinkle salt, pepper, onion powder and garlic powder over both sides of the chicken. Sautee in hot oil until just done and nicely browned on both sides. I don't completely thaw my chicken in the microwave because I don't want the edges to cook. It took about 10 minutes on each side to cook all the way, but if yours are totally thawed because you were smart and put them in the fridge the night before, do 7-8 minutes per side and check it.

Ours turned out perfectly done, no pink and really juicy! Great flavor and really easy.

Chimichangas

2008-10-17T10:19:00.002-06:00

This was actually a recipe I pulled from my Mom's recipe book. She got it from a friend at one point, so this particular recipe's origins are unknown. I do not remember my Mom every making this at home, but it sounded fantastic so I will made it myself.

The only thing I had to buy were the green chilies, everything else I already had in stock, so it was a very cheap meal. Especially since everything else previously in the pantry, fridge, or freezer was pretty much bought on sale!

4-5 lb roast, I used pork but it called for beef
2 cups salsa
2 cas chopped green chilies
1 chopped onion
bag of tortillas
toothpicks
oil for frying

Cook roast in crock pot on low, 6-8 hours, or until tender. Drain off liquid, save for another recipe if you like, and shred meat. Place back in crock pot.

Mix in the salsa, green chilies, and onions. Cook on low anther 2 hours.

Roll up in tortillas, with cheese if you like, and we did. Secure the tortilla with toothpicks, and deep fry in oil.

I guess you could bake them if you'd like, but I have had deep fryed and they are really good. The tortilla gets nice and crispy! My husband really liked these! My kids liked them, I loved them! They are good for freezing too. After securing with toothpicks, wrap in saran wrap and place in a freezer bag. Microwave or bake when you want one. Or thaw thoroughly and fry! I don't know how authentic they are, but they taste yummy enough to me!

Mom's Potato Soup

2008-10-17T10:07:00.003-06:00

I was reading a post on soups from Michele's blog, Life, Lightly Salted, and it got me wanting my Mom's potato soup! I tend to make it more like a good stew rather than a soup, but everything else is the same. Right down to the big dollop of butter I always put on top. I am so going to die fat and happy! This isn't your normal creamy potato soup, but it's what I grew up with and love.

1 pound ground beef
1/2 onion, chopped
3 large potatoes, in 1 inch cubes
2-3 beef bullion cubes
20 or so baby carrots, or huge man handful, cut in half
milk and flour

Brown beef and onions together. Set aside.

In a large pot, add potatoes and carrots. Add enough water to cover potatoes, plus an inch or so. Bring to boil, throw in a couple bullion cubes. Reduce heat and simmer until veggies are tender but not mushy. Add your beef and onion mixture. Heat threw.

I use about 1 to 1 1/2 cups milk and 3-4 tbsp flour. Shake or wisk or whatever together like you would water and flour to make your thickener. Pour into your soup an stir well. Let simmer until thickened, season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the ultimate experience, serve with buttered rolls or bread, and plop a couple tsp of margarine/salted butter on top. Yummmm!

Around the World - Greece

2008-10-12T16:09:00.004-06:00

I was so excited to do another tour meal! I have really missed it the last few weeks, all the amazing foods and the friends... Thank you, Jen, for providing all the goodies for me to cook!

Let me tell you, in all the reading I did, I found that Greeks are seriously social, and love their eating experience! Grandmas all the way down to small children crowded around the table. More formal occasions may see putting the food on their own plates, but more often than not you'll find reaching across the table with a spoon or fork, bite at a time. The more noisy, the better, and it is hard to stay serene when everyone is fighting over the last olive!

Some fun facts I found-

-The first cookbook was written in Greece in 330 BC, by a Greek food gourmet, Archestratos.
-The tall, white chefs hat came from Greek Orthodox monks in monasteries. The cooks wore them to distinguish themselves from the other monks, who wore tall, black hats.
-Many vegetarian recipes today can be traced back to foods and recipes that originated in Greece.

Olive oil is the primary fat used in Greek cooking, and most Greeks will consume around 40 pounds per person! Wow! Olive oil plays a leading role in 60 or so folk remedies, the most exotic of which is this:

"A stubborn and rebellious wife, who refused to submit to her husband and go to --- with him, was rubbed with olive oil for seven days. On the eighth day --according to Greek folk tales-- she became sweet tempered and loving, ready to let her husband make ---- to her...” Use your imagination, this is a rated G blog... ;-)

It is also tied to every ritual, both folk and religious, that marks the crucial events in the cycle of life. Priests anoint with olive oil the infants at Christening, and again with olive oil, mixed with wine, the bodies of the deceased are embalmed prior to burial.

Our menu this week was Tsatsiki with pita wedges, Horiatiki (Greek salad), Arni Psito me Patates (roasted lamb and potatoes), and Baklava!

This cucumber-yogurt dip is extremely popular throughout Greece and is almost always included in the appetizer course! Make it, and you'll see why!

2 cups plain yogurt
2 large cucumbers
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp white vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Put yogurt in a cheesecloth lined sieve over a bowl. Drain several hours or overnight in the refrigerator. I didn't happen to have cheesecloth, so I lined my sieve with coffee filters that I poked some small holes in. It worked great! The draining takes off most of the water, leaving you with a much thicker yogurt, similar to Greek yogurt in consistency.

Peel, seed and coarsely grate the cucumbers. Drain well. For this, I squeezed the grated cucumber over the sieve so the juices came out, let them sit a bit, then did it again. Add garlic, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to cucumbers and mix well. Add drained yogurt and blend. Serve with toast points, crackers, or pita bread.

There wasn't much of this left!

Horiatiki is the traditional Greek salad, no lettuce!

3 tomatoes
1 cucumber
1 green pepper which I didn't have
1 red onion
1/2 pound crumbled feta cheese
6-10 Kalamata olive (or more if you like) we like, so there were lots
1/4 cup virgin olive oil
1 tsp oregano
salt to taste

Start by cutting the tomato in half and then cut in bite size slices. Cut the cucumber by slicing it across (from one tip to the other) in half and then cutting it along in small pair-pieces of 1/3 inch wide. Cut the red onion in half and then slice it in bite size pieces. Cut the bell pepper in rings, remove the seeds. Place in big salad bowl with Kalamata olives and the crumbled feta cheese. Add the salt and the oregano. Sprinkle with the olive oil. Mix very well with 2 spoons until the salt, the oregano and the olive oil cover all the other ingredients.

I did it layered for the photo, and tossed it after! This was really yummy when we ate it with pieces of pita and the lamb, with the yogurt dip on top! Of course, it was yummy anyway, we were just having fun... :-)

Arni Psito me Patates - Traditional roast lamb with potatoes

1 6-pound leg of lamb, or 4-5 pound boneless lamb roast
2-3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tbsp oregano
4 tbsp olive oil
6 tbsp fresh lemon juice
20-30 small potatoes, peeled, or 4-5 big ones in big chunks
2 tbsp tomato paste, diluted in 2 cups hot water

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Wash leg of lamb. Slit with a sharp knife in various places on both sides of lamb. Insert garlic slices in the slits. Season with salt and pepper and 1/2 tbsp oregano. Brush with olive oil. Place roast in pan and pour lemon juice over lamb. Roast for about 1/2 hour.

While lamb is browning, combine salt, tomato paste and water and pour over potatoes. Add to roasting pan, sprinkle with remaining oregano. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees. Roast for 1/1 2 hours, turning and basting the potatoes occasionally. Remove to a hot serving platter, slice and serve meat surrounded by potatoes.

I used a 4.5 lb boneless roast, and it browned in the half hour. The rest of the cooking time was about 2 hours, to get it to 160. Then I let it rest, covered with foil, for 15-25 minutes before slicing.

Mark, the self-proclaimed lamb hater, liked this! I had three slices left, I sliced them thin but we had 13 people over for dinner! Hey, it's a Greek meal, large groups are a must! This has turned into a huge dinner group, which is awesome. The more people I cook for, the more "YUM"'s I get! :-) Serve it with the pan juices drizzled over your slices for an even more amazing flavor.

Baklava, the most famous Greek desert. Also, the most intricate thing I have probably ever made! It is delicious enough to require making again, but takes enough work with just one person that it will be a once a year thing. I highly recommend one person to work the phyllo, and one to do the butter and nut mixture. What would have taken an hour, took half that. Told you it was intricate work!

1 pound (4 cups) blanched almonds or walnuts or a combination of both, finely chopped
3/4 cups sugar
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 pound phyllo pastry
3 sticks (3/4 pound) unsalted butter, melted, for brushing phyllo

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Combine nuts, sugar, and cinnamon. Keeping unused sheets covered with plastic wrap, place 8 sheets of phyllo pastry, one at a time, in the bottom of a 9x13 pan, brushing each sheet with melted butter. These dry out seriously fast, which is why you keep them covered, and why it is so much quicker with two! Sprinkle top sheet generously with 1/4 cup nut mixture. Cover with 2 buttered phyllo sheets. Sprinkle 1/4 cup nut mixture. Continue adding buttered phyllo sheets, sprinkling every second sheet with the nut mixture, until all the nut mixture is used. Place remaining phyllo sheets on top, buttering each sheet. Guess what, there were 40 sheets of Phyllo. This sounds quick, but takes a good while.

Cut Baklava into small diamond-shaped pieces with a sharp knife. We were tired enough of this desert at this point that we just did squares... Place a pan of water on the lowest shelf of the oven. Place Baklava on middle shelf about the water and bake for 2 - 2 1/2 hours, or until golden, making sure the water pan is always full.

While Baklava is baking, prepare the syrup.

2 cups water
3/4 cups sugar
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 2-inch strip lemon rind
3/4 cup honey

Combine all ingredients except honey. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add honey and simmer 5 minutes more. Remove lemon peel and cool. Remove Baklava from oven and pour cool syrup over hot pastry.

Crisp, but chewy. Light, but heavy. Fattening, but who cares. Calling my name right now! Last night I was swearing I would never make it again, because of all the work involved, but I'm thinking that it would be a crime not to! Maybe at Christmas. Or Easter?

Easy Crockpot Oatmeal

2008-10-07T07:14:00.002-06:00

On my search for filling, fast and frugal foods for breakfast I came across a recipe heading in an old cookbook at my mom's house this weekend. "Overnight Fruited Oatmeal" Unfortunately, I brought home the wrong book! Don't get me wrong though, the one I did bring has lots of good recipes too, and I'll be posting a few of them as I make them. Off to the internet I went to see if something similar looking could be found.

Crockpots are these wonderful little kitchen helpers. You put stuff in and 6 hours later, you eat it. All nice and hot, and you didn't have to stand there! Some genius figured out that you can put oatmeal in the crockpot and wake up to breakfast. Sweet! I looked through several recipes and came up with what seems to be the general formula.

-However much oatmeal you need

-Double the liquid

-a little salt

-a little butter

So if you want to feed 4 people~

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (not the quick cooking kind)

2 cups water or milk

1/2 tsp salt (just toss a little in there...)

1 tsp butter

Grease the inside of your crockpot, cooking spray works well. Mix the oatmeal, water, salt and butter in it.

Here's the fun part-

Throw in whatever you want! Raisins... almonds...walnuts....pecans....cinnamon....apricots....brown sugar... dried blueberries.....

The world is your oyster! Go mad crazy!

Ahem..... Sorry about that... To continue, plug in your magnificent machine, turn it to low, put the lid on, and go to bed. Sleep restfully knowing that breakfast is cooking. Wake up at 6:00 because daddy made the 2-year old fall asleep at 7:00 the night before and now the kid's awake. Be very glad that you don't have to crack your eyes open too far to feed him, because it's all ready!

The long cooking time and the low heat makes this oatmeal very creamy. I added raisins, chopped walnuts, and almonds. Along with some cinnamon and brown sugar. I like mine with milk poured over it, and it didn't get all drippy! Ladle some into your bowl and let it stand and cool off for a couple minutes to thicken. You can make extra and refrigerated it. When you want more, stir in a little milk or water and microwave!

60-Minute Rolls

2008-10-06T16:03:00.003-06:00

That's right. 60 minutes! Stop squinting, you'll hurt your eyes. ;-)

For our wedding, my aunt gave us a cookbook that her church put together as a fundraiser. Good family recipes, for small families and large families, some for up to 100+ people. Meat loaf for 50, anyone? This dinner roll recipe is one of my favorite bread recipes from this cookbook, which is falling apart from constant use, and it is so quick and convenient. Usually you can spend a couple hours making rolls, which deters most people. If you do fancier rolls, this can take longer, but it usually stays pretty close to the 1 hour mark.

I think my dad mentioned 3 or 4 times how good the rolls were! I forgot to take a picture of the huge bowl of rolls, I made 30 of them, and by the time I remembered, there were only 4 left! So here is a sad, lonely little roll...

2 cups milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup butter
7-8 cups flour, divided
1/4 cup yeast (yes, 1/4 cup)
6 tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1 egg, optional

Heat milk, water, and butter in pan to 120 to 130. When you stick your finger in it should be good and warm, but not actually hot or you'll kill the yeast.

Mix 3 cups of the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add to warm mixture. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Add 4 more cups flour, beat another minute to mix in. Liberally flour the counter, scrape dough out onto it. Knead for 5 minutes, adding flour as necessary to make a moderately soft dough, not sticky but not stiff.

Let rise for 15 minutes in an oiled pan resting in warm water. Punch down, turn out onto lightly floured surface. Shape and let rise in pan another 15 minutes. Bake at 425 for 12-15 minutes. Optional- beat the egg with a tbsp of warm water. Brush onto tops of rolls before baking for a crispy and golden crust.

I got about 30 rolls out of this, and I did the egg wash. After baking, I like to brush with melted butter too.

You can also substitute 2 cups of the flour for whole wheat flour! Keeping it at 2 cups keeps the dough lighter.

Zucchini Tomato Toss

2008-10-06T15:27:00.004-06:00

The recipe that follows is a little different than what is pictured here. I threw it together at my mom's house this weekend, from memory. I forgot a few things, so I am posting the recipe as it is supposed to be, not how I made it. While it was good that day, it wasn't quite right... The original is even better!

4 cups thinly sliced zucchini

2 medium tomatoes, cut into wedges

1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions (I forgot these)

3/4 cup white vinegar or cider vinegar (I used cider vinegar)

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1 garlic clove, minced (I forgot)

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp italian seasoning

1/2 tsp pepper

In a bowl, combine the vegetables. In a jar or tall container, combine the remaining ingredients and shake well. Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. (We decided to eat immediately, it tasted just fine!)

Most of my family devoured it! Literally! We enjoyed it with our dinner, and my sister's little boy, who is 1, wouldn't stop eating it! At one point after dinner, several of us were standing around the bowl and picking the vegetables out with our fingers... talk about civilized... :-)

Easy Peachy Crisp

2008-10-06T14:55:00.008-06:00

I stole my son's notebook. Well, technically is was mine anyway. He took mine to a church party, and some kid ripped it up. They bought him a new one, and I took it. :-) I got tired of coming up with recipes and having to remember what all went into it. Not easy! I have started writing them down in this notebook as I go, and it is sooo much easier to post them afterward!

My mom sent me home with several quarts of peaches a couple weeks ago. I was in the mood for a good fruit crisp, or cobbler, thanks to Lisa at What We Eat and her chicken cobbler. It was seriously yummy looking, go check it out! It got me craving warm crisp with ice cream.

Cobblers and crisps usually call for fresh fruit, but I didn't have fresh peaches on hand. So I did one up with the canned ones that I had, and supplemented with some plums I found in my fruit drawer that hadn't gone bad yet.

1 qt jar peaches, drained (or 4-5 fresh peaches peeled, pitted, and sliced)

2 black plums peeled, pitted, and sliced

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp cornstarch

dash lemon juice

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter

Mix the sugar and cornstarch. Sprinkle lemon juice over peaches and plums in baking dish. Toss with the sugar mixture.

Combine all the rest of the ingredients, except for the butter. Cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Place evenly on top of fruit. This is about twice the crisp topping that most people use, but I like it thick! Feel free to adjust to your own preference.

Bake at 375 for 30-35 minutes, or until fruit is bubbly and top is golden and crispy.

I liked the flavors of the peaches and plums together. Dessert didn't last long at our house with this one!

Hashbrown Casserole

2008-10-02T10:15:00.004-06:00

I know there are several casseroles here now, but they are more frugal than some other meal options. Plus they freeze well, which is nice for those days that I am too tired or too busy, so I'm not tempted to go out to eat.

We grew up with this one, and it was huge favorite! You have a couple meat options, so it doesn't get boring, and who doesn't like sour cream and cheese?!? I didn't alter this one, it's perfect as is!

This is for 2 9x13 pans. One to eat and one to freeze. Cut in half if you don't want to freeze one.

2 lbs frozen hash browns

1 stick margarine, melted

1 tsp pepper

4 cans cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup

32 oz sour cream

1.5 lb shredded cheese

2 lb cubed ham, ground beef, or ground sausage

Cook the meat if using ground beef or ground sausage.

Spread the hash browns in the bottom of 2 9x13 pans. Sprinkle on the meat. Mix soup, cheese, margarine, and pepper. Pour over hash browns. Half in each pan if doing 2. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. You can sprinkle additional cheese on top if desired.

We love this! Which is why I always make a pan for freezing!!! Great for taking to friends that just had babies, makes great leftovers the next day, and is popular with nearly everyone. Except the pickiest of eaters... My favorite meat is ham, followed by sausage. The one time I made with ground beef it was good, but not as good as the other two. You do not need to add salt, because there is a lot of salt in some of the ingredients. Pepper though, that is highly recommended! :-)

It's also good with broccoli sprinkled on with the meat.

And those gorgeous tomato wedges? Heavenly when spread with mayonnaise!

2008-10-02T09:55:00.003-06:00

I have been making this for a while. I think it was on the Crisco sticks package a few years ago? Don't really remember.

I had to use this one because I wanted chocolate chip cookies, but I didn't have butter. The day before payday, you know how that goes.

A good friend introduced me to frozen cookie dough. Sort of a ready-to-bake thing. After baking a batch of cookies, you scoop out more dough and put them on a wax papered pan, just like you were going to bake them. Then you freeze the balls/scoops of dough. Once frozen, they go into a container and kept in the freezer. Throw some on a baking sheet and just bake a few minute longer than non-frozen dough! Yep, there is frozen cookie dough in my freezer, just waiting to be baked!

3/4 cup butter flavored Crisco (not regular, butter flavored is softer)
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts

Heat oven to 375.

Combine butter flavored Crisco, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed with a mixer until well blended. Beat egg into creamed mixture.

Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Mix into creamed mixture just until blended. Stir in chocolate chips and pecan pieces.

Drop rounded tablespoonfuls of dough 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 8-10 minute for chewy cookies or 11-13 minutes for crisp cookies. Do not overbake. Cool 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then remove to wire rack to cook completely.

The crisco gives it a chewier texture than cookies with butter. I don't usually put nuts in my cookies, but I felt like it this time. Just as yummy as every other time I have made them. And I didn't have to buy anything to make them!

Cheesy Tuna Bake

2008-10-02T09:32:00.004-06:00

I am really trying hard to use the foods that we have in the pantry, save on the grocery bills. Surgeries can be pricey... and groceries are one area I can cut back on easier. So it's been fun attempting to change up ~~cheap~~ frugal recipes that are the staples I made on busy or "who cares" kind of days. Make them less boring, more nutritional and filling, while still being frugal about it.

Tuna noodle casserole is a dish that our family grew up with. You can do all sorts of seasonings with it, very mild and versatile. We would do Lawry's seasoning salt, or Lemon Pepper, my personal favorite! It's also quite cost efficient. Noodles, tuna, cream of mushroom soup, and a little milk.

I took the basic recipe and jazzed it up a bit! I like how it turned out, and hoped that we would have some leftovers for the next day for lunch. But my son was apperantly hungry and ate2 huge servings. Thus, no leftovers! :-( There is, however, a dish of it in the freezer for later...

1 box of rotini, cooked according to package directions
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cans tuna, undrained
1 - 1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
3/4 evaporated milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
12-15 saltines, crumbled

Mix soups, sour cream, tuna, cheese, and milk. Stir in pasta. Spoon into a 9x13 casserole dish, or 2 8x8 dishes. Top with crumbled saltines, and sprinkle the melted butter over.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Let sit a few minutes before serving.

The evaporated milk was to boost the calorie count for my oldest, whose meds cut his appetite and we try to give as many calories in his servings as we can. Feel free to use skim milk or whatever you have. You want it to be quite wet, plenty of liquid, or it will be really dry after baking. The pasta sucks up even more liquid while baking. This turned out the perfect amount of creamy, and the buttered saltine crumbs tasted yummy!

Refried Beans

2008-09-29T13:18:00.004-06:00

Alright, just FYI, I have published 3 other posts today. I was a little behind on recipes! And several seem to have a Mexican-ish theme. Or at least lots of common ingredients...

Saturday night, Hubby decided to start some beans. Unfortunately, he didn't realize it would take so long. So they sat overnight in the soaking water, like the directions say. I found them Sunday morning, and figured I would cook them that afternoon. Well, I forgot. I started them late evening instead, simmered for a while on nice and low. Then I forgot them again. We woke up to a very warm house this morning, and I couldn't figure out why! The thermostat wasn't set on 74, so why was the house that warm?

The beans! I had let the beans cook on low all night long, covered, which is why they didn't run out of water at all. Needless to say they were pretty soft. I got on the phone with my sister, Steph of Fun Foods on a Budget, who suggested maybe do some refried beans with them. Genius!!!! I gave it a shot.

I have never been a fan of refried beans. Ever. They just don't taste good, and the only time I have ever not-minded eating them was one particular restaurant that did them from scratch. I played around with some ingredients that I had, an offshoot of the more traditional way of making them. They turned out amazing! I am converted!

1 lb red kidney beans
1/3 - 1/2 cup shortening
2 packets sazon goya con cilantro y achiote (cilantro and annatto)*
1 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp salt

*The sazon goya is found in the hispanic section of your grocery store. A little orange/salmon and yellow box. There are two kinds, so be sure you get the one that says it has the "cilanto con achiote". There are several seasoning packets in each box, and I like to use them in lots of different dishes. They really give a great flavor, and kind of a reddish color.

Soak beans overnight. Drain and rinse. Fill pan with enough water to cover the beans. Bring to a boil, boil for 30 minutes, then reduce to medium low. Leave on a gentle simmer, covered, all day. Or overnight. They should be VERY tender!

Drain. Mash well. They will a little dry. Melt 1/3 cup shortening in skillet. Stir in beans, seasoning, garlic and salt. Heat through. If it is too dry still, melt in some more shortening. I needed close to the 1/2 cup. You are looking for something close to the wetness of canned refried beans that have been heated. Taste and salt as needed.

Wow! I never could see the appeal of a bean and cheese burrito. Well, I took a picture of the beans, and then made one. I would have taken a picture of that, but I was too busy eating it and didn't want to stop! I am never buying canned again. And Hubby said this is the reason that he would never leave me... the things I can do with food. Very reasurring... ;-)

This should freeze well, which is what I will do. Some I will use to make burritos along with seasoned ground beef and cheese, and freeze them. Those will be really easy to pull out and microwave one for a lunch or snack!

Corn-breaded Pork Chops

2008-09-29T13:04:00.004-06:00

Have you seen those recipes for chicken roll ups with cornmeal breading? I saw one the other day, and got thinking. Why not try that on pork chops? I wanted to cook some yesterday, and decided to try my own version of the cornmeal breading. Voila!

4 pork chops (whatever the cheapest are, I do bone-in)
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp dried minced onion
1 tbsp parsley
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp oregano
1/8 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten

Mix all the dry ingredients together. Pat the pork chops dry. Dip in the beaten egg, then in the cornmeal mix to coat.

Heat about 3 tbsp oil in a skillet. Brown the pork chops, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Place a roasting rack in a pan, arrange the chops on it.

Bake at 375 for 15 minutes, or until they are no longer pink.

Baking on the roasting rack keeps both sides crispy! My husband thought the crispy coating was really good, and finished his rather quickly. The kids didn't ask for ketchup, which means the meat wasn't dry. I liked it a lot too. It was different than the usual crusts you find for pork chops. A make-again in our house!

Taco Soup and Smoked Paprika Cornbread

2008-09-29T12:34:00.003-06:00

A friend of mine excelled at Crock Pot cooking. She has moved away, but left me one of her fabulous recipes. I have made some substitutes based on our family's taste, but her original recipe was my inspiration!

Taco Soup-

2 cans Ranch style beans
1 can Ranch style black beans
1 pound ground beef
2 tsp minced garlic
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2 packets ranch dressing mix
2 cups frozen corn

Brown ground beef with garlic, onion and spices. Mix in crock pot with the cans of beans and ranch dressing mix. Do not drain the beans! Add the corn and enough water to cover the beans and meat mixture.

Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 3-4. I have a 5 quart crock pot, so adjust to fit yours.

You can brown the meat in regular taco seasoning, from the packets, but we have found we prefer homemade mix. Also, you can use 3 cans of chili beans in mild sauce, which is what the original recipe calls for, if you like.

This is even better the next day!

Smoked Paprika Cornbread

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp parsley
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground white pepper
1/4 cup melted butter
1 egg, beaten

Heat oven to 400. Grease an 8 or 9 inch pan, or a muffin pan, or a couple mini muffin pans. (Great for kids!) Combine dry ingredients. Stir in milk, butter, and egg until dry ingredients are just moistened. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 20 - 25 minutes for cornbread, 15-20 for full-sized muffins, or 10-15 for mini muffins.

These were tastier than normal cornbread! The smoked paprika gave it a little something different, and it was fabulous with melted butter and mouthful of taco soup. The boys loved the small size, and I liked that I could have more than one and not feel guilty! Not too bad. :-)

Chicken Enchiladas

2008-09-29T12:16:00.003-06:00

I have an enchilada recipe that I got from my mother-in-law years ago. I love it so much that it is the only one I use! The other day I wanted to make them, but I was short one chicken breast. This wouldn't have been a problem, but I wanted to make some to freeze too!

To stretch it I added a few things from the pantry, and we loved the result!

2 chicken breasts

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed a little

1 tbsp garlic

1 small can chopped green chilies

1 can tomato soup

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can mild enchilada sauce

Mix the soups and the sauce in a bowl. Set aside.

Cook the chicken breasts. You can either cute into small, bite-sized pieces and cook them, or cook them whole and shred them up. We have done both. Add the garlic, beans and chilies.

Mix in enough of the sauce to moisten. Spoon chicken mixture onto tortillas. Top with shredded cheese and roll up. Spread a little of the sauce in the bottom of the pan, and place the rolled tortillas in it. Once the pan is full, spoon and spread the sauce on top, and sprinkle on additional cheese.

Bake at 350 for about 10-15 minutes, until cheese is nice and bubbly. Let sit for a few minutes before serving.

This usually makes enough for 1 9x13 pan to eat that night and leftovers the next day, and 1 8x8 to freeze. Or 3 8x8's , which is what I did. We ate one, and the other two I froze. They will stay good for 2-3 months, depending on how well they are wrapped. To reheat from frozen- place pan in cold oven. Heat to 350, and bake for about 45 minutes. The heating helps to thaw it some, so it doesn't take quite so long to cook.

We very much enjoyed it this way, it is cheaper, and the beans make it more filling so we don't end up eating as much of them. I think this is how I will do them from now on!

Around the World

2008-09-25T07:41:00.002-06:00

I had some amazing news this week! My son has had numerous problems with his nose and mouth since birth, affecting his speech. Nobody knew what was wrong, but yesterday we finally saw an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor who was able to give us answers. He has a problem with the muscles above his palate, and the valve between his nose and throat doesn't close. At all. While we are so excited to finally have a diagnosis, the solution is surgery. And due to our insurance being military insurance and therefore not accepted by all doctors, we are going to have to pay some out of pocket expenses. He will have 1, possibly 2, of them, and they are both somewhat complicated, and that means quite costly. We are very grateful for getting answers and that the doctor who found them will also be doing his surgery, and feel that it is worth any cost to give him the chance to talk normally, without his parents having to translate. (He is 4.)

However, this is going to mean saving all we can to pay the medical bills. The hospital will accept our insurance for the operating room, anesthesia, recovery.... but the doctor's fee will still be hefty. This means a cutback on the negotiable amount of our budget, ie. groceries and other miscellaneous. I don't want to stop our tour, I have been having so much fun with it, and I know you guys enjoy following along with us.

We will be doing our tour hopefully next week. This week is too crazy and the person who volunteered to pay for this one is working the weekend, big work rush. So we are shooting for next weekend. I am going to do a dinner at least once a month, possibly twice. We'll have to see. I apologize for the cutback, but we won't have the money for the exotic extras that some of these next countries will need.

Cross your fingers, and we'll hopefully have some wonderful new foods next week! I will try and post more recipes to make up for it, I love cooking too much to do tuna casserole 3 times a week!

Mustard-Crusted Roast and Fettucini Alfredo

2008-09-23T17:08:00.005-06:00

My fridge/freezer is magic! Dead serious! It seems to cough up ingredients just when I need them. And if it can't provide exactly what I want, it brings out a suitable substitute... Sweet!

I wanted to do a roast, very flavorful, and a nice medium-rare in the middle. That way it is more done on the outside for the kids. Something with garlic? Sounds good. I found a recipe in my Taste of Home cookbook for Prime Rib Roast that had possibilities. I just used a roast I got on reduced price sale and had frozen, and changed a few things around!

Mustard Crusted Roast

1 tbsp ground mustard + 1 tsp dijon

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp mashed garlic

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp allspice

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tsp dried minced onion

2-3 pound beef roast

Mix together the mustard, salt, garlic, spices, and onion. Rub all over the roast. Place on roasting rack in a pan.

Roast at 325 for 30-35 minutes per pound for medium rare. (thermometer should read about 145) 33-38 for medium. (temp of 160) 38-42 for well done. (temp of 170)

Pull out, wrap in tin foil, and let rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. This is not optional and allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, making for a much juicier roast!

Fettuccine Alfredo

8 ounces uncooked fettuccine

3 tbsp butter

1 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup Parmesan

1 egg yolk, lightly beaten

1/8 tsp salt

dash each pepper and nutmeg

Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Stir in the cream, the cheese, egg yolk, salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Cook and stir over medium-low heat until a thermometer reads 160. Do not boil. If you don't have a thermometer, cook until the all the cheese is melted, and the sauce starts to thicken.

Toss with the pasta and enjoy!

Okay, this is easily one of the best roasts I have ever had!!!! The garlicky mustard flavor permeated the whole roast, and was amazing.... I got it a perfect medium-rare, and it was seriously flavorful and juicy. We will be having this many times. This would be perfect for serving at a nice dinner for company!

And, having avoided making homemade Alfredo sauce for several years because the last time didn't turn out all that well, I gave it another shot. It tasted really good! Shredded Parmesan would melt better, I used the Kraft grated stuff.

The problem I have with homemade sauces is trying to reheat it the next day. For some reason the cheese gets clumpy, the oil/butter separates, and the cream is not creamy. If I reheat it with a little milk it isn't as bad. It still tastes okay reheated, but it is very oily. If anyone has a recipe that solves that problem, feel free to share!!!!

Around the World

2008-09-20T16:40:00.002-06:00

Okay, I have been seriously stressed out. To the point where for 3 days in a row I was having to take pills to head off the migraine approaching. You know, the headaches that can make you nauseous because you know they are going to hurt like crazy? Yeah. And then while I was trying to pull the menu together for our dinner I started getting heartburn too!

I made the executive decision to take a week off of the tour. It has been starting to feel more like work than something fun to do, so a mini vacation is probably a good thing. As soon as I decided to take a week off and let my friends know, the headache that was beginning for the 4th day went away, and so did the heartburn.

Sorry to keep you guys waiting, but next Saturday will be awesome since I can have time to pull it together without stressing, and will be able to enjoy it again. Lots of love, and thanks for understanding! :-)

Mint Musketeers Cheesecake

2008-09-19T08:42:00.012-06:00

I was behind of posts, hence 3 in one day. Sorry about that!

I have been absolutely craving mint and chocolate lately. York patties, mint Oreo's, mint chocolate chip ice cream, mint 3 Musketeers... All of it! In fact, I was at the store yesterday for some basics and just couldn't decide if I wanted the Oreo's or the candy bar. So I got both!

Then I was chatting with my cousin Rachel (Family Favorites) and asked if she had any ideas for using one of these in a baked good. "How about like a grasshopper pie?" Brilliant!!!! (Thanks Rachel...)

So I looked in my trusty fridge. Where does all this stuff come from? I swear, my fridge is magic and can make all kinds of ingredients appear at will... Hmm, cream cheese, and in the back corner there is some cool whip. Do I have mint extract? Hey, there it is!

I waved my wand, and Presto!

Crust:
1 1/2 cup crushed Mint Double Stuffed Oreo's*
3 tbsp butter, melted

*don't seperate the cream from the cookie. Stick about a row and a half of cookies in a bag and bang it like crazy with a rollin pin, or meat tenderizer, or really heavy glass. It'll work...

Mix together in a glass pie plate, and press firmly onto the bottom. Use your hand, clean of course, because the cookie stuff kept wanting to stick to the cup I was using to press it.

Let sit in fridge while you mix the filling.

Filling:
8oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 tsp mint extract
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp cream, half-n-half, or milk
6 oz cool whip
10 funsize Mint Musketeers, roughly chopped

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, mint extract, sugar, and cream for 2 minutes. The sugar should be nicely dissolved... Stir in the chopped candy bars, and carefully fold in the cool whip. Spoon into the refridgerated crust and spread around.

Refridgerate at least 1 hour before serving. I didn't need to dip the pan in warm water to get the pieces out or anything.

This was awesome! One heck of a no-bake cheesecake! In fact, my sweetie ate 1/4 of the whole pie, plus his alloted slice! It was hard to resist eating a big piece for breakfast this morning, although I did manage it. Maybe after lunch if hubby doesn't attack it when he comes home... :-)

Simple Salmon

2008-09-19T08:42:00.007-06:00

Being tired last night, and wanting something yummy that didn't require a lot of work, I turned again to my freezer. I just happened to have some salmon fillets hiding in the back (they were on sale one day and I grabbed some).

I didn't defrost them, although they would have cooked quicker if I had...

4 4oz salmon filets
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper
several sprigs of fresh thyme (from my garden!)

Lay salmon out on a sheet of tinfoil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, dot with the butter. Lay the thyme sprigs out on top, or shake on some dried thyme. Carefully fold over the edges of the foil to make a packet.

Bake, frozen, at 425 for 15-20 minutes. Or thawed at 350 for 8-12.

Don't let it sit too long before serving or it will get dry. Fresh out of the oven this is really moist and juicy!

Good, Old-Fashioned Lasagne

2008-09-19T08:42:00.004-06:00

Growing up, we didn't have much in the way of funds. We used lots of elbow macaroni and egg noodles, and plenty of rice. They were cheap. Mom encouraged us older girls to be creative in the kitchen. She taught us the basics and then let us fly! She is a good cook, but her idea of a great day does not involve pots and pans, unlike my sister Stephanie (Fun Foods on a Budget) and I. If we wanted meat that was not already ground up, we had to put in a request with the head grocery shopper, and we would be given whatever roast was the cheapest. I learned a lot about which meats do best with which cooking methods, how to make food from scratch, and how to substitute ingredients. Good lessons, good food.

Following along this frugal and easy train was my mother's lasagne. It was easier to pour rice and water in the rice cooker and turn it on. Toss that around with some eggs and cheese and you have rice lasagne! Yep, rice instead of noodles. Sometimes we had spinach tucked in there too, it was very good. I would read the Garfield comics and wonder what on earth was so special about lasagne that he worshiped it? Certainly lasagne is good, who can't resist tomato sauce and cheese, but to that extent?

Then I got out on my own, and my sweet husband asked why on earth I was using rice in the lasagne one evening. "Because I don't know how to make it any other way!" Well, now I do... And now I can understand you a little better, Garfield. :-)

12 regular lasagne noodles

1 pound ground beef

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 onion, finely chopped

1 can spaghetti sauce, any flavor (Like the big cans of Hunts)

4 cups (2 lbs) cottage cheese

2 cups mozzarella + 1 cup for topping

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 eggs

2 tbsp parsley

In a large pot, bring lots of water to a boil. Place the noodles carefully in the pan, so they do not break. Bring back to boil and cook about 10 minutes, stirring carefully. Drain and lay flat on a cookie sheet so they don't stick. I had to lay some crosswise on top of the others and had no problem.

Brown the ground beef in a hot saucepan with the onions and garlic. You want very small pieces of meat rather than large chunks, so while it is cooking, squish the meat to crumble it up. Once it is cooked, add the spaghetti sauce. Cook until heated through.

In a large bowl, mix the mozzarella, cottage cheese, and parmesan with the parsley and eggs.

Spread about 1/2 cup sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Lay 4 noodles down the long way, overlapping the edges. Spread about 3/4 cup sauce over the noodles and the 1/2 of the cheese mixture (which will be thick). Again layer the noodles, then sauce, then cheese. Then the last 4 noodles, the remaining spaghetti sauce, and top with the cup of plain mozzarella.

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes, or until it is bubbly and the cheese slightly golden. Let sit for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

I have found that I prefer cottage cheese over ricotta. I have used both, for fairness, but the ricotta always seems a little more dry to me. If you want to add spinach, use a package of the frozen, thaw and squeeze out the water. Then layer it with the other ingredients.

Best Oven Fries Ever!

2008-09-16T14:43:00.004-06:00

I know there are lots of different recipes for oven fries. Wedges, herbs and spices... I found myself wanted something simple. I had a bag of kettle potato chips in a cracked black pepper and sea salt flavor, so yummy! I figured I would do the same to my fries, and see if it tasted just as good.

Black Pepper and Sea Salt Oven Fries

2 potatoes, unpeeled and julienned
2 tbsp olive oil
fresh ground black pepper
whole grains of sea salt

Toss the potatoes in the olive oil. Sprinkle with black pepper to taste, and about 1/2 tsp sea salt.

Bake at 425 for 10-15 minutes, stirring once in the middle. Sprinkle with some more sea salt to taste, toss, and serve!

I served them with ketchup for the boys and hubby, but I quite preferred mine au natural. A definite make-again!

The burger was really good too. Toasted buns, mayo, Dijon mustard, and cheese. I stacked patty, monterey jack, patty, and then medium cheddar. Mustard on top and squish it down. My mouth is kind of small for a double stacker... I have really discovered a liking for good old Montery Jack!

Around the World

2008-09-14T20:20:00.003-06:00

Thank you, to all of you who have been following our little tour!

With the start of school, and soccer season, Thursdays will no longer work for us. I have opted to move our Tour dinner to Saturday. That way, my ~~happy helpers~~ dinner guests, and myself, will have a smaller chance of conflicting schedules. That is the one day that we all generally have the evening open.

So look for our next stop posted sometime between late Saturday night, and Sunday afternoon!

Around the World - Portugal

2008-09-12T14:15:00.004-06:00

First, I would like to apologize for the poor quality of the pictures. I am still awaiting my new camera, and so I took these with my camera phone. But, better than nothing!

Often confused with Spanish cooking, Portuguese cuisine is actually quite distinct. Based on regional produce, emphasising fish, meat, olive oil, fresh vegetables and fruits, and spices, it features hearty soups, homemade bread and cheeses, as well as unexpected combinations of meat and shellfish. Like, Pork and Clams.

Those with a sweet tooth may be interested to learn that one of Portugal's best-kept culinary secrets is its vast and distinctive range of desserts, cakes and pastries. The staple diet is one of fish, meat, vegetables and fruit. The food of Portugal is inspired by the Atlantic and thus many of the dishes contain fish, especially salted cod, and because Portugal is not a rich country a lot of its food is the simple fare of fishermen and farmers. Expect to find fish, meat, rice and potatoes (usually fried) and other calorific staples, combined with olive oil, wine

The day begins with breakfast, for which a café or pastelaria (pastry shop) will provide you with a croissant or other such pastry and a coffee to wash it down. Coffee tends to be served as espresso (uma bica in the south or just um café in the north). At breakfast, though, you might also order um galão, which is a milky coffee served in a glass. Lunch a heavier and eaten around 1:00. Dinner is served late, starting at 7 or 8:00, with an emphasis on good food, and better friends.

Staple foods in Portugal are the various soups, such as the caldo verde (thick vegetable soup) or sopa à alentejana (garlic and bread soup with a poached egg in it), and countless varieties of fish and shellfish soups. As mentioned above, fish and shellfish are unsurpassed in Portuguese cooking and you can get pretty much anything from crab, clams, barnacles, prawns or crayfish to mullet, tuna and the ubiquitous bacalhau (dried, salted cod). Much like French cheese, Portuguese bacalhau can be cooked in 365 different ways and is much tastier than it might sound, particularly when cooked as bacalhau à Gomes de Sá with potatoes, onions, olives and hard-boiled eggs. Sardines (sardinhas) are close behind in popularity and can be grilled or barbequed, or there is the arroz de marisco, which is a bit like a seafood risotto crossed with a soup

Meat is less excitingly presented than fish in Portugal and often comes served with piri-piri sauce, a sizzling chilli concoction, either optional (ie, on the table) or in the cooking. Chicken is very popular and has whole restaurants dedicated to it. Pork can be cooked with clams (porco à alentejana) or simply grilled. Be careful not to fall into the trap of eating blood-and-guts blends of tripe, "meat" stew or papas de sarrabulho, a ghastly blood- and bread-based dish. Eww! Who comes up with this kind of stuff????

I have found myself over-reaching a bit with the menus as of late, so I limited myself to more simpler dishes. Partly because it has been stressing me out, and because it was becoming a bit of a strain on our grocery budget. I stuck with a main dish, a simple side, some bread, and a dessert. So much more relaxing, and I was able to enjoy the meal and the company of good friends! Just like the Portuguese...

Lombo de Porco - Braised loin of pork

2 lb. pork loin roast

2 onions, sliced

1 can diced tomatoes

2 carrots, cut in chunks

2 tbsp dried parsley

1 tbsp shortening

1/4 cup wine of chicken stock

salt and pepper

mixed, cooked vegetables

Melt butter and shortening in a large saucepan or dutch oven. Rub salt all over pork, put in the pan. Brown on all sides, about 15 minutes or so. Add the onions, tomatoes, carrots, parsley, and wine.. Season with more salt and pepper, and simmer gently for 2 to 2 1/2 hours until the meat is tender. Place the roast on a hot platter, strain the sauce and pour over it. Serve with cooked vegetables such as eggplant, pimentos, carrots, peas, small potatoes, fried in a little butter.

The meat ended up sitting for longer than it should on the platter, and was a little dry. There wasn't much sauce, so after straining the juice, Mix some broth or water with the vegetables, smoosh them a little, and strain again. It was good, but I have done lots of similar types of dishes. Still, it was a simple dish and a lot less stressful than other weeks. Fish would have been more appropriate, but I happened to have the pork roast on hand in the freezer.

Pao - Farm Bread

1 heaping tbsp yeast
3/4 cup semolina (durum) flour*
1/ cup very warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt

*I didn't want to make a trip just for semolina flour, but if I remember right, it is a little coarser than regular flour and is yellow in color. Possibly extra fine ground corn meal would be an adequate substitute? I put about a cup of corn meal in the blender, turned it on, and let it go for a few minutes. About every 30 seconds, I would turn off the blender and stir the corn meal. It ended up part flour, part fine cornmeal.

Combine the yeast, semolina flour, and water in a bowl with a mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and let stand until foamy - about 15 minutes.

Add 1 1/2 cups of the flour. Stir in well. Add salt and remaining flour. The dough seemed quite thick after the first 1 1/2 cups, so I added the additional flour 1/4 cup at a time. I only needed about 1 extra cup before is was sticking to my dough hook and there was some flour at the bottom that was not mixing in. It seemed a little dry. At this point I took the dough out, and the floury bits that didn't mix in, and kneaded them until it was one dough ball. It should be just past sticky point, I found it got a little moisture with the kneading, which was odd, but okay... knead about 5 minutes more.

Let it rest a few minutes while you lightly oil a large bowl and fill the sink partway with warm water. Place the dough in the bowl, turn to coat with oil. Olive oil is suggested. Let rise, covered, until double. Mine took a little less than an hour.

Punch down, turn out on to lightly floured surface, knead 20 times. Let rest another 5 minutes. Spray an 8-inch cake pan with nonstick spray, or ready a baking sheet with a sprinkling of cornmeal. Shape dough into a ball and place in pan. Cover and let rise until double, about 30 minutes.

After 10 minutes of rising, preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Fill a large, shallow pan (like a cookie or jellyroll pan) halfway with water. Place one rack in the center spot, and another rack just under it in the oven. Carefully place the water-filled pan on the lower rack.

Bake the bread at 500 for 15 minutes, in the center of the top rack. Reduce heat to 400, bake another 20-25 minutes. Bread should be richly browned and sound hollow when tapped.

Remove from pan immediately, turn right side up on cooling rack. Serve at room temperature.

Lighter than cornbread, with a fluffier and finer texture, and a yeasty taste to it. Baked with the water in the oven, for steam, it gave the bread a moisture interior and a crispy crust. We all really enjoyed it, and I would bring this to a chili cook-off just to see people's faces! A definite make-again!

Arroz Doce - Sweet Rice

2 cups water
1 cup white rice
2 cups hot milk
1 stick cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 fresh lemon rind (use a vegetable peeler for big pieces for easier removal)
ground cinnamon

Bring water to a boil in medium saucepan. Add rice and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add milk, sugar, cinnamon stick, and lemon rind. Simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened to oatmeal consistency, about 15-20 minutes. It will also thicken some while cooling so don't worry it being a little flow-ey.

Pour into a large serving plate or dish and remove the rind and cinnamon stick. Spread flat and allow to cool on wire rack.

Garnish with cinnamon. You can decorate it by pinching a bit of the ground cinnamon between your fingers and place while your hand is no more than an inch away from the rice (criss-cross patterns are traditional), or you can just dust the entire top with the cinnamon. Serve at room temperature, but refrigerate the uneaten portion.

Three words: Oh, my, word! They like their desserts very sweet, but it was really good! Not sour lemon-ey, more like the essence of lemon. Because you are boiling the rind, with the lemon oil, instead of adding lemon juice, it is a nice hint of the lemon flavor. We all like this a lot, and it made for a delicious breakfast this morning, the little that was left mixed with some milk. Being very sweet, you won't need a lot to finish your meal off.

Phoey! (and Pork Chops with Peach Puree)

2008-09-07T13:18:00.003-06:00

Last night, my dear and oh so darling 2-year old found my camera. Not just found, but turned it on, which extended the lens, and then dropped it on the floor. On the lens on the floor. This basically bent the lens to one side so that it cannot retract. Which means I am camera-less until my new one arrives sometime next week.

I will continue to post recipes, they will just be sans photos.

I had very large pork shoulder butt steaks I bought in the reduced meat section and they needed used. I didn't have all the ingredients for a couple of different recipes that I use all the time, so I combined what I did have for the recipes and made it into a completely different recipe! Surprisingly, it worked, which proves just how versatile and forgiving pork truly is!

I asked my friend, Jen, who was over to learn how to make jam if she trusted me and my cooking abilities as I was about to venture into unknown culinary waters. She said, unhesitatingly, "yes". Thank you for your faith in me, and for ensuring that there were no leftovers!

Pork with Peach Puree

1 pkg of pork chops, or steaks
1 can peaches (halves or slices, I used no sugar added which is canned in pear juice)
1 1/2 tbsp* Dijon mustard (I scraped out all I had in the jar, so this is a guesstimate)
1 tbsp soy sauce
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup dried minced onion
2 cups prepared stuffing

Season the pork with some salt and pepper. Heat a couple tbsp oil in a skillet, brown both sides of the pork. Place in a baking pan. Sprinkle the minced onion on top.

In a blender, add the peaches, mustard, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Puree until well blended. Pour over the pork.

Spoon the stuffing on top of the puree, try to get it fairly evenly spread. Bake at 350, until pork is done. I think mine took 30 minutes, maybe 45?

This was really good! Some orange juice concentrate would taste yummy in the puree too, just a tbsp maybe. The salty, buttery stuffing is a good counterpoint to the sweeter and spicy puree. And it was incredibly juicy, I caught it just as it was done and did not overcook it. My sweetie even left an "Ultimate Fighting" match at a friend's house to come eat some! That's a compliment!

I am so glad I have friends that are honest about my food, and who don't mind trying the odd things I come up with. 95% of the time, the stuff turns out just fine!

Around the World - Spain

2008-09-05T09:03:00.006-06:00

It was so hard to pick a menu for this week. I think I say that every week though... All this yummy looking food, and then there are the different ways that they serve the food and what they serve when... I am more a "plop everything on the table and save the dessert for when the table is cleared" kind of person.

Okay, one word. Tapas. Small morsels or appetizers in a huge variety, eaten almost all day long. There are tapas bars where you can order a drink, and a bunch of these little appetizers. Tapas for snacks, during the day. Lots of different tapas can make a meal. They like tapas.

Spanish life-style is vastly different from Americans'. A typical dining pattern involves a light breakfast at 8 a.m.; a mid-morning breakfast at 11 a.m.; tapas at 1 p.m. with a three-course lunch following at 2 to 3 p.m.; a merienda for tea and pastries or a snack at 5 to 6 p.m.; evening tapas at 8 p.m. or later, and a three-course supper at 10 p.m.

The two basic ingredients in Spanish food of all the regions are: Olive oil and Garlic! All the dishes that I made, except dessert, called for one or the other, or both. I went through about 1/2 of a big bottle of oil last night!

They are proud of their ham, seafood is plentiful, they use lots of chicken, and they are one of the top producers of almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts.

The meal started off with a few tapas, and then a vegetable course. Sides for the main dish are usually rice or potatoes or a salad, other vegetables are a separate course. We followed our veggies with a main course. Then there was dessert.

Tapas

Empanadas (with meat filling)

Dough:
1/3 cup water, lukewarm
3 tbsp yeast
4 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/3 cup milk, lukewarm
3/4 cup olive oil

Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let dissolve. Mix flour, salt and paprika in a bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture, milk, and oil. Stir with a spoon and then knead dough with your hands. I ended up adding another couple tablespoons of water because where we live is really dry and all the flour wasn't mixing in. Place in lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place. I let it rise until almost triple.

Filling:
4 tbsp raisins
4 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp jarred)
1.5 pounds ground beef
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp parsley
1/2 dried oregano
1/2 tsp paprika
2 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 cup white wine (or chicken broth)
1/4-1/3 cup Sofrito (a tomato, onion, pepper, and garlic puree thing. Find it in the Hispanic section of the grocery store, or look up a recipe)
1 hard-boiled egg, finely chopped
1 egg white, beaten

Put the raisins in a glass with enough warm water to cover. Let soak until they plump up.

Heat olive oil in a large frying pan with a heavy bottom. Saute the onion and garlic until the onion is transparent. Add the ground beef and cook over medium, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper.

Drain water from the raisins and add to the pan with the parsley, oregano, paprika, cumin, wine, sofrito and chopped egg. Mix well. Cover and cook on low for about 5 minutes.

Assembling:

Divide dough in half. Roll out to 1/8 inch on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 4 inch squares. Place a heaping tbsp filling into each square. Brush egg white onto 2 edges, fold into a triangle and press edges to seal with fingers or a fork. Brush tops with egg white. Continue until all the dough is used. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

These were really good! Kind of like a taco-ish filling wrapped in dough, very kid friendly. You can make a batch, layer in a pan before cooking and freeze, store them in a bag, and bake up fresh when you want them! There was plenty of filling left over, which is going to make one really good Shepard's pie tonight!

Garlic Shrimp (forgot to write down the Spanish name...)

1 lb jumbo (about 25/pound size)
4 large cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup sherry (or broth)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tsp parsley
1 tbsp lemon juice

Heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute the garlic and pepper flakes for about 1 minute or until they begin to brown. Be careful not to burn the garlic!

Raise the heat to high and add the shrimp, lemon juice, sherry and paprika. Stir well, and saute until shrimp turn pink and curl, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with paprika. Serve hot.

My family absolutely loves shrimp. And garlic. There were no shrimp left! I used just a pinch of pepper flakes, for the kids, but I would have preferred a little more heat. Delicious!

Vegetable Course

Alubias Verdes con Ajo (green beans with garlic)

3/4 pounds fresh green beans
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
salt to taste

Snap off ends of green beans, then snap in half.

Steam until cooked but still crisp.

Pour some olive oil in a skillet. I used a tbsp. Briefly saute garlic for a minute or two. Add beans, toss with oil, and cook another minute or so. Salt to taste.

These would be good as a side for any dish. The garlic is good, but then, I really like garlic! Also, none of this left...

Main Course

Ensalada Verde (green salad)

1 head romaine lettuce
2 ripe tomatoes
1/4 red onion
1/3 cup olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse lettuce. Break or tear or chop pieces into bowl, or onto a platter.

Cut tomatoes into eighths. Arrange on lettuce. Very thinly slice onion and arrange on salad.

Whisk the oil and vinegar together. Just before serving pour over salad. If in a bowl, toss and serve. If a platter, don't toss.

I liked this salad. The very simple oil and vinegar dressing was light and refreshing. Red wine vinegar is a lighter tasting vinegar, not as strong as balsamic vinegar. It was very pretty on the platter too! Use the dressing sparingly.

Arroz con Polo (chicken and rice)

3 lb chicken cut into pieces. Or 8-10 thighs and drumsticks.
6 tbsp olive oil
1 chopped onion
4 tbsp garlic
salt and pepper
6 tbsp parsley
1 ripe tomato, diced
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 pinch saffron
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cups white wine
2 cups white rice

*Saffron is one of the most expensive spices, about $14 an ounce. It comes in a .6 ounce jar for around $7 or so. Well worth it, and lasts a good long while. It doesn't take much in a dish, and saffron rice is a really neat shade of yellow!

Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large deep pan (rice will be cooked here, too) heat the oil and saute the chicken until golden on all sides. Remove chicken to a warm platter. Add the onion, garlic, and parsley to the oil and saute until the onion is soft. Add the paprika, saffron, broth, wine, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add the rice and cook over over medium high, uncovered, for about 10-15 minutes, stirring until the rice is semi-cooked, but plenty liquid still remains. Bury the chicken in the rice. Cover and cook over low heat for about 20 minutes, stirring rice occasionally so it doesn't stick to the bottom. Turn chicken over and cook for about 10 minutes more.

Serve with some fresh bread and a green salad.

This rice is amazing! I would just make the rice and forget the chicken! The chicken was good too, don't get me wrong, but I would take the skin off if I made it again. The skin doesn't stay crispy, because it cooks in the rice for forever. Everyone loved the rice! This makes enough for 6-8 people, so either have someone over for dinner, or cut the recipe in half.

Dessert

Flan

This tastes unlike anything I have ever eaten! I took a bite and my eyes opened wide. "Oh, wow!" I exclaimed! And then, I did this...

This was, without a doubt, the worst thing ever! Imagine, scrambled eggs without salt or pepper, sort of a runny custard consistency, with little chunks of almonds. Overlay that with the burnt sugar that reminded me of the charcoal that forms on grilled chicken when you catch it on fire. And not to mention the orange juice from the garnish that the recipe said to use.

Yeah.

So I will not be posting this recipe. I may try again with a different recipe, one that actually tells me how to caramelize sugar, and with a different pan that is solid on the bottom so the water bath doesn't seep in.

Instead, we enjoyed a very non-Spanish dessert. Root beer floats anyone?

More like "What I haven't eaten!"

2008-09-01T10:27:00.004-06:00

I saw this on Lisa Conmara's blog, What We Eat. It looked fun, so here we go!

So, here's what you do...1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Crossout any items that you would never consider eating. (I will put these in italics)
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here athttp://www.verygoodtaste.co.uk/ linking to your results.

The Omnivore 100!

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns (Something very similar in Japan. Steamed roll with meat or vegetable filling. Anyone know where to get those in the States?)
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake (funnel cake is awesome!)
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill (I haven't, but my hubby has. It was still warm, freshly hit. Not his idea...)
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

We don't drink tea, coffee, or alcohol, so I crossed out any of these that I know are the afore mentioned. I am sure I missed some... And I am sure that some of these nobody in their right mind would eat, but I don't know what half of these "edibles" are on these list!

Herbs and Spices!

2008-09-01T09:39:00.002-06:00

This is not exactly cooking related, as far as recipes, but it's still fascinating! I was recently given a list of herbs and spices that we all use today, and a couple other common things we use, as they were used in Folk Medicine! I don't know how much of it actually works, but I thought it would be cool to show everyone anyway!

Baking Soda- Use as a tooth powder, and mouth wash. Also a deodorant when mixed with cornstarch, for itching from chicken pox or poison oak when poured in bath water. A good all-around cleaner. Mix with water to form a paste and smear thickly on a bug bite, bee, wasp or hornet sting to help with itching and draw out the stinger and poison. I have tried most of these (not the dental care and deodorant) and they all work. My hubby stepped on a bee and we thought we had pulled out the stinger, but 2 days later it was red and warm to the touch and painful. I applied the paste and let it sit for about 20 minutes. When I wiped it off, the spot was barely pink and didn't hurt as much. The next morning it was totally fine!

Anise- Make a tea and use for coughs, hiccups, asthma, and bronchitis.

Sweet Basil- Excellent for bee and wasp stings when applied fresh. (Probably mashed and ground with mortar and pestle to release the oils)

Bay Leaf- Put one in storage wheat to keep out weevils. (I am SO going to try this one, I buy flour in bulk and store it)

Chili Powder- Use for pneumonia, fever, or flu in tea. (That would cure a cold! ;-) )

Cloves- Oil of cloves is useful for toothache, make tea for bronchitis, helpful to prevent vomiting. (sounds tastier than orajel...)

Dill- For bad breath, chew on some seeds. Also good for indigestion, gas, headaches, and insomnia.

Cumin- Good for flu, colds, muscle spasms, and cramps when used as a tea. ( I love cumin, but would sugar taste good in that tea?)

Ginger- Used with capsicum or cayenne pepper to stimulate heart and blood circulation. Use in moderation as ginger is a natural hallucinogen. (Is that why I see so much stuff on the floor after serving stir fry?)

Mustard- Good laxative, also relieves bronchitis and pleurisy as a mustard plaster, but do not apply directly to skin. (They probably placed a warm wet cloth underneath the mustard. and I would assume that it involved ground mustard seeds...)

Oregano- Used as antidote for narcotics and infections childhood diseases such as measles, mumps, and chickenpox. also taken to prevent sea and air sickness. (Maybe then they wouldn't need rehab?)

Nutmeg- Reduces severity of intestinal gas, improves appetite. Use sparingly because of strong hallucinogenic properties. (But tastes so good in pumpkin pie!)

Paprika- Use for scurvy and canker sores.

Pickling Spice- Makes a good laxative and relieves cramps.

Pumpkin Pie Spice- For mild insomnia, nervousness, upset stomach. Use in form of tea. Also makes a pleasant mouth wash. (Again, probably tastes better than baking soda! And also probably why people get so sleepy after Thanksgiving dinner!)

Rosemary- Once used as a liver tonic. Also called memory herb.

Saffron- Alleviates whooping cough, lowers fevers, but use sparingly as could cause kidney damage. (So can half the medications out there...)

Sage- Highly valued for sever fevers, sore throats. Also repels insects if planted in the garden. (Sage will be in my planter box and planted among my garden next year!)

Thyme- Use for intestinal parasites, mouthwash for canker sores, lotion for psoriasis, burns, gargle for strep throat. (It would be interesting to know what they mixed all these with.)

Turmeric- May help reduce cholesterol if used frequently on food. No toxic side effects.

Aloe Vera- Called jack-of-all-trades in healing. Used for burns, cuts, abrasions, fungus infections, eye irritations...

Cayenne Pepper- For lowering high blood pepper.

Cherries- For gout (sweet or sour) about 15-25 a day.

Onions and Garlic- lowers blood pressure, cholesterol, and fevers. (I love garlic!)

Honey- Makes a good cough syrup when mixed with lemon. (If you can take the taste, this actually works.)

Vinegar- Takes the sting out of sunburns, itches, rashes, and fungus.

Oatmeal- Bath for itching and rashes, don't use water that is too hot. (Really good for itchy skin when you are pregnant, or allergic reaction to skin products, or dry itchy skin. I mix oatmeal I grind up in the blender with some baking soda, Epsom salts, and powdered milk for a relaxing, soothing, and moisturizing bath soak. Which makes a good gift when put in a pretty jar...)

Meat Tenderizer- For bee stings. (We were also told that you can mix it with water and keep it in a spray bottle. Keep in your car for when you go to the beach during jelly fish season. It helps relieve the pain when you brush against the tentacles that float in close to shore. This works!)

Maybe not related to use in cooking, but it is always neat to see how they used basic household stuff for back then. Ingenious, if not always effective.

Around the World - Italy!

2008-08-29T09:10:00.005-06:00

Wow, it was hard to choose a menu for this one! Every region has it's own style of cuisine, and every one of them is very different from one another. One focuses around fish dishes, another invented the pizza, one uses a lot of rice... I finally was able to piece together some dishes that seemed like they would go well together.

Many Americans believe, mistakenly, that all Italian food is based on tomatoes and garlic. Most of the Italian immigrants were from the south of Italy, and Sicily and Sardinia. They brought with them their own style of cooking, which is based on olive oil, garlic, spices, tomatoes, and spaghetti. The northern preference for butter, rice, and the use of little or no garlic is not nearly aw well known in this country.

A traditional Italian dinner includes a number of courses, each a moderate portion, instead of one large main dish. The first course is usually soup, rice or pasta followed by a fish, chicken, or meat second course, often accompanied by vegetables. Salad comes after the second course. Antipasti and dessert appear at more lavish, special occasion meals, but for everyday dinners the antipasti is often skipped and dessert is usually fresh or very simply cooked fruit.

I chose to make the more lavish meal.

Fish and cheese are rarely served together. In fact, fish is seldom combined with any dairy product!

They drink Grappa, one of their only strong liquors, occasionally. Wine is served with every meal but breakfast. I was hard pressed to find a dessert that didn't call for either wine or or dessert liquor, or coffee! (We don't use either in our household - except for cooking wine which is too salty for dessert) Don't worry, I found a really good one.

Tomato Bruschetta - served with our antipasti platter

1 loaf country style (Italian or French bread) cut into thick slices

several cloves of garlic cut in half

3 medium ripe red tomatoes

olive oil

salt and pepper

Grill or toast the bread, both sides. While it is cooking, peel and seed the tomatoes.* Chop them coarsely and season with a little salt and pepper. Rub one side with a piece of the garlic. Drizzle each slice with the olive oil and top with a large spoonful of the chopped tomatoes. Serve immediately. If it sits the bread will become soggy.

* To peel and seed tomatoes: Bring a pot of water to a full boil. Drop the tomatoes in. Let them cook briefly, until the skin splits open. Immediately plunge the tomatoes into an ice bath (ice cold water with ice in it) to stop the cooking. The skin peels right off! Then cut the tomatoes in half and scoop the seeds out. Proceed with the recipe. Make sure the water is at full boil or the tomatoes will cook to far and become grainy before the skin splits.

YUMMY! I love garlic, in any form. Rubbed raw on the bread, the garlic had a definite bite to it. For more bruschetta topper variations, visit here.

An antipasti platter is very easy to put together. I found this page with ideas, and picked a few.

Provolone cheese, sliced into thin strips

Green olives

Sliced hard-cooked eggs

Salami, thinly sliced

Arrange on a platter, on romaine lettuce leaves. Pay attention to color as you arrange. You can roll meats or fold into cones or wedges. Have some fun! And serve with toothpicks to make grabbing their favorites a little easier.

The salami went fast, and the olives too! I loved how this looked and am dying to find a church event that I could bring this to. It was really fun to put together, and you can assemble it several hours in advance and refrigerate, making meal prep less stressful!

Linguine with Cauliflower, Garlic, and Bread Crumbs (I couldn't find the Italian name for it, sorry)

8 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 cup fresh bread crumbs*

6 cloves garlic, minced

6 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (which I forgot)

1/2 half tsp dried red pepper flakes (I used 1/4 tsp, for the kids' sake)

1 tsp anchovy paste (does not leave a fishy paste. Find at the better grocery stores.)

1/2 pound linguine

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into small florets

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

*In a food processor, grind up 2 slices of fresh bread. I just used regular sandwich bread.

In a large frying pan, heat 4 tbsp of the oil over moderate heat. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring, until golden. Takes about 5 minutes. Remove and set aside. Wipe out the pan.

Heat the remaining 4 tbsp oil in the same pan over moderately low heat. add the garlic, parsley, and pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the anchovy paste and remove from the heat.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine until almost done, about 8 minutes. Add the cauliflower and bring back to a boil. Cook another 4 minutes, or until pasta and cauliflower are just done. Drain and toss with the garlic mixture, salt, bread crumbs, and Parmesan.

I had made this before, and my family loved it. Feel free to add all the pepper flakes that it calls for, but I found that it had just enough kick with half the flakes. This makes a great breakfast the next morning! There weren't many leftovers, our guests ate plenty of it! And who doesn't like Parmesan?

Stracotti di Manzo (Beef Roast)

1 oz dried Porcini Mushrooms

2 cups Beef Stock

salt and pepper

4 pounds Beef Eye of Round Roast (This was actually cheaper than the other roast!)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp chopped Pancetta

1 finely chopped Onion

1 finely chopped Carrot

1 finely chopped Celery Stalk

2 tsp chopped Garlic

2 Bay Leaves

1 tbsp chopped Rosemary

1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian Parsley

3 tbsp Tomato Paste

5 cups Red Wine (I used cooking wine, which was cheaper, and on one in their right mind would drink it!)

1 large can Whole Peeled Tomatoes

Soak the porcini mushrooms in 1 cup of hot stock until softened, about 30 minutes. Strain mushrooms through a coffee filter, which I happened to have to strain juice for jelly. Set aside separately.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large pot until hot but not smoking. Brown the beef on all sides, about 15 minutes total. Transfer the beef to a plate. Pour off the browning fat. Add pancetta, onions, carrots, and celery, stirring until they are golden. add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Stir in herbs and tomato paste. Add the wine and simmer until it is reduced by have, about 20 minutes.

Add the beef, tomatoes, porcini mushrooms, mushroom liquid, and enough beef stock to come 1/3 up the side of the beef. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook at a gently simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until meat is tender. Turn every 30 minutes or so. Transfer the meat to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm.

Skim off any fat from the surface of the liquid. strain the liquid, pressing on the side with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids and return the strained sauce to the pot. Bring to a boil and let cook uncovered for a few minutes to further reduce and thicken the liquid. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Slice and serve the roast with the sauce.

I had to fight off our guests to save some for hubby, who was gone helping someone move. they loved it! It was a lot of work and made my kitchen quite warm, but that sauce....! So worth it! It was tender but not falling apart, and sliced easily. I used a 5 pound roast since we wanted to be sure of leftovers and we were feeding about 10 people! We got away with a couple slices for the fridge... barely. :-) I love to see people eat, and our guests loved eating it!

Insalata di Cipolle (Onion Salad)

2 onions

2 bay leaves

1 sprig of rosemary

2 tbsp parsley

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp anchovy paste (I swear, it is not fishy at all!)

olive oil

salt and pepper

Clean and peel the onions, and boil them in abundant salted water, together with the bay leaves and rosemary.

Remove them from the water while they're still firm (the middle should still be crunchy) and slice them. Combine the remaining ingredients to make a sauce. Put down layers of onions and sauce until they are all used up. Let sit for a bit before serving.

We used this as our side dish for the beef. It was all right, but would have been better with the sweeter (red or vidalia) onions that were suggested. I forgot we needed a side dish, and had to find one that I already had everything for, so I just used plain yellow onions. Hubby thought it was the weirdest salad. "How are onions with nothing but dressing a salad?" I will make this one more time, putting the herbs in the water (which I forgot to do) and using the right onions. I am sure that will make a world of difference!

Our piece de resistance! Budino di Fragole! (Strawberry Pudding)

1 1/8 pounds strawberries, washed, dried, and hulled

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup sugar, divided*
2 packets Knox gelatin
a sprig of mint or to, for garnish (optional)

*I measured out the 1 cup and scooped out what I needed for the steps from that. It made it simpler.

Rinse the strawberries and pat dry, hull them. Set aside 3 or 4 of the prettiest ones as garnish if desired. Blend into a puree with 2 tbsp of the sugar.

Set aside 1/4 cup of the sugar. Mix the remainder with 1/4 cup of water. Heat it to a boil and simmer stirring gently, until the mixture thickens and becomes syrupy, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle the gelatin over 1/2 cup very cold water. Let sit for 1 minute, then add the sugar syrup. Stir until the gelatin is dissolved completely. Whisk this mixture into the strawberries and let cool.

In the meantime, whip the cream and sugar together. You want the cream to be airy and light, but not stiff. Fold the whipped cream very gently into the strawberries.

Pour into a ribbed mold (I used a bundt pan). Or you can use a bowl if you wish. It was a little difficult to un-mold, so maybe butter the pan, or place saran wrap on the bottom and peel off the pudding when it is on the tray.

Chill several hours, or better, overnight. To un-mold, dip the pan briefly in hot water. Cover the mold with your serving dish and flip it over. The pudding should slide out, if it doesn't then dip the mold again.

I absolutely LOVED this. I would use this again as is, but I also thought it would be delicious with a chocolate cookie crust and whipped cream on top! There is a little left, they were very full from all the meat! Dibs on that for lunch!

All in all, a very enjoyable meal. I was smart enough to make several things ahead of time. I even wrote out a schedule so that I would know when to start everything, and do the various steps according to the cooking time of each dish. Crazy, I know, but it actually saved my sanity since I had so many dishes going at the same time with different serving times! (Why do I do this to myself, willingly, every week?) Sorry these posts are so long, lots of recipes to cover!

Mini Cheesecakes

2008-08-27T20:18:00.003-06:00

These have been on my list of desserts to make for a while now, and I figured I may as well do it this week. Quick, easy to make, and very kid friendly. My boys have already asked when they can make this with me again!

24 vanilla wafers
2 packages (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup jam (I used apricot preserves and raspberry)

Place wafers flat side down in paper or foil-lined muffin cups. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and sufar until smooth. Add the eggs, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat well. Fill muffin cups 3/4's of the way full. Place on baking sheet.

Bake at 375 for 17-20 minutes, or until top is set. Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Top each cheesecake with 2 tsp of jam. Refrigerate until serving.

Supposedly this was supposed to make 2 dozen cheesecakes. It made 16, filling 3/4's of the way. So I had to take out the extra muffin cups and put the cookies back in the box. Even only filling 2/3's would not have left enough to make 24. Just a head's up!

I really liked these. Easy enough to throw together if you are craving just a little bit of cheesecake. It's like portion control! Maybe throw some chocolate shavings on there with some whipped cream, in foil muffin cups, and you have a decadent adult treat for nice company. Or just for after the kids go to bed!

Crock-pot Ham Tetrazzini

2008-08-27T20:04:00.005-06:00

We are trying to get in the habit of having one crock-pot night each week. Just to make those crazy days easier, and maybe stock my freezer with the leftovers. This one was really easy, cooked seriously fast, and was so good that my hubby ate two huge plates! And it's really cheap too...

I doubled the recipe so I could make leftovers, but there was hardly any left. It didn't make nearly as much as I thought. I'll post the original amounts, which would feed maybe 3-4, and in parenthesis will be the amounts I actually used, which served 2 adult and 3 kids, with some left over for one person tomorrow. (Me, for lunch!)

1 can cream of mushroom soup (2 cans)

1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms (1 package)

1 cup cubed fully cooked ham (half a ham steak I got for reduced price- about 2 1/2 cups)

1/2 cup evaporated milk (I had a 12 oz can, so I poured in about 2/3 of it.)

2 tbsp white wine or chicken broth (4 tbsp white wine)

1 tsp prepared horseradish sauce (2 tsp dijon mustard, didn't have horseradish sauce)

1 7 oz package spaghetti (2 large handfuls from a large box, broken in half)

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese (1/2 cup parmesan cheese. That's a lot of cheese...)

In a 3 quart crock-pot (5 quart), combine the soup, mushrooms, ham, milk, wine, and horseradish (mustard-it's really good...) Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. (Mine was bubbly and browning to the side of the pot in 2 hours so I turned it to warm while I cooked the pasta and we ate really early.)

Cook spaghetti according to package directions, drain. Add the spaghetti and cheese to the crock-pot, toss to coat.

Add some broccoli and it would be good. Some cream cheese would awesome. Toast some bread, tear in pieces, and pour the sauce over would be yummy. Eat the sauce with a spoon like soup would suit me just fine!

World Tour!

2008-08-26T20:38:00.002-06:00

This week's "Around the World" meal will be on Thursday as scheduled. All indgredients have been procured, dessert will be made tomorrow to sit overnight, and I even got the meat the recipe called for! I never do that! (it was the cheapest meat.... that's why)

A clue maybe? To tantalize your tiny taste buds? (hee hee, aliteration!)

Come with me, friends, as we search high and low
For foods of all sorts, with names I don't know.

Bottles of "pressed grapes" abound,
And "slippers" are bread, and made sometimes round!

We eat lots of their food and play their old games world wide,
No cheese on their fish, by that rule they abide.

You may not guess easily, or even give a hoot,
But if you don't like the food, I'll give you the "boot"!

Good luck, and you'll see Thursday night! :-)

Pasta with Cream Cheese Sauce

2008-08-26T20:12:00.003-06:00

Wow, did I ever have a tough time naming this one! I wasn't sure how it was going turn out, but after one bite I knew I had to post it.

I love doing one dish meals, less dishes for one thing. I love using all those odd bits and bobs from the back of the fridge and the top of the pantry that might otherwise sit there forever, sad and forgotten. It helps the food feel useful and loved, and frees up space for new bits and bobs.

I used that philosophy to create dinner tonight, somewhat out of desperation, because I was out of enchilada sauce and the store was out of rotisserie chicken. ARGH! But this tasted good enough that I didn't mind after all...

3 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless

2 tbsp oil

1 tbsp butter

salt and pepper

3 tbsp dried minced onions

1/3 cup sherry (or chicken broth and lemon juice)

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 wedges Lauging Cow Light Garlic and Herb cheese

1/3-1/2 cup milk

1/2 box wagon wheel pasta (8 oz piccolini, to get technical)

Heat oil and butter together in a large skillet. Pat chicken breasts dry, season with salt and pepper. Brown chicken, about 5-6 minutes on both sides. Remove and set aside. To pan, add 1/3 cup sherry, scraping up the brown bits. *This is called de-glazing. Add the minced onion, mustard, and garlic. Cook for a minute or so. Break the wedges into smaller pieces, so they melt easier, and add them to the wine mixture. Mash them up with a fork and let them melt in the sauce. Pour in the milk, stir in well. I sort of splashed it in, so the amount is a guestimate. Let simmer on medium-low to let it thicken a bit.

Meanwhile, start the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Pour in the pasta, and bring back to a boil. Cook for 7 minutes, for al dente (tender with a slightly chewy center). Drain and toss with the sauce.

I added some peas here, but I only had about 1/4 cup. Not enough peas! So I rummaged around and found a bag of mostly used up broccoli that I threw in too. Let that sit for a bit, covered, while the broccoli and peas thawed and heated up. Some parsley sprinkled on top gave more green color!

Let's just say that this was thoroughly enjoyed. In fact, I am eating a second bowl as I write this. We were blessed with children who eat broccoli, because I have made them since they could gum the "little flowers" on top, so they gobbled it up. I like the tangy cream cheesey flavor. In fact, those garlic herb wedges may be on my list again. Or maybe I'll just use plain cream cheese and add the garlic and herbs myself. It would be cheaper that way...

Melt In Your Mouth Muffins!

2008-08-26T09:05:00.003-06:00

With school starting, I want my boys to get the best possible start to their day. That means a good, solid breakfast. Something besides cereal! Muffins seemed to fit the bill, something easy and fast, that tastes good and that you can sneak all kinds of healthy things inside.

This recipe is actually a mix that you make a big batch of and store. You use some of the mix, stir in the wet ingredients, and voila! A dozen muffins! Seriously easy!

Muffin Mix:

8 cups flour
3 cups sugar
3 tbsp baking powder
3 tsp salt
3 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ground nutmeg

Mix and store in an airtight container. Attach the following recipe:

2 3/4 cup muffin mix
1/2 cup oil
1 cup milk
1 egg

Mix and pour into greased muffin pans. Makes 12. Bake at 400 for 16 minutes.

You can add whatever you would like to the batter. This morning's muffins were Nutty Banana Coconut!

2 tbsp milled flax seed (had in the fridge and tossed it in)
1 banana, mashed
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup flakes coconut (saw it next to the nuts and thought, why not?)

Throw in the with muffin batter and bake away!

Dijon-Peach Pork Chops

2008-08-26T08:55:00.004-06:00

Pork is awesome! You can do so many things with it, it lends itself to a wide variety of flavors, sauces, and crusts.

I made this the first time when my little sister was staying with us for a few weeks. She went home with the recipe, and made it for the rest of that family, who all loved it! We enjoyed it again last night, and I would love to share it with you!

4 bone-in pork chops (1/2 inch thick)

1 can sliced peaches, undrained

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup dijon mustard (not yellow!)

1/4 tsp ground cloves

In a large skillet coated with nonstick cooking sprtay, brown pork chops over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes on each side. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl, pour over pork chops. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes or until meat is tender.

I like to take the meat out and keep it warm on a platter, and let the sauce simmer a bit longer to thicken it up. Then I pour it on the meat.

The boys think these are the coolest peaches ever! "They're kinda sweet and kinda spicey and really good" said my oldest!

Foodie Quote

2008-08-24T23:02:00.003-06:00

"The French got it right when they christened the kitchen arsenal the batterie de cuisine. Hunger, like lust in action, is savage, extreme, rude, cruel. To satisfy it is to do battle, deploying a full range of artillery - crushers, scrapers, beaters, roasters, gougers, grinders, to name but a few of the thousand and two implements that line my walls and cram my drawers - in the daily struggle to turn ingredients into edibles for devouring mouths."

--- Betty Fussell

Around the World - Russia

2008-08-23T11:08:00.011-06:00

Who guessed that the "certain fishy product" was caviar?
Russia seemed like a cool place to tour this week... *Get it? Cool? Cold? (Snort)*

A big thank you and special recognition to my sister Steph, of Fun Foods on a Budget! She took lots of Russian classes in college and recommended the menu for this week. It was amazing! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Also a shout out to my friend Jen, who stood in my hot, humid kitchen from 5 until 10 pm, making blinis and keeping me sane while I ran around like crazy. And my hubby, who was in charge of 4 boys, 2 who were under 2 years old for that whole time! (Yeah, it took so much longer than I thought that I beat my own record time of how late dinner was served...)

Russia has a mixed food history. Gone are the lavish meals of the days of the Czar regime. A more simplified native cuisine is the routine.

Vodka is the national drink, taken straight for the most part, almost 100 proof. (That means almost 100 percent pure alcohol!) The correct procedure is to throw back to the back of the throat and hope for the best! No sipping or tasting here!

Appetizers are appreciated, called zakuska. Herring is a favorite, as is caviar. It would be the national first choice, except it's price and scarcity make it too expensive for all but a few. The Russian soup, borscht (beet soup) is known throughout the world! An interesting faucet of Russian cooking is the lavish use of sour cream. Steph informed me that it is sweeter than American sour cream, and that a little sugar would need to be added to be truly authentic. The sour taste appeals to them and is used on soups, many meat dishes, and the many types of pancakes that are a unique feature of Russian cuisine.

Cheese and Mushroom Salad, Borscht, Piroshki, and Blini were the menu this week.

Cheese and Mushroom Salad

(Recipe courtesy of Steph)

2 oz onion, finely chopped (I used 1/2 an onion)
3 1/2 oz celery, finely chopped (I sliced one stalk)
3 1/2 oz canned red bell pepper
5 ounces cheese, julienned
2 ounces mushrooms, I sliced them.
Mustard to taste (Steph uses yellow, I used country style dijon)
Lemon juice
2 oz mayonnaise, 3-4 tbsp

*I ran out of the onion in the borscht, so didn't include it here. And I forgot it was canned pepper and bought a fresh one. So I sauteed the red pepper in butter to soften it. And my julienned cheese was 1/4 inch by 2 inches.

**To julienne means to cut into thin strips, 1/4 inch square and however long is pretty standard.
Combine onion, celery, bell pepper, and cheese. Set aside. Saute mushrooms in oil. Cool and stir in.

Add mustard to taste, about 1 1/2 tsp tasted good to me, and lemon juice. I used 1 tbsp. Stir in the mayonnaise and enjoy!

We served dinner in individual courses, one at a time. They all inhaled the salad. The dijon mustard was yummy!

Borscht

Steph doesn't like her borscht recipe, which is more a formula than a recipe. I hunted all over the Internet for a good one, and found a couple that I liked. So I used elements from both recipes. It turned out super good! I hadn't tasted it before I served it so it as a pleasant surprise when every loved it! Except the two older boys, who were ready for dessert...

3 medium beets
1 carrot or a handful of baby carrots, julienned
1/2 half large onion, chopped
5 tsp tomato paste
8 cups chicken stock
1 large potato, peeled and cubed into 1 inch squares
1/2 small cabbage head, remove core and cut into 1 inch slices, then into 1 inch squares
3 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp dried dillweed

Cut the tops and roots off the beets. Cut in half. Dot some butter on them, wrap in tinfoil, and roast at 300 for 40 minutes. I recommend using gloves to peel or your hands will be pink for a week. (been there, done that) I keep nitrile gloves for a multitude of purposes. I put them on and wash them really well with dish soap. Then rub the beets, rinsing under cool water if you need. The peels come off really easily and your hands don't get stained. Keep the gloves on and julienne.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Saute onion until browned, 5-7 minutes. Add beets and carrots, saute, stirring constantly, for 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large pot, bring chicken stock to a boil. Add potato and cook for 3 minutes. Add cabbage and continue boiling for another 5 minutes. Add reserved beet-paste mixture, sugar, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

Serve with sour cream. 2 tsp sugar and half cup sour cream. Mix well.

Like I said, everyone loved it. Some had two bowls!

Piroshki

Dough:
2 1/2 tsp dried yeast
pinch sugar
5 tbsp warm water
2 1/2 oz butter (6 tbsp), softened
1 lb flour (4 cups)
2 eggs, beaten

3 qts salted water
milk

Dissolve the yest and a pinch of sugar in the warm water. Sprinkle in a tsp of flour and leave for 15 minutes in a warm place. Pour into a bowl, mix in the softened butter, flour, and salt, the milk and the beaten eggs. Knead into a smooth dough. Place in a lightly oiled bowl and let rise until double. Knead again and roll out thin. 1/8 inch worked well. I didn't need to use flour for either kneading, or the rolling.

Cut into small circles, like a 3 inch biscuit cutter. Place about 1 tsp filling, fold in half. Brush inner edges with a little milk and seal edges.

Bring water to a boil. Drop in piroshki and boil. They will rise to the top and puff up a little. I cooked them an additional couple minutes to make sure the dough was cooked. Drain.

Best served right away, while hot. (we placed the colander to keep warm while we ate the first 2 courses.) Place in shallow bowl and pour chicken broth over them. Lay on the place and drizzle on some vinegar. Pour on some melted butter. Plop on some Russian style sour cream. Lots of different ways to eat them.

Filling: Meat filling

8 oz ground pork
1/3 cup minced onion*
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (trust me)
1/2 cup mashed potatoes
1 egg to bind

Again, out of onion. I took a handful or dried minced onion and placed in hot water until it softened. Then mixed in with the cooked meat.

Thoroughly cook ground pork in a little oil with the onion. Mix in the salt, pepper and nutmeg, the potato, and the egg. Use to fill piroshki.

Tip- Make these and freeze the day before, or really early in the day. You are hand making a ton of dumplings and it takes a long while to get them all done. But they are really yummy!

Blini

3 1/4 cups flour
2 1/2 cups milk, divided
1 1/2 tbsp butter, melted
3 eggs
1 tbsp yeast
1 heaping tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Warm half the milk, not too hot to stick your hand in, just how yeast likes it. Remove from heat. Dissolve the sugar and whisk in the yeast. Cover and leave it for a few minutes, allowing yeast to wake up. Pour this into a large warmed mixing bowl and, stirring, sift in enough of the flour to make a batter the consistency of yogurt. Now leave in a warm place to rise, covered with a tea towel. Let rise until doubled.

Separate the eggs. Heat remaining milk. Mix together with egg yolks, butter and salt. Add to the batter, along with the remaining flour. Mix well, you are releasing the sour gases produced by the yeast on the first rising. Let rise again, covered, until double.

Whip the egg white until they fork soft peaks. fold the egg white gently into the batter.

Heat some butter or oil in a non stick pan, until hot but not smoking. Cook ladlefuls of the mix at a time, turning after a minute or when you see bubbles forming on the top. Think pancakes. The trick is to keep the pan hot and cook the blini quickly.

These are best served immediately, but can be stacked with greaseproof paper (wax paper) and kept in a low oven until ready to eat. Serve with hone, sour cream,caviar, smoked salmon, mushrooms, fruit, powdered sugar, sliced fruit. Whatever you like!

The only thing I can say about this is wow! Hubby said that is the only kind of pancakes I am allowed to make now. Until I told him that I would have to wake up at 5 am to have them ready by breakfast time... ;-) We made a dozen or so big ones and they are all gone. I sliced strawberries, added a dash of lemon juice and some sugar and let sit in the fridge while making dinner. We ate them with strawberries, the sour cream, and sprinkled powdered sugar on them. If you only make one thing from this whole menu, this should be the one!

Asian Glazed Short Ribs and Fried Rice

2008-08-22T12:49:00.003-06:00

For once, I remembered to put food in the crock pot in the morning, to cook all day and make my house smell wonderful. Usually when I have a busy day ahead, I plan on using the crock pot and never get the food started, leaving me scrambling for hot dogs or something.

That made this taste all the better!

4 lbs beef short ribs
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1/2 chili sauce*
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup lite soy sauce
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water

* Find chili sauce in the ketchup aisle, up by the cocktail sauce.

In the crock pot, arrange the ribs. Combine on the onion soup mix, apricot preserves, chili sauce, brown sugar, soy sauce, and cider vinegar. Pour over the meat.

Cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4-6 hours, until ribs are tender. Mine fell off the bone, and I was lucky to get one to hold it's shape long enough to get on the plate for the photo!

Remove ribs to a serving platter, keep warm. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and water. Stir into sauce and cook, covered, in the crock pot for 10-15 minutes, or until thickened. Pour sauce over ribs.

Fried Rice

2 cups water
1 cup rice
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tsp sesame seed oil
1 tsp chinese 5-spice*
2 eggs
1/2 cup frozen peas
soy sauce to taste

*note about 5-spice. Comes ready mixed in the spice aisle, or make your own: cinnamon, cloves, white pepper, fennel-toasted and ground, and anise seed-toasted and ground. I didn't have ready mixed, and tried to make my own with equal parts of everything. It would have tasted right if I had the anise but that is one exotic spice that I don't have. One of the few that I don't keep around, which is odd.

Bring water to boil in heavy sauce pan. Add rice, stir and bring to boil. Stir again, cover pot, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer about 20 minutes.

Heat oil and sesame seed oil in a skillet until oil is hot. Add rice and 5 spice powder, heat through. Move rice out to the edges of the pan, leave a hole in the center. Crack both eggs into the middle of the pan. Let them sit for a few seconds and then stir the rice in. Keep stirring until the eggs are cooked. Add peas and heat through.

You will need soy sauce to season it or it will be quite bland. I think I used about 2 tbsp in total before it had enough flavor for me. I like to use lite soy sauce, less sodium and it has a tangier flavor, like you added lemon juice to it or something.

The pork was delicious! Like barbeque pork ribs, but with an asian twist! The hubby ate it the next day for lunch, and there is none left... The rice turned out pretty well too, except for the 4-spice. The anise would have made it the rest of the way...

Around the World

2008-08-20T19:17:00.002-06:00

Just a quick note to let you know that I will be doing our "Around the World" meal on Friday, due to me being out of town all day on Thursday. I will be making it, because I bought all the ingredients today and there are veggies that will go bad if I don't.

A hint to keep your mouth guessing: They like cabbage and beets, and put sour cream on everything. And a certain fishy product is often praised...

So keep a look out for our next installment either late Friday or on Saturday!

Bacon-Tomato Bagel Melts

2008-08-20T10:28:00.004-06:00

I need to go to the doctor. I think I have been infected with cooking-more-itis, reputed to be highly contagious, and exhibits a wide range of sypmtoms: Baking more than usual; feeling the need to create new recipes; and, most seriously, a compulsion to post. Sounds serious... :-)

A month after my sweetheart and I were married, mid summer, I checked our mail box. Laying innocently inside was a magazine I did not order, addressed to the previous inhabitant of our humble (and ridiculously small) abode. Quick Cooking. The title intrigued me and so, please don't judge my thievery since I didn't have a forwarding address, I took it home with me. And thus began my obsession with cookbooks and cooking magazines. If my husband had suspected what effects this small magazine would have had on our marriage, he would have considered pitching it immediately. Until he remembered that it would mean delicious food coming out of the kitchen and landing on his plate...

This recipe was in that first magazine and was one of the first I made. Besides being quick recipes, they are simple ones that normal people make, and don't call for incredibly expensive ingredients. I bought several more magazines that I often use, but regretfully, they are no longer printing Quick Cooking, although I have searched online. It was through Taste of Home, and they must have discontinued it. So I will post the recipes that we often make, so everyone can enjoy them.

2 bagels, split and toasted
8 tomato slices
8 bacon strips, cooked
1 cup shredded mozzerella cheese
cream cheese

*I cut the bacon in half and then cook it. That way I only need 4 pieces of bacon!

Spread the toasted bagels with cream cheese to preference. Layer on the tomato slices, then the bacon, and sprinkle the mozzerella on top.

Broil 5 inches (top rack) from the heat for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese begins to brown. Makes 4 sandwiches.

We dip this in ranch dressing... the kids love it. It is easier for them to eat these if you cut the bagel in half after it is cooked. I cut all the sandwiches, because it is easier to dip them that way and I don't feel guilty for taking 2!

Very quick and easy, if you use the microwave to cook the bacon to crispy.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken & Lemon Veggie Penne

2008-08-18T23:28:00.004-06:00

Another one of those what am I fixing for dinner kind of nights... So I fell back on a couple recipes that I have used often, and changed them up a little bit!

A friend dropped by dinner after I had our second son, so I wouldn't have to cook or suffer through my husband's idea of cooking. This chicken dish was on the menu, and it was so good I had to call her that same night and get the recipe. (I love friends who give out recipes!) I have made it again, and again, and it gets rave reviews every time!

3-4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup bread crumbs, italian or regular
1/3 cup parmesan
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp parsley
1/2 tsp black pepper
4 tbsp butter

Mix all the dry ingredients in one dish. Melt the butter in another. Pat chicken dry, dip it in the butter, and then coat it in the crumbs. I like a nice, thick coating to help hold in the juice and stay crispy after baking.

Bake at 375, I think mine took about 20 minutes. Forgot to time it, sorry... (petulant frown)

Lemon Veggie Penne

1/2 box penne
4 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp minced garlic
2 cups chunky diced yellow squash
2 tsp dried basil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 medium tomato, diced into roughly the same size as squash
1/4 cup parmesan

Bring pot of water to boil, add penne, cook for 9-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in large saucepan, melt the 4 tbsp butter. Add the garlic, saute quickly, maybe 30 seconds so it doesn't get too browned and become bitter. Add the squash, and basil. Saute another 5 minutes, squash should be cooked but not mushy. I like a little bite left to it. Throw in your lemon juice, stir it up and heat through.

Toss the sauce and the pasta together in a large bowl. Let it cool down a minute or two and toss with the tomatoes and parmesan. Is good warm or cold

I seasoned with some fresh parsley and thyme for a little green color that I tossed in with the tomatoes.

My questioning 6-year old took his required one bite of the squash, looked up in slight amazement and said, "Mommy, this is good! I think I like it!" Score! The rest of the family enjoyed it, although the 2 year old didn't eat the squash he devoured the pasta and the chicken vanished pretty quickly too. My 4 year old will eat anything, just plows steadily through his plate, but the quicker he eats it the more he likes it, and he ate it relatively quickly too. I'll be doing this version of lemon pasta again.

Go ahead, prove to those doubters that squash really can taste good!

Chocolate Brownie Cake

2008-08-18T23:10:00.002-06:00

This almost earned the title of "Sinfully Delicious Cake", but I will reserve that for the finalist in my lifelong search for the ultimate cake recipe...

Have you ever wanted something chocolatey, but couldn't decide between a chocolate cake, or brownies?

You no longer have to decide! With the best of both worlds, it won't last long in your kitchen...

1 box cake mix (I used a dark choclate fudge cake mix)
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 eggs
1/4 cup oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup water

Mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan. I used Pam.

Bake at 350 about 30 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.

Mine was a little more raised on the sides and not the middle. That can happen when you open the oven in the first 20 minutes of baking time. And the milk made it a little heavier, which probably helped the slightly sunken center. Nothing a little frosting won't fix! It won't pull away from the sides like most cakes will. (One of those exceptions I mentioned in my cake tip post.)

-Chocolate Frosting-

1 can icing
1-2 tbsp cream or milk

You want to thin it out a bit, but not too much. Whisk the milk in well. Fold in 1-2 cups Cool Whip, whatever your preference is. I thinned it out a little too much, and while refrigerating helped, it still oozed down a bit when cut. Tasted good though!

A little denser than cake, but lighter than a brownie. I did lots of high calorie stuff for my too small son, but feel free to use lowfat options, like the milk instead of cream, or low fat sour cream. Enjoy!

Ham Pot Pie

2008-08-17T16:22:00.002-06:00

Oh Boy! I had fun with this one. You know that feeling of utter desperation when you realize it is 6:00, and once again, you have no idea what to do for dinner? That feeling that you are an awful mother to have nothing prepared to feed your children and must ply them with endless snacks while you deliberate upon your options?

I hate that feeling.

And so, I dug around in my freezer for a ray of hope. Ham, what can I do with all these reduced price ham steaks I bought? The fridge. OOOOH! I forgot I had crescent rolls in here! The pantry. Well, thank heavens I keep a ton of Cream of Mushroom soup on hand at all times... I thank the motivation of wanting another recipe to post, and inspiration that comes when you think that all hope of a quick and painless dinner is lost.

I present to you - Ham Pot Pie!

1 1/2 pound ham (I used a ham steak) cut into bite sized chunks
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can kitchen sliced green beans, drained thoroughly, rinsed optional
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sour cream
3 tbsp dried minced onions
1 can croissant dough
1 egg

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl combine the following: Ham, soup, beans, peas, mayo, sour cream, and onions, and black pepper. Do not add salt, there is plenty in the ham and the wet stuff.

Slop into a 9x13 pan, glass is good. Spread around evenly.

Open the croissants. Very gently unroll so the dough doesn't seperate. Lay out on a floured surface, and pinch together the seams. Lightly flour the top and roll out to a rectangle about 9x13, so it fits in the pan. Lay on top of the ham mixture. I loosely rolled it onto the rolling pin and rolled it off into the pan. Press it against the edges of the pan to help keep the juices in.

Crack the egg into a cup. Mix with about 2 tsp water. Beat and brush onto the pastry dough. This keeps it from burning on top and drying out. Gives it a nice, shiny look when it's done.

Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes, or until pastry is a nice, golden brown, and the ham stuff is bubbling. Let cool about 10 minutes (during which I set the table and gathered children) before cutting. Otherwise the filling will flow everywhere!

This tasted a little like a really fancy green bean casserole. My kids liked it, Hubby had 3 large pieces, and I will be making this again. What's nice about posting these recipes that I come up with is that now I can go back and remember the really good ones, so I can make them again!

I served this alongside a simple salad dressed with the following vinegarette.

1 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh parsley
1/2 tsp country dijon mustard
1/2 tsp minced garlic (I use the bottled stuff)
Black pepper

Mash together in small bowl. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, mix in and let sit for a bit to let the flavors blend. Using a small whisk or a fork, beat while adding about 2 tbsp of red wine vinegar until well blended. Pour to taste over salad and toss just before serving. Otherwise your lettuce will get limp and the tomatoes will release their juices. I didn't add salt, plenty of flavor from the vinegar. This will make enough for a salad for 4-6 people. I used only a couple tsp for a salad for 2-3. It doesn't take much, but was really good!

Around the World - Scotland

2008-08-14T21:48:00.004-06:00

I considered putting in a Scottish poem by Robert Burns, becuase he writes in a Scottish dialect and you can't understand half of what he says. But the one I wanted, "Address to a Hagis" is a little longer than I wanted to post here. The recipes are long enough as it is! But I would encourage you to click on the link to the poem and see if you can figure out any of it. :-)

Haggis is a big part of traditional food. I considered, for about 2 seconds, making it to post. but I wasn't sure of where I could procure a sheep stomach in Boise... I had it while I lived in England. It's actually not bad if you try it before they tell you what's in it! One of our friends from our church was Scottish, married to an American, and he invited our church to a Scottish day at their home. He showed us the whole traditional procession, with the swords and the bearing of the Haggis formally to the table. The "Address to a Haggis" is then read over it. It is sliced and served alongside "neeps and tatties" (rutabagas, swedes, or yellow turnips and potatoes mashed seperately). It must be eaten hot, or so we were told, to taste the best. I actually liked it. Look it up to see what's in it... but don't do it before a meal...

Whisky is also a huge thing. Exported all over the world, nobody has been able to duplicate it. As I don't drink I found this interesting, but not the most stirring thing about the culture. What I did find fascinating is that they use a lot of oatmeal. Not our American, no nutrients left, minute-cooking variety. A real, long cooking, hearty oatmeal. Eat as porridge, or use raw as breading on fish, or roast and serve with fresh fruit and cream!

Our first course this evening was a soup. I did a stew for Ireland, I know, but the name of this soup was too funny. I present to you Cock-a-Leekie Soup (Chicken and Leek Soup).

5 lb stewing chicken, disjointed
2 1/2 quarts water
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp white pepper
1 lb package leeks, sliced
1 1/2 uncooked cups rice

*Note- I used 6-7 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs. I usually burn my hands while trying to get the meat off the bone, so I wished to avoid that. And while the dark meat gets tender the longer it cooks, the white meat gets drier and is not as good. When doing a soup, by all means cook the dark meat for a while but add the cut up breasts closer to the end of the cooking time so they are done but don't have time to get tough and dry.

Wash the chicken parts thoroughly. Place in a heavy saucepan with the water. Cook for about 2 hours, or until tender. (It took my thighs about that long with the lid on and they were shredding consistency without being really mushy) Add the salt and pepper at the end of the first hour of cooking. Remove the chicken and keep warm. Skim any foamy bits off the top. Your water should have gone down a little. I added about 2 cups and 2 bullion cubes at this point.

Add the leeks and rice to the water. Cook about 25 minutes. The rice will absorb a lot of the water, so add more water and bullion as you need. I ended up needing an extra 2 cups and 2 more bullion cubes by the end. Remove the bones and add the chicken to the soup. Or shred it in big shreds and plop it back in. :-) Cook another 5 minutes to heat through.

The rice, seriously, absorbs a lot of water in the soup. You will need to add water or it will be a really thick ricey stew. I found it needed a tad extra salt. And when you reheat, have some stock/broth or other liquid on hand, since the rice absorbs water in the fridge too!

Next up, our dinner rolls! I have previously posted the recipe for these here, so find no need to post it again. I made these exactly the same as the already posted recipe, although here the photo was taken after all the flour was taken off. I banged the rolls on the pan a bit, tapped them with a knife... Most of the flour came off and what was left wasn't enough to bother anyone but the pickiest of the eaters. And she got over that when we told her to dip it in her soup. (That is soooo good, by the way!) Cut in half, a little butter, and you are in heaven! These are nice and chewy, a substantial roll. Feel free to make them whatever size you need.

Dessert! What meal is complete without dessert? And what kind of desserts in Scotland don't have Whisky in them? Not many it turns out. So I did some shortbread, pictured first, and then a toffee. Cookies and Candy!

Scotch Shortbread. Normally, when you take it out of the nice, prepackaged box, it doesn't have all those little holes in it. Well, it's the taste that counts. I will give you the recipe how I made it, and then some suggestions on how to do it a slightly easier, less messy, and hopefully less hole-y way.

1 pound (2 sticks) real unsalted butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup cake flour
2 tbsp cornstarch

Alright, the fun part. I should have taken pictures of my hands here, I tell you what. My directions said to combine the sugar and butter together on a board. No bowl. So I take my slightly cooler than room temp. butter and plop it down on the very clean counter. And then I put the powdered sugar on it. First off, it doesn't knead in like flour to dough. Second, when one has warm hands and handles real butter, the butter softens a whole lot. I was taking a knife and scraping my fingers and palms off periodically. And the counter.

Then I was to sift the flour and cornstarch over the butter/sugar and mix that in "by hand". Oh. Boy. After calling in my husband to measure out the ingredients for me, getting them off the shelves with my hands was hard enough, and dealing with the shocked stares and laughter on his part, I got them sifted over the butter. And started "mixing". Or attempting to. Bear in mind that my kitchen was a little warm from the pot of chicken simmering away, the candy I had previously made, and the warm oven that was rising the bread dough. More scraping the "dough" (this stuff makes a mockery out of that glorious word) off the countertops and my hands.

Greased (what a laugh) and floured the pan. Attempted to pat the dough in per the directions, used more flour to do so. Baked and watched it bubble and watched the bubbles not disappear from the final product. Watched little children, husband, and friend devour it anyway!

Okay- now for the directions I would recommend. Use room temperature for mixing. Use a mixer and a bowl. Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the flour and cornstarch, mixing until it is smooth. Scrape the "dough" onto a large piece of saran wrap. Form into a ball,sort of, with the wrap and place in the fridge for about 10 minutes. Just enough to let it firm up a bit, but not to let it get too hard. Grease and flour an 8-inch square pan. Preheat oven to 425. Pat the dough into the pan (it is not intended for rolling). Prick holes with a fork. Bake at 425 for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350. Bake for another 10-15 minutes, or until it is lightly browned. Let sit for a few minutes to cool a little, and then cut into squares. Let cool the rest of the way before taking out of the pan.

Hopefully this will help not make a mess, and take care of the holes all over the cookie. Although, it still tasted pretty darn good!

Helensburgh Toffee -

You would think a toffee would be stretchy and chewy. Not this one! It has a consistency more like that of British fudge. Just a little drier than our American version. Have a glass of water or milk nearby because it is really sweet!

1/4 cup (1/2 half stick) unsalted butter
2 cups caster (superfine or bakers) sugar
2 tsp light caro syrup
7 ounces (very small can) sweetened condensed milk
4 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, then add the sugar, syrup, condensed milk, and milk. Heat very gently until all the ingredients dissolve. Then bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Continue to heat, stirring gently, until the mixture has reached 240 degress, or soft ball stage.

Remove from heat and add the vanilla. Beat well until thick and creamy. This took about 2-3 minutes for me. Pour into a shallow greased pan (just like regular toffee) wait a few minutes to let the top harden and mark into squares with a knife. (Just mark, don't cut all the way through or it will drag through the top and look funny.)

When all the way cool, cut into squares and store in an airtight container.

The kids loved this. It tastes like a creamy toffee, but won't kill your jaw! Very easy to make, and came off the pan after soaking during dinner with hot, soapy water. (not like caramel). My friend kept snitching pieces. :-)

We all enjoyed the soup, the kids thought it pretty neat that it was chicken and rice, like Campbell's. (All that hard work? Jeez...) The rolls were a huge hit. (great with jam) and dessert was very well recieved. All recipes I would make again, plus, the soup has a hilarious name. The kids laughed over that F.O.R.E.V.E.R!

Tomato & Chicken "Alfredo"

2008-08-08T20:26:00.002-06:00

I know what you're thinking. "3 posts in 2 days? What's going on? Has something taken over Michelle?"

You never know....

There are plenty of nights I throw some sort of meat in a pan with a whole bunch of whatever I happen to see in the fridge and cupboard. Change it up this way and that way, throw some more of this in it. Usually it turns out pretty good. Tonight was no exception. In fact, I thought it interesting enough to post the recipe. Hubby actually thanked me for dinner, and the boys scarfed it down in about 2 seconds, so it must not have been just me who liked it.

3 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup sherry (or chicken broth)
salt and pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp each parsely, thyme, and sage (I used fresh from my garden)
1 can diced tomatoes

Heat oil and butter in a saucepan. Using both adds flavor to the chicken and helps it brown better. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the oil and saute until browned. Add the garlic and herbs, cook a minute or so more. Pour the wine it, scraping up the brown bits. Add the can of tomatoes, do not drain the juice out. Let that simmer on low to reduce the liquid by half while the pasta cooks.

1/2 box rotini

Heat salted water to boiling. Dump in pasta. I had 1/2 a box left from something so that's what I used. I think it was about 2 cups, maybe 2 1/2? Cook for about 9 minutes. 7-8 is "al dente" which my husband doesn't like, he doesn't think it's all the way done. 10 minutes and more makes it too mushy. (I am sure you have all done that, doesn't hold up in a sauce very well...) Drain and add to the chicken mixture.

1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup parmesan
1 stalk green onion, thinly sliced

It didn't look quite right yet. And we are trying to increase the calories of my really thin son who has a super fast metabolism. So I dumped in about 1/2 cup or so of heavy cream. I did thin it out with a little milk because the sauce was a little thick. Tossed in some parmesan and sliced green onion as an afterthought.

The son who doesn't eat hardly anything completely cleaned his plate. Hubby had two large servings. The baby wolfed it down, tomatoes and all. My methodical large-amounts eater did what he always does, ate it. I didn't have a huge serving, because of all the pasta I snuck while waiting for the broccoli to cook in the microwave.

It reminded me of alfredo, hence the "alfredo" in the title. Because it is not true alfredo sauce, just my cheater method. It's that parmesan flavor, I'm telling you!

Like I said, this experiment turned out good enough to warrant sharing with all of you. Enjoy!

Want moister cake?

2008-08-08T09:10:00.003-06:00

I was thinking earlier about how the inside of the Chocolate Potato Cake was nice and moist, easy to cut through. But the outside edges that were in contact with the pan were hard and crusty. Made cutting hard and eating not as fun. It's not usually your pan's problem, it's how you treat the finished product!

In my experience with cakes, of which I have made a lot, I have learned a few things. I would like to pass them on to you!

First: Do not over bake your batter. When most varieties of cake are done they start to pull away from the side of the pan. That's a good way to check. Start with the lowest time. Keep an eye on your cake and if the top is starting to pull away do the toothpick check. (Or in my case, the large metal skewer) If it's not quite done, keep a close eye on it and check every 3 minutes or so. *some recipes are exceptions, but these are generally fancy pants ones and I have only come across 1 or 2 in all my recipe browsing.

Second: When done baking, take it out of the oven and place pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. This is so the cake can settle a little and decreased the chance of the cake falling apart when you take it out of the pan. But longer than 10-15 minutes and the grease/flour combination can turn to a pasty glue, making your cake stick. Don't worry though. If you wait too long and you have trouble releasing it from the pan, pop it back in the warm oven for a couple of minutes to warm it back up a little.

Third: While cakes are just fine baked the day of, I prefer to bake them the evening before. For one, it doesn't get your kitchen as hot as baking at high noon! Once they are out of the pan, I let them cool most of the way. Then I put them back in the pan and cover them with foil. They sit out overnight and are frosted the next day. When they cool they release moisture into the air. By leaving them just a touch warm on the bottom - the bit closer to the counter/table on the rack - and covering them up in the pan you are letting it release the moisture back into the cake. And the whole physics stuff that says that particles will attempt to evenly distribute themselves... means that the moisture will distribute throughout the cake, including the crusty edges and bottom!

This does not guarantee perfect cakes, by any means. But when I do it this way, my cakes are a little moister, have fewer crumbs when frosting (important when doing professional cakes) and cut so much easier. Who likes to eat the deformed edge piece?

Good luck, and enjoy some cake!

Around the World - Ireland

2008-08-07T23:11:00.004-06:00

First, I am sooooo sorry that I have been so late in posting this one. Life has been one thing on top of another the last couple of weeks, but I buckled down and said "Darn it, I am making this meal come hot weather or windstorm!" (we live in a desert...) On a side note, I have switched the tour day to Thursday due to scheduling issues.

And so I present to you - Ireland.

Ireland. The land of shamrocks, the "wearing 'o' the green, leprechans, and of course... potatoes, Guinness beer, and whisky! It was actually a little difficult finding dessert recipes that didn't have whisky (which we don't drink) or coffee (which we also don't drink). But I perservered and succeeded!

A little food background.

Ireland is an island, of course, so fishing plays an important part of their lives. Herring is eaten often, and they are justly proud of their trout and salmon, both fresh and smoked. Irish beef is exceptional, and young, Irish lamb is also of excellent quality. Locally cured hams and bacon are something to talk about as well. Rashers of bacon, these are very lean. In fact, some varieties are so lean that you have to add oil to the pan when you cook them! ( I miss England.... *sniff*)

Potatoes are everywhere, even in cakes!

Our menu this week was very simple and hearty: Irish Stew, Irish Soda Bread, and Chocolate Potato Cake.

Irish Soda Bread

This recipe was a tad dense for my taste. I used Hodgeson's Mill Whole Wheat Graham Flour, which is a lot coarser than normal whole wheat flour. I would use regular wheat flour for this one.

3 cups wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp soft brown sugar
2 cups buttermilk or milk soured with lemon juice

Sift the white flour and baking soda together. Add the wheat flour, salt, and brown sugar and mix well. Make a well in the center and add about 2/3 of the buttermilk. Quickly and gently mix the flour in with the milk, use your hands rather than a wooden spoon. (This part was a lot of fun and hilariously messy!) If too dry, add some more of the milk. Shouldn't be too firm, keep it a little sticky. Kneading is not necessary, just dust your hands with enough flour so you can shape it without it sticking to your fingers.

Shape into a round loaf and place on a baking tray. Cut two deep slashes across the top, either side by side like a loaf of french bread, or criss cross. Bake at 450 for 10 minutes, then reduce to 400 and bake another 15. Take out, turn over and tap the bottom. If it sounds hollow, it is done. If it doesn't, pop it back in for another 5 - 10 minutes. (Mine was denser than it was supposed to be and took another 15, not 10.) Cut into wedges and serve warm.

With the flour I used, it was really dense and somewhat crumbly. We slathered one side of the wedges with butter and dipped into the sauce from the stew. It tasted really good, the broth with the wheat, moistened the bread up so we didn't choke on the crumbs, and it was quite filling too!

Irish Stew

This is made with lamb. That's what makes it Irish! Unfortunately, lamb is also quite expensive. So while I was waffling back and forth between making the huge splurge in the interest of authenticity, or avoiding getting yelled at for blowing our grocery budget, I was chatting with a friend. "I have a leg of lamb roast in my freezer!" Cried my non-chef friend. She had bought it to cook for a special occasion some time, planning to call me for cooking instructions, and hadn't used it yet. So, we agreed that I would use the lamb in the stew, and they would come help us eat the meal. Works for me!

2 1/2 - 3 pounds boneless lamb, cut into 2 inch chunks
1 cup flour
salt and pepper
1/3 cup oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 pound carrots cut in thick slices or rough chunks
1-2 pounds new potatoes cut into quarters
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tbsp dried parsley
beef bullion cubes
water

Season the flour with salt and pepper. I used about 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper. Dredge the meat in the flour, cook in batches in the hot oil, browning both sides. When each batch is done, remove and set aside in a bowl, or plate. Add about 1/4 cup water and scrape up the brown bits. Throw in the onions and garlic. Sautee until the liquid is almost evaporated and onions start to become tender. Put the meat back in, add the potatoes and carrots.

Add water to cover. I used about 3 cups. For each cup, add one beef bullion cube to the stew. Bring to boil, cover and reduce heat. Let simmer on medium low, stirring occasionally, for about 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender and veggies are cooked through.

Mark was very against doing lamb. We ate it in England and he thought it greasy and strong tasting. But my friend had bought Australian lamb, which turned out to be much more mild than the British stuff. (I liked it in Enland and liked this one too.) Not greasy at all, tasted like half English lamb and half beef. Mark said it wasn't bad, and admitted that he actually liked it! He agreed to eat lamb at a future date if I so desire to cook it again.

And my friend's daughter, who is an extrememly picky eater, wolfed this down! Score!

Chocolate Potato Cake

The recipes that didn't call for coffee or whisky or beer (Guinness cake, anyone?) called for potatoes. Then I thought, potato rolls are pretty good, why not in cake too? So here goes.

1 1/2 cup self-raising flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 oz dark chocolate (like semi-sweet)
1 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup mashed potato
2 eggs, beaten
4 tbsp milk

For the mashed potato I just threw some water and potato flakes in the microwave and cooked on high for a minute or two. No salt, or butter, just water and potato flakes.

Preheat oven to 375. Grease and flour an 8 inch cake pan. Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Melt chocolate in a bowl placed over a saucepan of hot water (or nuke in the microwave on low for a couple minutes...) In a bowl, cream together butter and sugar until fluffy, beat in chocolate and mashed potato. Gradually beat in eggs, and milk. Add the flour mixture and mix well.

Pour into cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until top is firm but springy to the touch. Remove from oven and after a few minutes, turn out on a cooking rack.

Frosting:
4 oz dark chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream (Must be heavy, not light. You are subbing for double cream, not available here.)
somewhere around 2 cups powdered sugar.

Melt the chocolate. Add heavy cream. The recipe said 2 oz of powdered sugar. Converting from the metric system... I am sorry, but I don't keep a handy scale in the kitchen to weigh ingredients. I was able to figure out the amounts for all the other ingredients listed above, but this would have been about 1/3 cup sugar. That didn't seem like enough. So I added some more, and whipped it up. Not enough. Added more and whipped it in. I think I ended up using about 2 cups in the end to get the consistency I wanted.

Frost cake after it is completely cooled.

My friend oohed and aahed over this frosting. She said it reminded her of truffle filling, like those Lindt chocolates. Texture-wise. There is no butter, so it isn't as rich tasting. And the cake was moist and light at the same time.

Oh. So. Yummy.

I think there is about 1/4 of the cake left. Got milk?

Around the World - Apology

2008-07-24T00:34:00.003-06:00

Those of you new to my little recipe tour, Wednesday is the day of the week we have chosen to experiance new cuisine.

Unfortunately, due to circumstances out of my control, Dominoes cooked for us tonight. I was frantically cleaning the laundry room to get ready for a housing inspection, it was the last room on my list and they bagged me on it by suprise and told me to get it done.

So sorry you all have to wait for me to make and post another delicious meal. But, I'll give you a hint as to the location we shall visit.

Little people might be seen,
And the "wearing of the green",
For good luck, a leafy clover
can be seen the whole land over!

Around the World - Germany

2008-07-21T11:15:00.000-06:00

So sorry about the lateness of this post. Things have been crazy, and hubby has taken over the computer for hours at a time playing games. But I finally have some time so I can finally post our latest installment of our food tour.

When you think of Germany, what comes to mind? Bratworst and beer. They border France, but their food is far from the frivolous dishes that can make up a French menu. Germany is a land of outdoor people: mountain climbers, skiers, hikers. Their buildings are solid, their art is weighty, and their food substantial. Desserts are often heavy enough to function as a small meal here in America.

They have made a small impression on our food culture, however. The "hot dog" can be traced back to German sausages. The hamburger is reputed to have come from Hamburg, Germany. Sourkraut is so important to some Germans that they may eat it 2 or even 3 times a day! Hot or cold, with wine, with caraway seeds, with apples... Dumplings are eaten with almost every meal. Potatoes are of equal importance.

I chose our menu partly on how funny the name sounded, and partly on what ingredients I had on hand to limit the amount I had to purchase.

Klopse (Meatballs in Lemon Caper Sauce)

4 tbsp butter
2 onions finely chopped or 3-4 tbsp dried minced onion and a little chicken broth
4 slices white bread
1 cup half and half
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 pound ground pork
4 anchovy fillets or 2 tsp anchovy paste
2 eggs
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a skillet and add the onions or onions and broth. Saute for 10 minutes, or until the dried onions have absorbed the broth and browned a little. Soak the bread in the half and half for 10 minutes. Press the excess liquid from it. Grind the bread in a food processor or blender until it is a paste. Mix with the meat, anchovies, eggs, salt and pepper.

To cook:

Place about 5-6 cups of water in a large pot. Add 1 tbsp salt, 1 tsp pepper, 1 tsp marjoram, 3-5 sprigs parsley or 2 tbsp dried, 3 stalks celery. Bring to boil.

Shape meat into meatballs. I did large ones, about a palmfull of meat. You can pick whatever size you want. Drop carefully into the boiling water. It will sink to the bottom at first and as it cooks, will rise to the top. For the size I did I cooked about 20 minutes to ensure they were done. Scoop them out of the water and allow to drain for a bit.

for Sauce:

2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp lemon juice
2-3 cups of strained cooking liquid
1/4 cup capers (they come in a jar with brine)

Melt butter. Add flour and stir into a paste. Add lemon juice. Slowly mix in cooking liquid to avoid lumps. Bring to boiling and cook over low heat about 5 minutes. Add capers. Serve over meatballs.

I like how moist these were. They were alright with the caper sauce, but would be really good with italian seasoning mixed in and served with marinara on a hoagie, or spaghetti and meatballs. That's how I will serve them next time. Easier than baking, because you can't burn them into charcoal!

Kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes)

3 medium potatoes, grated
1 cup cooked mashed potatoes ( I did boxed )
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
oil for frying

Press liquid from grated potatoes. I didn't know you could do this. Just squeeze a small amount at a time in your hand. Brown starchy liquid really does come out! Combine all ingredients. Shape into desired size pancakes and fry until brown and crisp on both sides.

Think hashbrown with mashed potatoes in them. They were really good with a little ketchup! I may make these for breakfast some morning.

Murbeteig (sweet pastry)

2 cups sifted flour
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 pounds (2 sticks) sweet butter
1 egg
2 tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp cold water
3 tbsp heavy cream
1 cup blanched almonds or walnuts, chopped fine (I used regular slivered almonds)
additional sugar

Mix the flour, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Cut in the butter. Make a well in the center and add the egg, vinegar, and cold water. Mix together to make a dough. You may need a little more water. It will be a lot more sticky than a pie dough. Plop onto some saran wrap and stick in the fridge for a couple hours to let it firm up.

Flour the rolling surface. Lightly floured was too little, but heavy flour would have been too much. Unwrap the dough and place on flour. Sprinkle additional flour on top. You need to work very quickly as dough will become very soft and sticky. Turn over frequently and flour as needed. Roll out into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick. Place on a jelly roll pan (cookie sheet).

You can brush with the cream and lay out rows of fruit, peaches or apples or pears, and sprinkle with the nuts and about 1/3 cup additional sugar. Or just the cream and sugar and nuts. I chose to do apples, granny smith. With the fruit, bake at 375 for 40 mintutes. Without the fruit, 375 for 15 minutes.

You can also cut the dough into shapes and put the topping on.

Funny story about this pastry. The original recipe called for 2 tbsp of sugar in the pastry and the rest as topping. But it didn't say sugar, divided in the ingredients list. I didn't notice the division in the recipe. So I added all 3/4 cup sugar in the dough, because it made sense. Sweet dough, right? Then I got to the bottom and said "Whoops!" I couldn't go back and take the sugar out, so I just added more sugar on top! It tasted just fine, sweet but not too sweet, so that's the version I wrote down. :-)

Around the World will be here soon...

2008-07-18T22:41:00.000-06:00

We visited Germany this week. YUMM! But, due to lack of time for photo editing and blogging in general, I have not posted the recipes yet. I will be soon, hopefully, and my apologies for those just dying to read the fascinating history and sampling of German food. *wink*

Just a tantalizer: german meatballs, potato pancakes, and sweet pastries!

Around the World - France

2008-07-09T23:47:00.000-06:00

France. Stop 3 on our tour of worldly cuisine. Where to begin? In France, food is held in the highest esteem. The people love quality ingredients, and their cuisine has become classic around the world!

There are two general styles of French cooking: the bourgeoise (middle class) and the haute cuisine (high cuisine). The former is the home style of the average person, prepared by normal, everyday families. Think of it as comfort food. Haute cuisine is the classic and traditional style of the great chefs, with the famous sauces, elaborate rituals, and painstaking attention to detail.

France has so many unique specialties that to list them all would take too much time, but a few are truffles, pate de foie gras, and escargot. Almost 250 varieties of cheese are produced there, mostly local specialties, but some have made their way to food lovers here.

Wine is extremely important to them, beer is hardly consummed.

This week, I only got the information from my recipe book. The menu was comprised of a few dishes I researched online, for variety. Also, slightly cheaper than the book... I admit that I didn't have time to make the bread, but one would only need to read my french bread recipe - listed under breads - and make smaller, narrow loaves for the baguettes.

Our menu this week is Blancs de Poulet au Fromage (Chicken Breasts Covered with Cheese),
Ratatoullie Nicoise (traditional ratatoullie - melted vegetables), thin baguette slices with butter (courtesy of the Walmart bakery), and Crepes, served with raspberries and whipped cream.

4 chicken breasts
4 tbsp butter
1 tbsp oilive oil
salt and pepper
1 tbsp Herbs de Provence*
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup Gruyere cheese (swiss would taste about the same in the finished product)

Mix together the salt, pepper, and herbs. Pat on the chicken breasts, both sides. Melt the 4 tbsp butter in a frying pan with the olive oil. Add the chicken and saute to a golden brown and then remove them.

Melt the 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan. Add the flour. Pour in the milk, little by little, stirring evenly. (Gee, couldn't they just say make a white sauce) Add the grated cheese, stir until melted. It should be a little thicker than a cheese sauce you might make for broccoli.

Pour the cheese sauce into a baking dish. Add the chicken, turning to coat all sides. Bake at 375 for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese on top is golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

*Herbs de Provence is a mixture of herbs. You can purchase a ready-made mix, or do what I did, make it yourself. I did about equal amounts of each herb: basil, fennel, lavender, margoram, rosemary, sage, savory, and thyme. ( I didn't add lavendar or savory - didn't have them )

Gruyere can be a little pricey, although it doesn't use much. It tasted a little bit like swiss in the sauce so I might just substitute that next time. It's cheaper by the block...

I don't like eggplant, so it's a good thing that it was traditionally made without that particular ingredient!

1 onion, thinly sliced
2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
1 large can whole peeled tomatoes, mostly drained. I cut into smaller pieces, larger than canned diced.
1/2 each green and red pepper, thinly sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp olive oil
>salt to taste

Fry the onions in the oil, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini, tomatoes, peppers and garlic. Cook on medium-high for another 5 minutes. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for a while. I think I did it about 10 minutes. Salt to taste.

This was really easy, and really tasty. Mark and I liked it, the boys ate it, and my friend's picky eater wasn't into it. But hey, the cook liked it, therefore it will be made again! Like I said, the boys ate it, they just didn't rave about it. (but with kids, eating is a sign of success)

Now the piece de resistance!

For the batter:
2 cups flour
pinch of salt
4 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp vanilla

Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well and pour in the eggs, stir well. Slowly pour in milk while stirring. SLOWLY! Keep stirring until small bubbles form on the surface. Stir in the butter and vanilla.

You can let it sit for a couple hours in the fridge, or use right away. If you wait, it might thicken, and if it does just add milk a little at a time until it is as thin as when first made.

Cooking:

Wipe a little oil in a nonstick pan using a paper towel. Pour 2-3 tbsp (or a 3 inch circle) batter into hot pan.

Immediately swirl pan (like making an omelet) to spread the batter into a 6 inch circle. For a bigger crepe, use more batter!

The batter will turn darker and more dry looking from the outside in. When the center looks almost as dry as the edges (about 1 minute), carefully turn over and cook another 30 seconds.

Fill with whatever you want. Savory fillings like leftovers or whatever you want. Or feel free to experiment with sweet stuff! Traditionally they are lightly sprinkled with sugar and folded in half, then in half again, to make a quarter circle. Or you can fold up like a burrito. Maple syrup is good in the morning for breakfast. Or chocolate! Or fruit and whipped cream! The possibilities are endless... Then eat up!

Mexican Pork Casserole

2008-07-07T19:04:00.000-06:00

We are working on our food storage, which means our food budget is stretched a little tight. I have been trying to combine meat with stretchers, like rice or pasta, so that I use less of it.

I had some pork that was a week away from frostbite in the back of the freezer, just 3 pieces, not enough for the 5 of us to have, and I like to have leftovers for Mark's lunch the next day. So I figured I would cook it up and make a casserole of some sort. I also had a partial bag of tortilla chips that had been left open during our weekend away and gone somewhat stale. Black beans I have been meaning to use, and chipotle peppers in adobo sauce begging to be used sparked an idea!

3 pork chops
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp dried cilantro
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp salt

Sprinkle the salt over the pork chops. Rub in the cumin and cilantro. Melt butter in skillet and add chops. cook until done and browned. Let cool a bit and cut into cubes.

I used 2 cups cooked rice: 2 cups boiling water + 1 cup rice. Bring back to boil, simmer covered for about 10 minutes or until water is gone. I used chicken broth instead of water for extra flavor.

Add pork back to skillet. Mix in:

1 can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped (be careful, it's hot)
1/2 onion, chopped

Cook for about 10 minutes to let onion get kind of tender. Add rice and a little water if needed. You want it to be a little wet, as the rice will absorb the water in the oven. Pour into a 9x13 baking dish, grate some cheddar on top.

I placed the tortilla chips in a bag and smacked them to pieces with a rolling pin. (Stress relief.... seriously) I sprinkled the resulting crumbs with salt, parsely, and some olive oil and tossed them in the bag. Shook around to mix, and poured them on top of the casserole.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or until you remember it's still in there, like I did. My cheese was way over cooked, but at 15 minutes it wouldn't have been.

Mark liked it, I liked it, all the kids liked it. It had plenty of flavor, and not a lot of heat since I limited the chipotle peppers. I may use 2 next time and serve with a little sour cream. This would also be good with some bell peppers chopped small and cooked with the pork/onion/tomato stuff. All in all, a successful experiment!

Easy Chicken and Pasta

2008-07-07T18:56:00.001-06:00

At my house in college there was a cookbook/binder left by a previous tenant. No one else ever used it, so I browsed through and took some of the recipes when I left. This one seemed easy, although the original serves 12. I cut it down to serve 4, and we all had big bowls and still had some leftovers. I serve with a little parmesan cheese on it. It really is an easy, one dish meal!

2 chicken breasts
3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 tsp basil
2 1/4 cups water
2 cups pasta, corkscrew was specified in the recipe
2 cups frozen veggie combo, which I didn't have so used broccoli and peas

In skillet, brown chicken in hot oil. Set aside. Add soup, water, basil, and vegetables. Heat to a boil

Add uncooked pasta, cook over medium heat for 10 minutes, stirring often. The pasta cooks right in the soup!

Add browned chicken. Cook 5 minutes more, or until pasta is done, stirring often. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

My kids like any kind of pasta, and who doesn't like chicken? Cream of chicken soup would be good with this also, and when I reheated it for my lunch today I added some cream and more parmesan, it tasted kind of like alfredo! Really good, and really easy. Great for a busy day!

Around the World - England

2008-07-03T08:14:00.000-06:00

This week we chose to try English cuisine. Now, this isn't new to us, we lived there for 3 years and loved to go out to eat. We mostly did Indian or Thai, but there was one pub with a restaurant and large child's play area that we went to several times. Most people think of the English food as rather bland, kind of stodgey. Not so, you just have to know where to look. And, when to eat.

Breakfast is the best meal. They may have kippers (like sardines), ham or bacon, hot cereals, boiled eggs, broiled tomatoes, and other similar foods. Lunch and dinner can be the dull meals. Plain meats and fish, boiled vegetables like cabbage and brussel sprouts. Maybe mashed potatoes or a yorkshire pudding (more of a roll/biscuit than a pudding). Tea is the other good meal, served in the late afternoon. Delicate cakes and cookies, scones, crumpets, small sandwiches.

Besides tea, the other thing the English do well is cheese. Cheeses are a British tradition and are among the finest in the world. Among the best known are Cheshire, Stilton, and yes, Cheddar.

This week we made Bubble and Squeak (you might recognize the term from Wind in the Willows), crumpets, and a Marlborough Pudding.

Bubble and Squeak (Isn't that the cutest title?)

3 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
6 thick slices cold roast beef or cold chicken
4 tbsp butter
1/2 head cabbage, boiled and then chopped fine
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tbsp vinegar

Mix together have the salt and pepper. Sprinkle it over the beef or chicken. Melt 2 tbsp of the butter in a skillet. Brown the slices of beef or chicken on both sides. Remove and set aside in a warm place. Melt the remaining butter in the skillet and add the cabbage, nutmeg, remaining salt and remaining pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until cabbage is lightly browned. Sprinkle the vinegar over it and cook 1 minute longer. Serve with the meat or chicken. Serves 4.

The cabbage has a slight sour kraut-ish flavor because of the vinegar. Very mild. Be sure to flavor the chicken or beef well when cooking, because that is the main flavor of the dish. With flavorful meat this is really good. I cheated, I didn't have time to roast anything, so I went by the deli counter and got some roast beef in thick slices, and it tasted great. The kids said I could make this again, because it tasted pretty good, and the name...

Crumpets

2 pks yeast
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups lukewarm milk
2 tbsp melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
3 cups flour

Preheat oven to 400.

Dissolve yeast in the water. Beat the eggs, add the milk, butter, salt, and sugar. Add the yeast mixutre and the flour, beating until smooth. Cover and set aside in a warm place for 15 minutes. Fill buttered muffin tins about 1/2 full. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Serve hot with plenty of butter and jam. Makes about 24.

In England these have little holes in them, like swiss cheese. These little homemade babies have them too. It's kind of fun and I will be making these again!

Marlborough Pudding

1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup shortening
4 tbsp milk
4 tbsp butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 cups applesauce
1 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350.

Sift flour and salt into a bowl. Cut in the shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the consistency of coarse sand. Add milk, tossing lightly with a fork until a ball of dough is formed. Wrap in saran wrap and place in fridge while preparing the filling.

Cream the butter, add the sugar, and beat well. Add the eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Add the lemon juice, nutmeg, applesauce, and cream. Mix well.

Roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick. Place in pie pan. Pour the filling into it. Bake in a 350 oven for 45 minutes, or until delicately browned and firm in texture. Serve hot or cold. If desired, sweetened whipped cream may be served with this pudding.

This took more like and hour and some to cook. At 45 minutes it was still very giggly in the center. So I did another 10 minutes, and then another 10 before the skewer came out clean. This is like an apple pie without chunks of apples, with the consistency of a baked custard. Let cool for a while before cutting, or the pie will weep. It was yummy warm with whipped cream, and I imagine it would taste it's best at room temperature. The pastry is really good too, fairly light and flaky.

Around the World - Austria

2008-06-25T23:55:00.000-06:00

We began our world tour by a visit to Austria. If I remember correctly, Austria was the set for Sound of Music. Austrian food is solid and substantial. Much of the food tends to be hearty and filling, and high in calories. They may eat as much as six times a day! Meats are generally served with a sauce, and usually even broth-type soups are served with noodles or dumplings. They prefer veal to beef, and while there are some good freshwater fish dishes, ocean fish aren't too common. There are an enormous variety of desserts and pastries as well.

Tonight we started with a brown soup, called Brennsouppe. Followed by Paprika Hunner (Chicken Paprika) and Nockerl (dumplings). For desert we were tempted by Sacher Torte (Sacher's Chocolate Cake).

2 tbsp butter
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tbsp flour
3 cups beef broth
>1/2 dry red wine
1 egg
1 1/2 tbsp heavy cream
1 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tsp chopped chives

Melt the butter in a deep saucepan. Add the onions and saute until very brown, about 15 minutes, stirring frequently. Sprinkle with the flour and stir well. Gradually add the broth, stirring constantly until the boiling point is reached. Add the wine and cook over low heat for 1 hour. Season to taste.

Beat together in a bowl the egg, cream, parsley, and chives. Gradually add 1 cup of the hot soup, stirring constantly to prevent curdling. Retun to the saucepan, mixing well. Heat thoroughly but do not allow to boil. Serves 4.

This tasted good, but we found it was a little on the heavy side. Due to the cream possibly. Or maybe it was because I let it simmer way too long and didn't thin it back out with enough beef broth, so it was thicker than it should have been. But I was preparing 3 dishes at the same time, all very hands on. I know, crazy me! A good starter soup though for an autumn day. It reminded me of french onion soup, but with cream and stuff in it. Almost the exact same flavor, just creamy!

Nockerl ( Austrian style dumplings)

1/4 pound (1 stick) butter, softened
4 eggs
2 1/2 cups sifted flour
1/2 tsp salt

Cream the butter until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift the flour and salt together, and add to the egg mixture. Mix well. Will by a very sticky dough. Liberally flour counter. Very liberally. Plop the dough into the flour, sprinkle some flour on top, and knead it a little bit. You still want a very soft dough, but knead enough flour in so it is workable. Let sit for 15 minutes. Pull off small pieces and drop into either boiling water, or soup. Remove when they float up to the top, should only take a couple minutes. Drain in a colander. Serve hot in soup or ladle sauce over them and serve with meat. Or you can fry them in butter and season with salt and pepper.

These were okay. Kind of like homemade noodles but really thick. Be sure to cook them all the way or they will be mushy inside. Again, a little heavy.

Chicken Paprika

There are 2 kinds of paprika. Sweet paprika, which is the normal one most people buy, and smoked paprika, which you can find in the fancier spices. I used sweet paprika for this, but next time I will try the smoked variety. It needed a little bit of a kick.

Chicken pieces (I used a whole cut up chicken, with the wings for fun)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
4 tbsp butter
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tbsp paprika
1 cup sour cream

Wash and dry the chicken. Season with salt and pepper, rubbing in well. Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the sliced onions and the paprika and cook for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. The paprika turns the onions red. Very cool.

Add the chicken and brown over high heat. Lower the heat and cover the pan. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a little water if the pan becomes too dry. Add the sour cream, stir well, and let simmer for 15 minutes. serve with the dumplings, pouring a little sauce over them.

Okay, this had good flavor. Again, I know, a bit on the heavier side. But like I mentioned, they like their food to be substantial. I like the paprika sauce though. Next time I think I will cook the chicken seperately from the sauce, so the skin is nice and crispy. And use the smoked paprika.

The kids ate it, but it wasn't raved about. Mark thought it tasted good but we both agreed that it was too rich for everyday eating. We are glad to live in a country that serves salads!

It was a little hard to get a good picture of the cake. The chocolate glaze/ frosting was very shiny and the camera couldn't focus well on the smooth surface.

5 ounces sweet chocolate (Bakers chocolate, the german kind - green box)
1 tbsp water
1/2 pound (2 sticks) sweet butter
6 egg yolks beaten
1 cup superfine sugar*
6 egg whites
1 1/4 cup sifted cake flour

* superfine sugar is a bakers sugar, find it in the baking aisle. Or take some regular sugar and run in the blender for a couple of pulses. It is between regular sugar and powdered sugar in consistency.

Preheat oven to 325.

Break the chocolate into small pieces and place in the top of a double boiler with the tbsp of water. I used a ceramic (glass would also work) bowl on top of a small pan of simmering water. Make sure the bowl doesn't touch the water. Cook over the hot water until the chocolate melts. Add the butter and stir until melted. Add the beaten egg yolks, beating constantly. Add the sugar and beat steadily until well mixed. Cool for 10 minuites. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold in the chocolate mixture and the flour alternately, thoroughly but gently. Butter an 8-inch square pan and dust with flour. Pour the mixture into it. Bake for 10 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. Mine took 45. Remove from the pan and allow to cool.

1/3 cup apricot jam (I used preserves, couldn't find jam)

Melt in microwave for about 1 minute. Spread on top of the cake and allow to set. Takes about 20 minutes.

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp hot water
1 egg
5 tbsp sweet butter

Melt the chocolate in the double boiler. Add the sugar and water, beat until blended. Add the egg, beating briskly. Heat and beat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the butter, one tbsp at a time, beating steadily until butter melts. Spread on top of the cake. I kind of poured it on and spread it around a little. Let cool. Cut into oblong pieces to serve. Serves 8-10

This was way rich. The chocolate frosting/glaze/ganache ends up being a dark chocolate. The cake is kind of a dense german chocolate cake. Tastes good, but one piece is plenty. Maybe have some ice cream with my next piece to tone it down.

Actually, after this meal I think I won't need to eat for a few days!

Stay tuned to see where we end up next week!

Seafood Linguine

2008-06-24T22:13:00.000-06:00

I had some scallops skulking around the back of the freezer. They needed to be in something yummy, maybe creamy and full of garlic. So I hunted this recipe up. I love epicurious.com!

3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
1/2 ground coriander
1/4 cup white wine or chicken broth
1 cup whipping cream or half-and-half
8 ounces uncooked shrimp, peeled and de-veined
8 ounces scallops (the small ones are cheaper and you don't have to cut them)
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

12 ounces linguine, cooked (I used spaghetti noodles)

Heat olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion is golden brown, about 6 minutes. Stir in flour and coriander and cook 1 minute. Add wine and cream and bring to boil, stirring constantly. Add shrimp and scallops and simmer until shrimp are cooked throughout, stirring occasionally. Scallops will remain white. Mix in parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour over linguine and serve.

I used 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup milk, worked fine. I also added a little extra milk at the end because it had to sit for a while and thickened up. I like a little more pourability. So the sauce can soak into the noodles...

William loved the scallops by the way. Not even 2 years old! We told him it was "fishies". He loves "fishies", fishy crackers and stuff. He says it "shishies". So cute. He ate all his scallops and then wanted to start in on Daddy's!

Special Banana Bread

2008-06-24T12:52:00.000-06:00

We were all sitting there watching Elmo's world, and Elmo did a segment on bananas. In the video a little boy had a banana themed party. Banana bread, fried plantains, banana smoothies, banana pancakes, and banana pudding. (whew, try writing banana that many times!)

The boys thought that was really neat and asked if we could do a banana party. I don't happen to have that many bananas lying around, they eat them as fast as I could by them, but I did have some frozen ones on standby for banana bread. This seemed like a good enough time to use them.

But plain banana bread is somewhat boring. What else was nestling in the fridge just begging to be used in our banana concoction. Carrots? Sure! Maybe apples? Why not!

So I created our Special Banana Bread!

1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium)
1 cup white sugar
3/4 cup oil
2 eggs, beaten

Mix together in a bowl. Stir in:

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Then add:

1 cup grated carrot
1 cup grated apple (core and peel, the peel doesn't grate very well)
1/2 cup chopped nuts, any ones you've got around. (I used half walnuts and half pecans, because I didn't have 1/2 cup walnuts. Almonds are fine too, or pine nuts. Whatever!)

Turn into 2 medium bread pans, or 1 large bread pan. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until done. The large pan will take a little while longer. In my oven it ended up being 1 hour and 15 minutes. Cool before wrapping.

When you grate the carrots, be sure to use full size. All I had were baby ones, which, while I appreciated not having to peel them, I was constantly knocking my fingers against the grater. A little painful!

Burnt Butter Rice

2008-06-23T21:17:00.000-06:00

Every one needs a easy, yummy rice dish, and this fits the bill. The burnt butter gives it a unique flavor, that would go well with all sorts of dishes and sauces. Go on, give it a try!

2 cups chicken broth
1 cup long grain rice
1/4 cup butter
salt to taste

Place the chicken broth and rice in a large pot. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.

During the last 5 minutes of cooking, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat until it browns and the last of the foam starts to clear. (the butter will get hot, then foam up the sides of the pan. Once the foam goes back down the butter will start to get brown. Stir constantly or it will burn too much) It will be a dark brown, similar to chocolate.

After the rice has simmered for the 15 minutes, remove it from the heat. Pour the burnt butter over it, being careful no to spatter. Do not stir into the rice. Replace the lid, and let stand for 15 minutes. Stir and season with salt to taste before serving.

For kind of a Greek style, serve with PLAIN yogurt. That's unsweetened. I just salted it and stirred my peas from my plate in. Really yummy!

Lime-Garlic Chicken

2008-06-23T15:34:00.000-06:00

I got a little tired of pork, but was not wanting something as heavy as beef. So I thought I would do something to use the chicken leg quarters I had seperated into thighs and drumsticks. I am out of chicken breast until the next sale I happen across, since I refuse to pay $2.37 a pound when I can get it for $1.88 or less.

I didn't have 8 hours to marinade, but 4 is better than nothing. And with the amount of acid in this recipe, I figured it wouldn't make that much of a difference!

1/2 cup lime juice

1/4 cup cider vinegar
6 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried cilantro or ground coriander (which I didn't have so subbed the cilantro.)

2 tsp pepper

1 tsp salt

1 tsp paprika

2-3 kafir lime leaves ( had them laying around so thought I would stick them in. Pull out before cooking if you use them, they are dried like bay leaves but edible)

small shake of red pepper flakes ( I added for kicks, literally)

In a large plastic bag, mix lime juice, vinegar, garlic and seasonings. Add in a bunch of mixed bone-in chicken pieces. I used thighs and drumsticks, but it calls for breasts. A mix is cheaper and a good idea. Enough to feed your family.

Marinade 8 hours, or overnight. I did 4 hours, and it turned out fine. But I'll bet it would be brilliant overnight!

Discard marinade. In a skillet, brown chicken on all sides in oil. Transer to a baking pan. Bake, uncovered, at 375 for 30 -35 minutes, or until juices run clear.

Baked Flounder

2008-06-23T09:27:00.000-06:00

This one I dug up in my large Taste of Home Cookbook, in the "light and tasty" section. I just wanted something not creamy to cook the flounder in, and this is perfect. It had really good flavor, my kids ate it up and then asked why I didn't make more! Plus, a serving is only 212 calories, so I suppose it is really actually healthy!

2/3 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 pounds flounder fillets
1 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 tbps chicken broth or white wine
2 tsp lemon juice
1/4 cup shredded reduced fat mexican cheese blend (I used regular pepper jack)
1/4 cup soft bread crumbs
2 tbsp butter, melted

Sprinkle the green onions and mushrooms into a 9x13 baking dish. Arrange fish over vegetables. Sprinkle with marjoram, salt and pepper.

Pour broth and lemon juice over fish. Cover with cheese and bread crumbs, drizzle with butter. Bake, uncovered, at 400 for 10-12 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Salsa Verde Burgers

2008-06-23T09:10:00.000-06:00

I really like a good, moist burger. I don't care if it is "lower if fat", I'm eating a burger because I want to not because I am on a diet! But it just so happens that this burger is moist and lower in fat at the same time! I guess I get the best of both worlds with this one.

The meat was so juicy that I thought about squeezing some of the juice out and I had to wait until it was almost done cooking to flip it over and brown the other side. I did add some crushed soda crackers to help absorb some of the excess.

I didn't have large tomatoes, or kaiser rolls, so behold! My sandwich bread and cherry tomato substitute! Not bad, but if I was to do this again, I would toast the bread slightly to offset the juicy burger.

1 pound ground turkey
1/2 cup salsa verde (you can find in the refrigerated deli or the veggies if not on the shelves)
1/4 cup crushed soda crackers if needed.

Mix together. Form into 4 patties. Carefully cook, avoiding turning over until it is mostly cooked and a little firmer. Then use a spatula, not tongs. I used a George Foreman on medium heat, because at 98 degrees outside, grilling was not an option! When cooked, place some slices of Pepper Jack cheese on top and let the heat melt it.

Avocado Mayonnaise:
1/2 half avocado, mashed
1/2 cup mayonnaise (or light, or miracle whip if you like)
1 clove garlic, minced very fine. Or mash it through a press.

Mix together and let sit while burgers are cooking

To put together:
Lightly toast 4 kaiser rolls cut in half. Spread bottom half with avocado mayo, arrange some sprigs of fresh cilantro (you're going to want them, yum!), and top with burger patty. Add a nice slice of tomato and crispy lettuce and eat up!

This was not too spicy for my kids, who devoured it. Half a burger was just right for them, leaving Mark with 2, just right for him! This has really good flavor, maybe because I used fresh deli salsa verde. But our commissary doesn't carry the bottled stuff. I have tried both at one time or another, and either one would be appropriate here.

Around the world...

2008-06-23T01:06:00.000-06:00

I picked up a book at the thrift store the other day, "The complete round-the-world cookbook". It was written in the 1950's and last published in 1974, so it is pretty old. But it gives some background and traditions of some 80 countries, and some traditional recipes for each country. Starters, main dishes, and desserts. So I thought it would be a lot of fun to start doing one day a week, cooking a meal of whatever country is that week.

They go into detail about the wines and beers, which is irrelevant to me. And some of the stuff, like lamb, I am not sure how to find cheaply. Albertsons carries it sometimes. It is a feature in a lot of recipes worldwide. Beef just doesn't have the same flavor.

What is funny is she goes into detail how to make coconut milk and dulce de leche, and a thousand other things that you can buy on the shelves at ANY grocery store now. Every store has an ethnic aisle, and while some things you still have to get online or at a specialty store in a larger city, there are lots of this we have availabe to us nowadays. So it will be a lot easier finding spices. For instance, she comments on the use of yogurt in one particular culture. She states that finding the yogurt for certain recipes should be easy enough if you know where to look. That often, stores will carry a small supply of different types.

But this will open our minds to other cultures, and our palattes to other foods. Plus it will challenge my skills as a chef, and give me new ones! I am sure some we will hate, and some we will like so much that we include them in our already vast repetiore of things we cook repeatedly.

So this week begins our voyage around the world. Stay tuned to find out where the Willfords are going first!

Orange Dream Trifle

2008-06-19T20:29:00.001-06:00

I had a little trouble with what to call this recipe. Orange Dream? Orange Cream? I thought maybe Tropical Trifle? I am not sure, so I am sticking with Orange Dream for now.

This was really a lot of fun to put together. I just used a clear plastic serving bowl I found for a couple dollars, instead of an expensive trifle dish. Worked just fine. It turned out way bigger that I expected, so I would make this for a churchy thing, or scale it way back for just our family. All 5 of us had hefty servings, and we barely made a dent...

For the Cake:

1 yellow cake mix
1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, at least slightly thawed
1/3 cup oil
3 large or 4 medium eggs
1 cup water
1/2 cup sweetened flake coconut

Beat the orange juice and the oil together. Add eggs and water, beat well. Mix in the cake mix and the coconut, stir until mixed thoroughly.

Pour into a gread 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Check to make sure it is done. Let cool for 10 minutes, then flip out onto cooling rack and let cool completely. Cut cake into 1 inch strips, then 2 inch sections. Cake will be crumbly, so just cut as best as you can.

Pudding

2 small pkgs vanilla pudding
3 2/3 cups milk
1 cup cool whip
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained

Whisk together the milk and the pudding. Let sit in fridge for a few minutes to set. Stir in the pineapple and then fold in the cool whip. Store in fridge.

To Assemble

1 large (the tall) cans mandarine oranges
1 tall can pineapple chunks
1 large container cool whip
1 bag sweetened coconut ( I got the big bag and used some for the cake, and the rest for the assembly)

Place half of the cake in the bottom of the bowl, press in firmly. I used the crumbs to and pressed a little to set them. Layer half the pudding mixture, spread evenly. Half the coconut is sprinkled on top, then arrange half the oranges and half the pineapple chunks. Top with half the cool whip. Repeat layers. You should have 2 layers of each.

Take a picture and pat yourself on the back. Then make your husband clean up the mess in exchange for getting to eat dessert. (that actually did not happen, but I was considering it)

This looks really pretty in the bowl, but it doesn't exactly sit pretty on the plate. Kind of plops on. But it tastes delicious anyhow!

Slow Cooked Carnita Tacos

2008-06-19T20:15:00.001-06:00

I know, I know... another pork recipe. Problem is, pork is cheaper than beef, so I tend to buy more pork roasts and chops than beef roasts and steaks. This very simple recipe would work with beef or chicken so it is very versatile. And let me tell you, it is good!

I do regret to inform you that I did not make homemade tortillas, and I bought the salsa verde. I know, I am ashamed of myself too.

2 pounds of some sort of boneless pork meat, boneless ribs or a roast, cut into 1 1/2 ich pieces

2 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

2 tsp dried oregano, if you can get mexican oregano it is great, if not, use what you've got

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin (hah, I bet you thought I would say 2 there huh!)

1 small-medium onion, cut into 4 wedges

Toss the pork with the spices, make sure all the pieces are coated. Place in crock pot and top with onion wedges. Cook on low for 6 hours or until meat is falling apart. *Stir about halfway through so the pieces don't get "glued" together.

Or you can cook on high for 2 hours, and then on low for 2 more if you don't get it started in time. :)

Pull the meat out of the crock pot, let cool a little. Shred either using fingers or two forks. Set meat aside.

In a large skillet, heat a couple tbsp of oil. When pan is hot, add the meat and let cook for a minute. Then add the juices from the crock pot into the meat, stirring around. Leave the onion in the crock pot, it was just for flavor. Cook and stir until the juices are almost gone and meat starts to look a little dry again. It's not supposed to be soggy, it is supposed to be on the dryer side.

Arrange on a platter. Serve with red pepper slices, avacado slices, and sprigs of cilantro alongside if desired. (I ate it that way and it was really good!) I also would advise finding some SALSA VERDE or TOMATILLO SALSA. An excellent compliment to the meat and avacado.

Mustard-Crusted Pork Chops and Honeyed Carrots

2008-06-18T19:06:00.000-06:00

Today I was wanting to cook. Really cook, something from scratch, something involved and kind of crazy. Mustard sounded good. I had pork chops I needed to use. And I wanted to bake some bread.

I dug around epicurious.com and found a really good-looking recipe for mustard-crusted pork chops. This website is great if you are looking for something really fancy, or gourmet-ish. Their recipe called for fresh crumbs from french bread. Perfect!

I went through my books to find something authentic, with a baking stone, and steaming, and lots of rising time. I wanted a crisp crust, and chewy inside, nice and light.

French Baguettes

2 1/2 tsp dry active yeast

1 2/3 cups warm water

3 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

Sprinkle the yeast into 1 1/4 cups of the water in a bowl Leave for 5 minutes, stir to dissolve. Mix the flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in the dissolved yeast/

Use a wooden spoon to draw enought of the flour into the dissolved yeast to form a soft paste. Cover the bowl with a diesh towel and let "sponge" until frothy and risen. (basically just let it sit until is looks kind of spongy and is a little puffy.)

Mix in the flour and add the remaining water, as needed, 1 tbsp at a time, to form a soft sticky dough.

Turn out onto a liglty floured work surface. Knead until soft, smooth, and supple, about 10 minutes. Try to acoid adding to much extra flour while kneading the dough.

Put the dough in a clean bowl and cover with a dish towel. Let rise until doubled, about 1 1/2 hours. Punch down, turn over, recover, and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Punch down again, recover, and let rise until doubled again, another 45 minutes.

Divide dough into 2 pieces and shape into 2 baguettes, each about 12 inches in length. Place on a floured baking sheet or a piece of parchment, cover with a dish towel. Proof (let rise) until doubled, about 50 minutes. Cut several diagonal slashes across the top. Bake in a preheated oven, 475 degrees, for 20-25 minutes, until golden and hollow sounding when taped underneath. Cool on a wire rack.

When I baked the bread, I placed my pizza stone on the top rack and a cake pan filled with water on the bottom one. I preheated the oven with them in there. The dough rose on a sheet of parchment paper and when it was ready I slid the parchment onto the stone. This plus the steaming pan of water gave the bread a chewy inside, and a crispy outside.

Okay, after the bread cooled a bit I broke some off, pulsed it in a tiny food processer by Black and Decker that I have to make the fresh bread crumbs.

Pork Chops

2 tbsp butter, melted

2 tbsp chopped parsley

3 tbsp prepared English mustard, like country dijon, or spicy brown mustard

2 cups fresh breadcrumbs from french bread

4 pork chops, I used boneless, about 1/2 inch

Preheat the oven to 350. Oil a 9x13 roasting pan. Mix melted butter, parselt and 2 tbsp of the mustard in medium bowl. Mix in breadcrumbs.

Spread remaining 1 tbsp mustard on both sides of pork chops. Sprinkle pork chops with salth and pepper. Arrange in prepared roasting pan. Press 1/4 of breadcumb mixture atop each pork chop. Bake pork chop until cooked through, about 35 minutes for 1 inch chops, 20 minutes for 1/2 inch.

Turn on broiler, broil pork chops, crust side up, until golden brown. Watch closely to avoid burning, should take about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.

Mark loved these! They have a great mustard flavor. And no, you can't just use regular yellow mustard. Trust me. I used a country dijon, it is brown with dark brown specks in it. Really good. Oren even thought they were delicious, and ate all of it off his plate. I thought it would be a good idea to counterpoint the tangy mustard with some sweet, honeyed carrots.

Easy Honeyed Carrots

1/2 package of baby carrots

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp honey

salt and pepper to taste

Place carrots in a microwave safe bowl with 1 tbsp water. Cover with saran wrap and microwave until tender. Drain water. Add butter and honey, toss to coat. Microwave 1-2 more minutes on high. Add salt and pepper, toss again. Watch your kids eat it right up!

William had one in each hand and was chowing down. They all loved the sweet carrots. And with the honey the sweet flavor has some depth. It went really well with the mustardy pork chops.

I know it's a lot of work to make bread just for breadcrumbs, but one loaf is already gone and we have started in on the other one!