Cyndi's Kitchen

New Favorite Side Dish

2010-06-28T13:31:00.003-04:00

I've had a lot of kale and swiss chard from my garden so far - and this is one of the best ways we have found to prepare it.

Kale (or Chard) and Bacon

olive oil
1 onion, sliced
10 cups chopped kale or swiss chard leaves (if using chard, cut up stalks and saute with onion)
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
2 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
lemon juice (approx 1 Tbsp)

-- Saute onion in olive oil.
-- Add kale leaves, saute until just wilted. Add broth and spices - simmer until liquid reduced (5 min or so).
-- Add bacon, sprinkle with lemon juice.

So good! So fast! Very very green!

Superstimuli

2010-06-28T13:21:00.001-04:00

This is another great article from Whole Health Source.

Real Food

2010-06-02T10:00:00.002-04:00

I've been doing a lot of thinking and reading about "real food" and what is the true cause of the diseases of modern life. I've stumbled apon Mark's Daily Apple - which is a "Primal" blog - devoted to eating the food the human body was made to eat. I really like his thinking (aside from the whole devotion to evolution thing). This post made me laugh.

Quote of the Day

2010-05-12T17:11:00.002-04:00

I was taking a very ripe banana and placing it in the freezer with my collection of "brown" bananas that I save up for making banana bread. My husband looks at it and says, "Making banana bread is like making hot dogs. I like eating the end result - but I don't want to see how it's done!"

:)

Cause of Obesity?

2010-04-19T14:10:00.002-04:00

I thought that this was an interesting article about chemical/environmental causes of obesity. I've already done a major "un-plastic-ing" of my kitchen.... and it makes me even more glad that I decided to breastfeed my kids!

Another Reason I don't Let My Kids Eat Candy Everyday!

2010-04-13T06:47:00.001-04:00

Ok - I'm not sure how good the science is on this article - but it gives me justification that candy is an OCCASIONAL treat!

My New Favorite Blog to Read

2010-04-09T12:23:00.002-04:00

Ok - this is rather scientific - but I LOVE this!! This guy totally makes sense to me. I originally found him by looking up pre-fermented/soaked brown rice... but I find that I spend my whole lunch hour reading old posts.

I've gradually been re-vamping our diet anyway... but this motivates me more than anything to "eat real food." I love the science behind it all instead of just hearsay.

Cake Wrecks

2010-03-26T12:24:00.001-04:00

My husband sent me this link. It made me laugh out loud!

Does this terrify anyone else??

2010-03-24T12:08:00.002-04:00

It is stuff like this that makes me want to sell my house, quit my job, and buy a self-sufficient farm and grow/raise all my own food.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/06/business/06senomyx.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=senomyx&st=nyt

http://www.senomyx.com/

Yolk

2010-03-22T12:04:00.002-04:00

Ok - I realize that I haven't posted anything since Thanksgiving (which, by the way, the brined turkey was excellent!) because I'm trying to sort some stuff out about food and the way I think about it/prepare it.... but this weekend we went to Chicago to celebrate my husband's birthday and threw caution to the wind and just ate whatever we wanted (and have agreed that we consumed enough carbs and salt to last us all month!). Anyway - in Chicago we went to this great breakfast place called Yolk. I had the most interesting/delicious french toast I've ever had: The Tour de France - a trio of one slice each of their 3 best "not ordinary" french toast selections:

BANANA NUT BREAD FRENCH TOAST
Three slices of banana nut bread dipped in our special batter
and grilled. Topped with banana slices, powdered sugar, and
served with peanut butter.

ORANGE BREAD FRENCH TOAST
Sweet orange bread, sliced, dipped into our special batter, and
grilled. Topped with fresh sliced strawberries and drizzled with
our own orange sauce.

LEMON-POPPYSEED FRENCH TOAST
Lemon poppyseed bread, sliced thick, dipped in our special
batter, and grilled. Topped with blueberries.

They were all so good! I never would have thought of banana bread french toast - but I will totally try this at home (without the nuts - or my husband would never touch it!). And the orange bread with strawberries - I really didn't think I would like it - but that was my second favorite. The Lemon-Poppyseed was also great - but my husband isn't a big poppyseed fan - so I wouldn't make that at home. But maybe lemon/blueberry by itself....

So if you happen to need breakfast in Chicago - check out Yolk. It was great food, the atmosphere was fun, they provided crayons for the kids (yeah!), and the service was really prompt and friendly too.

Brined Turkey!

2009-11-24T06:23:00.003-05:00

Just in time for Thanksgiving.... brined turkey! I made this for the first time last year and can't wait to do it again. It was the best turkey (and later the best broth) I'd ever had! I modified Alton Brown's brined turkey recipe (which as of this minute has 2426 5 star reviews!) to include spices I like and remove the fruit (I am NOT a fan of fruit/meat combos). It isn't a hard process, but the steps take a couple days.

2-3 Days before Thanksgiving

Thaw 14-16 lb turkey in fridge

Make brine - then cool and refrigerate.

Night before Thanksgiving

Combine brine and cleaned turkey (breast down) and 1 gallon of heavily iced water in a large stock pot or bucket. (I used a large stock pot lined with a Reynold's Turkey-Sized Cooking Bag). Weigh down turkey, if needed, to make sure it is covered. Refrigerate 8-16 hours.

Thanksgiving Day

Rinse off turkey, inside and out, with cool water and dry with paper towels. Brush skin with canola oil. You can add onion and celery to cavity if desired - but cook any dressing separately.

Bake on lowest rack of 500 degree oven for 30 min, reduce heat to 350 degrees, cover breast with foil, and roast 1 1/2-2 hours more.

The Brine Recipe

1 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup brown sugar (this does NOT make the turkey sweet, like I was worried about)

1 gallon chicken stock

2 Tbsp peppercorns

1 Tbsp garlic powder

1 Tbsp sage

Better get started making the brine today! You will be glad you did!

Swiss Chard

2009-11-18T12:51:00.004-05:00

So my garden is done for the year - so I thought - but when I went out there I found some Swiss Chard and dill that I forgot I planted! I've never tried swiss chard before - I just planted it because it looked interesting. I needed a veggie for dinner - so I sautéed the swiss chard with 2 cloves of fresh garlic and a couple sprigs of the fresh dill in a little olive oil. I then added a little lemon juice, sea salt, and black pepper. It was really good - rather intensely flavored - but good. My husband couldn't get enough of it! I was worried he wouldn't even like it because he isn't a big fan of cooked spinach - but he said he could have eaten two or three times as much as I cooked. I have a little bit of chard left in the garden - so we'll be having the rest of it very soon.

Bread

2009-11-18T12:44:00.006-05:00

Here are two new books I'm reading:

and

They are both great - but the pictures in My Bread are really pretty.

I'm having a hard time staying away from carbs.

Tomatoes

2009-09-16T14:05:00.006-04:00

Well - my 20 tomato plants have finally yielded their crops the past couple weeks. Thanks to my grandmother's gift of a water bath canner - and my Mom, Dad, and Grandma coming down to can for me - I now have several quarts of tomatoes and spaghetti sauce ready for the cold winter to come. But, since I dislocated my ankle 3 weeks ago and am in a cast and not very mobile - I've been looking for easier ways to preserve all my tomatoes. So here is what I've done. It is easy and I can do it sitting down with my foot propped up!

Throw the tomatoes into the blender, have my two year old son press the "liquify" button, and pour the resulting tomato juice into freezer bags labeled by my 5 year old. Then have my husband carry the bags downstairs to the freezer.

So far, using this unconventional method - we've used the juice to make chili and spaghetti sauce. Both have turned out great! I just hope it freezes well! I'll find out in 3-5 weeks when I can easily navigate stairs again :)

I need to dry some tomatoes too - I love they way they taste and they don't take up much room!

As far as the types of tomatoes I grew this year - I was going to go all heirloom variety - but at the last minute bought a 4 pack of "Better Boy" hybrid - which is the tomato I've always grown and that my husband LOVES. And... out of all the varieties I grew - the Better Boy was the best tasting. So disappoininting. I really was expecting the heirloom to somehow be more "tomato-y." The "Mortgage Lifter" I got from Burpee was the most disappointing. According to the catalog, it is supposed to be "Legendary, huge beefsteak consistently wins taste-tests." They were a beautiful dark pink color and pretty shape - but had just average flavor and this annoying green ring of stem throughout the whole middle that you had to cut around and destroyed the nice shape. And they were sooooo late to ripen! It was Labor Day before I had one!

The rest of the ones I got from Victory Seed. The "Sausage" roma-type was just ok. Kind of hollow inside (which maybe roma's are??) and almost fell off the vine if you looked at it funny. It produced a lot and they were a neat shape, but I won't grow them again. Then the "Bloody Butcher" was supposed to be early-yielding - but I didn't get any until mid-August (but that could have been our crazy weather this summer). They were pretty, small, red, salad-sized tomatoes. Again, just average flavor and I probably won't grow them again. I also had some yellow tomatoes "Golden Jubilee" that I saved from seed last year. They don't have any outstanding flavor - but are so pretty I can't help but grow them.

Anyone have any good suggestions for a very "tomato-y" flavored heirloom to grow next year??

The Real Cost of Cheap Food

2009-09-16T14:01:00.002-04:00

I read this article in Time magazine in a doctor's office waiting room. I wouldn't read it if you have a weak stomach.... but very eye opening. We already get locally grown beef and pork butchered.... but this makes me want to fence my 14 acres and get a couple head of cattle....

Simple Summer Sangria

2009-07-28T13:25:00.004-04:00

I had never tried Sangria until about 2 months ago when my sister-in-law had some at a big family party. Her's was good - but very sweet and made from a mix. I liked the concept, looked up some recipes, and made some using ingredients I had on hand. I was really happy with the results! It is a light drink perfect for hot summer evenings when you don't want a full-bodied red wine with dinner.

Simple Summer Sangria

6 oz can pineapple juice OR 8 oz can pineapple tidbits, undrained)

1 cup orange juice

1/2 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup fresh or frozen berries (raspberries, strawberries, and/or blueberries)

1 bottle inexpensive sweet red wine (I used homemade blackberry wine - but I've read that Carlo Rossi Paisano works well - just measure out 750 ml)

--Combine all ingredients and stir until sugar is dissolved. Chill in refrigerator 6-24 hours before serving. (Longer is better because the berries release more flavor.) And of course, eat the fruit when you are done!

Updates... and Cafe au Lait

2009-07-14T07:21:00.007-04:00

1. This one is mainly for my Mom (because she is such a big fan of the Fish Tacos!). I made the fish tacos the other day and didn't want to heat up my oven - so I did the fish on the stove. It worked just fine! I used a non stick pan sprayed with a little Pam, cooked the fish fillets on one side, flipped, then flaked it with my spatula. It was so easy - I might do it this way from now on.

2. In this post, I said I was thinking about trying water kefir. Well... I did break down and get some grains. My kids call the resulting drink "juice pop" and do drink it better than they eat yogurt - so I can get some probiotics in them this way. We like it best flavored with lemon and lime juice. I even convinced my Mom to try some - and she liked the effect she got from the probiotics - so I gave her some of my grains because they multiplied so much.

3. My husband found a new use for the frozen coffee cubes. He recently got an espresso machine (only $30 at Walmart and it works just fine!) His new favorite summer coffee drink is a double shot of cold espresso, 1/2 tsp sugar, 3 frozen coffee cubes, and 6-8 oz milk. He doesn't blend it, but just lets the coffee cubes melt. It is really, really good!

And speaking of coffee.... thanks to our new espresso machine - I have found a new hot coffee that I love! I call it Cafe au Lait (coffee with milk) - something I've wanted to try since high school french class. This is pretty strongly coffee flavored - my husband only likes it with double the milk.

Cafe Au Lait

double shot espresso

1/2 cup hot milk (I use skim and heat it in the microwave for 45 seconds - I don't care for steamed milk from the espresso machine)

1/2-1 tsp sugar

--Stir together and serve warm.

Taco Seasoning

2009-06-25T21:07:00.002-04:00

My husband loves the Old El Paso 40% Less Sodium Taco Seasoning packets.... but I hate buying them. It seems like a extra expense and extra unnatural ingredients. (Hmmm... Honey, can I have extra maltodextrin and MSG in my tacos tonight? How about partially hydrogenated soybean oil?? Pretty please??)

I've been tinkering with a home-made version... and I think I'm pretty close. The kids devoured their tacos tonight with almost no leftovers.

Taco Seasoning

1 Tbsp flour

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp dried minced onion

1 tsp paprika (optional - I was trying to make the meat the red color you get from the spice packets)

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1/4 tsp pepper

-- Brown and drain 1 pound ground beef. Add spice mix and 2/3 cup water. Cook until thickend, about 5 minutes.

And to go with the taco meat... our new favorite tortilla is Buena Vida Low Carb whole wheat tortillas, which I have to make a special trip to SuperWalmart 30 min away to get - so I buy 4 or 5 packages at a time and freeze them. Although, I may try my hand at this recipe for homemade tortillas. I've never soaked grains before - so I'd be interested to see how this turns out compared to my Dad's tried and true recipe.

Kraft Tuscan House Italian

2009-06-24T17:07:00.004-04:00

I am trying to teach my kids to eat healthy foods - and every once in a while - I get to see that hard work pay off. We have been eating a lot of salads lately - either with spinach or (just recently) with lettuce from my garden. I finally found a dressing other than Hidden Valley Ranch that my 4-year-old will eat.... Kraft Tuscan House Italian. The little kids (2 and 4) will consume massive amounts of raw spinach if I put this on it.

I was at the grocery store with the kids and we needed more dressing. There was another family in the same aisle with 3 boys - probably age 6 to 12. I sent my 4 year old helper to get two bottles of the dressing for me. She grabbed them, held them up, and loudly asked (in a very excited voice) "Is this for SPINACH??? We get to eat more SPINACH!! Yeah!!!!! I love spinach salad!!"

Needless to say, the mom and three boys in the aisle with us looked at us like we all had three heads and horns. Too funny!

Move Over Starbucks!

2009-06-07T08:12:00.004-04:00

I love my French Press Columbian coffee (black, of course) that my husband makes me every day at 4:00 pm... but sometimes - especially in summer - I want an iced coffee. Here is a fantastic iced coffee drink that makes me never want to spend $4 at Starbucks again.

Iced Coffee

Brew 4 cups of strong coffee (4 cups water to 3/4 c coffee grounds). Stir together with 1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup milk. Freeze in ice cube trays at least 2 hours until firm. (This fills 2 trays completely - giving me 32 coffee cubes.)

To make drink - combine 5 coffee cubes and 1 cup milk in blender. Blend until smooth. Enjoy!

This is not an overly sweet drink. And if I calculated correctly - if making with skim milk - it is about 144 calories. So with me being used to black coffee (no calories!) - this is still an occasional treat - but such a good one! Even my husband and kids liked it. I'm sure this would also be good with a bit of chocolate syrup added to the blender (but it would add calories too).

Flatbread

2009-06-07T07:55:00.002-04:00

My Mom requested the flatbread recipe - and here it is. It turned out soooo good with the ghee - I don't know if I'll do it any other way now.

The dough is the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day basic dough.

Flatbread

Preheat nonstick skillet (cast iron would be even better) on medium heat.

Pinch off a small, golf ball sized piece of cold dough. Using a heavily floured surface, roll out into a 7 inch or so round. (Mine are never round!)

Melt a small amount of ghee (or olive oil - or I always used to use a dry skillet - just make sure to wipe the burnt flour off between breads) in the preheated skillet. (It smokes a bit - but didn't burn).

Place the dough in the pan, cover, and cook 3-4 minutes until starting to brown. Flip, cook 1-2 min more. Wrap in a towel to keep soft until the whole batch is done.

As an aside - here is a photo of my finished (and slightly used) ghee:

Interesting Blog I Found and Curry!

2009-05-26T07:22:00.008-04:00

Hello again! After a busy spring of weddings, graduations, changing my work schedule, researching a kindergarten homeschool curriculum, planning and planting a large organic/heirloom seed garden, and general wife/mother duties.... I'm finally back with another post. :)

I have still been having a lot of fun with the Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I'm planning Chicken Curry for dinner this week, and I saw on the ABin5 website (down in the comments) that the traditional way of preparing indian flatbread is with ghee. I haven't had ghee in 10 years - since I was in Guyana. So, I asked my faithful friend Google how to make it - and he didn't dissapoint me. I found this post which explained it very easily. So I hauled out my butter and pan and 15 min later I had about two cups of ghee and a house that smelled so good I almost switched my dinner plans for the weeks so I could have flatbread right away!

Then I spent a few (ok, more than a few!) minutes exploring this blog - and it is pretty interesting! I've been interested more and more in topics like this. (I did actually buy Nourishing Traditions - but haven't read it all yet.) Then... I started looking at some of her links and saw the link to this company that sells various starter cultures. I was intregued by theViili yogurt starter that works at room temperature and makes a thick yogurt that doesn't need the whey strained off. My yogurt turns out well - but a half gallon of milk yields only about a quart once I drain it. Does anyone have experience with this?? Also, they have Water Kefir and Kombucha Tea starters - which I've read about - but I'm not sure I know anyone who has actually tried these. What do they taste like? Are they alcoholic?? (The process seems remarkably similar to winemaking.) If so - I wouldn't want to even try it because I wouldn't want to give it to the kids. If anyone has any insight to pass on - I'd love to hear about it!

And here is the recipe for Chicken Curry that I use. I doubt it is terribly "authentic" - but my husband loves it and even the little kids will eat it.

Chicken Curry

1 pound (or so) cooked chicken, diced

1/4 cup choppen onion OR 2 TBSP dried minced onion

28 oz can diced tomatoes - undrained

1 1/2 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

scant 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more if you are not as wimpy as me!)

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp ground tumeric

--Combine all ingredients together in a large skillet with lid. Bring to boil, cover and simmer 20-30 minutes until tomatoes are soft.

--Serve over rice or with flatbread.

Don't be intimidated by the long list of spices. It actually goes together really fast!

BYOB

2009-03-07T13:32:00.003-05:00

That's Bake Your Own Bread. I saw this post - which reminded me of the Crockpot lady - and since I got my copy of Artisan Bread in 5 min a Day - I've come close to this... but no one here seems to mind. I'm not ready to commit to never buying bread again - but I sure buy a lot less.

The official abin5 dough is really, really similar to this that I posted earlier this year. The main difference is the amount of yeast (the book calls for more) and the fact that they have you not knead it at all and they advocate baking with steam. The steam does make for a better, crispy crust - but I do it both ways.

I've made several batches of this stuff, made rolls, loaves, pizza, rye, and cinnamon rolls. I'm making English Muffins right now... I'll let you know how those turn out.

I'm sticking with the 3 cups wheat and 3 1/2 cups bread flour. I keep intending to try it with 100% whole wheat and adding some wheat gluten - but I haven't done it yet. The dough is really sticky, but I've found shaping it with wet hands helps (and with this dough, the more hydration, the better).

Ranch Oyster Crackers/Ranch Chex Mix

2009-03-05T07:48:00.004-05:00

My mom always made this with oyster crackers - but I try not to eat much refined flour... so I tried this with whole grain cereal - and it worked great! My 4 and 2 year olds really like making and eating the "spicy cereal."

Ranch Oyster Crackers/Ranch Chex Mix

16 oz pkg oyster crackers OR 16 oz assorted Chex/Cheerios (about 9 cups)
1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing powder
1/4 tsp lemon pepper
1 tsp dill weed
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup oil

--Combine seasonings and oil. Pour over crackers/cereal and stir to coat.
--Bake at 300 degrees for 20 min, stirring after 10 min.

I took this to a woman's Bible study and had to give out the recipe. It is one of those recipes I try to not make too often because I could just eat and eat it.

Sourdough Success!

2009-03-05T07:32:00.004-05:00

Well... my starter doesn't look like much - but it works! It took nearly 2 weeks of feeding to get it going, but it works! My first sourdough bread was a whole-wheat sourdough version of the NY Times No-Knead bread... and it was REALLY sour! I actually wasn't sure I liked it!

I'm not sure if the whole wheat and sourdough flavors were competing too much... or if the 16 hours or so it sat made it too sour for my palate. But I made some excellent whole wheat sourdough waffles the next day and they were great! Very light texture and no "sour" taste. My husband had to ask me it I used any wheat flour because they didn't seem heavy like some whole wheat baked goods can be.

Sourdough Waffles

1 1/4 cups wheat flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
1 egg
1 cup wheat sourdough starter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup milk

--In large bowl, beat egg. Stir in starter, oil, and milk.
--Stir in remaining ingredients until just moistened.
--Cook in waffle iron per manufacturer's directions. (My waffle iron uses 1/3 cup batter at a time).

Frugal? Or just cheap?

2009-03-05T07:22:00.004-05:00

A couple months ago, I was cleaning out my onion bin and found a very sprouted (sprouty?) onion. It had about 4 inches of green growing out of it. I had just read a really cool book called "Don't Throw It, Grow It" - so I got to thinking.... what if I just planted it? Then I could use it like green onions.

Well - it worked! I don't use a lot of green onions, so this one little plant sitting on my kitchen windowsill actually over-produces for what my needs are. And when I cut it, it just keeps growing - like grass would. You can see in the picture where some of the cut ends are - I had cut them off almost to the soil line.

So - if you use a lot of green onions - this is an easy no-cost option!

Sourdough

2009-02-11T12:33:00.002-05:00

I've never played around too much with sourdough, but it intrigues me. I just started this starter with fresh ground wheat (I just got a grain mill for my kitchen aid mixer!! Yeah!!) and orange juice. I'm on day three - and it is starting to bubble and smell good. I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.

Sun-Dried Tomatoes

2009-02-11T12:21:00.003-05:00

I found grape tomatoes on sale last week for a really good price - so I bought two pints. We ate one right away, but the second sat around a little while. They started to get just a little wrinkly, and my husband commented that they looked like they were getting just a little dried out. Hmmm.... that made me think. Can I make sun-dried tomatoes?? Just dry them all the way out?? I live in Indiana and it is February, so the "sun" part isn't technically correct, but I did make Oven-Dried Tomatoes and they turned out great!

I cut my grape tomatoes in half lengthwise, sprinkled them with sea salt and pepper, and baked in the oven at 250 degrees for about an hour and a half. They were so good! I was eating them right off the cookie sheet.

For dinner, I tossed them with some whole wheat pasta, garlic, olive oil, basil, and Parmesan cheese. Very, very good. I should have taken a picture, but I never realize until after I've eaten it all, that the picture might be good on the blog.

I've never thought to do this before, but you can bet that some of this summer's heirloom tomatoes will end up being dried. Thank you, honey, for the inspiration!

The Laziest Way to Make Bread - Ever!

2009-01-14T19:43:00.010-05:00

I'm unfortunately addicted to bread baking. I just really enjoy it. I keep trying new recipes and techniques and recently found this one on Recipezaar. This is so, so easy! And made excellent chewy crusty rolls! And a great round loaf! I've made two batches of this so far... and love it! It can go from fridge to ready to eat in 40-50 min, depending on the size of the rolls or a loaf.

This whole concept is based on a very old way of making bread. I have just ordered a copy of this book which should explain this technique in detail, and I'm so excited!

Lazy Artisan Bread

6 1/2 cups flour (I used 3 cups wheat and 3 1/2 cups bread flour)
3 cups warm water
1 1/2 tsp yeast
2 1/2 tsp salt

--Combine all ingredients in large bowl with lid.
--Mix well until just combined, but don't over knead.
--Cover loosely and let sit at room temperature 2 hours.

Now dough can be used, or put in the fridge (covered) for up to two weeks. (The longer it is refrigerated, the more flavor it develops.)

(See how it isn't over-combined?)

--To use, preheat oven to 450 degrees.
--Tear off the amount of dough you need, and knead gently on a floured surface for 1 min, then shape into whatever shape you need. (Rolls, round loaf, baguettes, or put in a loaf pan.)
--Let rise 20 min, slash top with serrated knife, and bake for 25-30 min.

(This is after the 1 min knead.)
Before and after baking as rolls:

Tips I've found:
--Use the lowest rack of the oven.
--Don't make the loaf too big, or it won't get done in the middle.
--The dough won't rise much in the 20 min, but does have some "oven spring." A longer rise doesn't help - the rolls in the picture above, I let rise for over an hour, and they had less "spring" than anything else I'd made.
--Rolls make excellent hamburger or sandwich rolls.
--Each batch of dough will make 4-5 loaves of bread.
--The only downside of this technique I've found is that it isn't very fun to touch cold bread dough when you are used to it being warm!

Happy New Year!

2009-01-03T14:19:00.003-05:00

It's been quite a while since I've posted. I've been busy, busy with all the holiday festivities. I'm still trying to recover from all the chaos :) so here is just a quick recipe. My grandma made this Christmas Day and I'd never had it before. My husband enjoyed it a lot.

Corn Casserole

1 can cream style corn, undrained
1 can corn, drained
8 oz sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix (size to yield 6 muffins)

--Combine all.
--Bake in greased 9x9 pan at 350 for 45-60 min. until golden brown and knife comes out clean.

I thought this was a bit sweet. I might try playing around with this to make my own corn bread mix and put less sugar in it.

ps: I made this myself and it was DEVOURED by my husband and 21 year old son. Their favorite part was the browned top - so make sure it gets nice and crispy on top.

Apple Butter and Apple Peel Jelly

2008-12-04T10:06:00.002-05:00

My sister posted recipes for Apple Butter and Apple Peel Jelly. I tried making both and they turned out great! I got 7 pints of apple butter and 4 pints of apple peel jelly. I used a FREE half bushel of Cortland apple seconds from our local orchard. (Yeah - a free 1/2 bushel of seconds with any $10 purchase the week of Thanksgiving! What a great deal).

Very easy recipes - I was even able to do it by myself with two toddlers in the house. :)

Update on Chocolate Craving Alert

2008-12-04T08:06:00.002-05:00

I have made four batches of this in the last couple weeks. (Two went to a bake sale and were snatched up right away). The last three batches I did do as individual clusters - and I think they looked much better. I used a cookie scoop to portion them onto a silpat and popped them in the fridge. It worked great!

And no one could tell about the potato chips! :)

White Chili

2008-12-04T07:49:00.003-05:00

About a year ago, my husband's work had a carry-in lunch. A woman he works with brought this in - and he liked it so much he requested the recipe from her. Unfortunately, it has taken me almost a year to make this for him. I don't know why - because it is so good!! I used leftover Thanksgiving turkey and turkey broth for this - but the recipe calls for chicken.

White Chili

3 chicken breasts (about 1/2 pound), cooked and diced
4 cups chicken broth
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow or red bell pepper
3 cans great northern beans, drained (2 pureed and one not)
1 7 oz can chopped green chilies
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin

--Saute onion, garlic, and yellow pepper in olive oil until tender.
--Add remaining ingredients and simmer (stirring often so the beans won't stick) for 30 min.
--Top with shredded pepper jack cheese if desired. (We skipped the cheese).

This was maybe a little spicy for the kids - I actually tripled the recipe and only used 2 cans of chilies and it was plenty spicy that way. And the name is a little deceptive - it wasn't really "white" - to be brutally honest - it was kind of a strange greenish-brown. But I asked my husband if that was what it was supposed to look like and he said yes. But the color is why I didn't take a picture. It tasted great though! And I will certainly make it again - I just wouldn't serve it to company I was trying to impress with how "pretty" my meal looked.

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

2008-11-23T06:50:00.002-05:00

Just in time for Thanksgiving (my favorite holiday - and the one I get to host!)..... Pumpkin Dinner Rolls! These look so pretty with their light orange color - very festive for fall. But they don't have a strong "pumpkin" flavor. They are soft and sweet - like my husband's family likes. This dough also looks beautiful when made into two loaves of braided bread.

Pumpkin Dinner Rolls

1 Tbsp instant yeast (or active dry - you just have to proof it for 5 min)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup warm water
1 cup warm milk
2 Tbsp softened butter
1 cup canned pumpkin (or leftover cooked squash - or in a pinch: unsweetened applesauce - but it doesn't give the same color or flavor)
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp wheat germ
2 cups wheat flour
3 - 3 1/2 cups white flour

--Combine all ingredients except flours. Beat with stand mixer until smooth.
--Add 4 cups flour and beat until smooth. Switch to dough hook and add enough remaining flour to make a soft, slightly sticky dough.
--Knead with mixer 6-8 min until smooth and elastic.
--Cover and let rise in greased bowl one hour or until doubled.
--Punch down and shape into 2 dozen rolls or 2 braided loaves.
--Cover and let rise 30 min or until doubled.
--Bake 350 degrees 15-17 min for rolls. For loaves, brush top with water and bake 25 min.

UnStuffed Cabbage

2008-11-23T06:38:00.003-05:00

This is one of those recipes that started off just ok (as cabbage rolls), but I kept tweaking until it fit my family, and we think it is pretty good now. It is not elegant - I would not serve it to company - but it is great comfort food on a cold winter night. It also doubles well.

UnStuffed Cabbage

1 pound lean ground turkey (or lean ground beef)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1/2 head cabbage, shredded
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups chicken broth
cornstarch and cold water to thicken
hot cooked brown rice

--Brown meat - along with the onion and carrot in a 4 qt pot. Drain grease.
--Add cabbage, salt, pepper, and broth. Cover and simmer 15-30 min until the veggies are done.
--Make thickening with cornstarch and cold water - add gradually to pan until gravy consistency.
--Serve over rice.

This also works in the crockpot: Brown the meat on its own, and add all veggies and broth. Just thicken before serving. But beware: cooking cabbage in the crockpot all day gives your house a distinct smell that takes a while to dissapate!

Spicy Spice Blend

2008-11-15T11:46:00.002-05:00

I'm always on the lookout for new spice blends. This turned out great! I put it on a combination of cubed winter squash, cubed potatoes, and an onion cut in wedges and roasted it at 375 for 50 min along with some chicken I also put the spice blend on. Yummy!

Spicy Spice (does that look strange to anyone else??)

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground red (cayenne) pepper - this made it pretty hot - you could back this off a little
3 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt

Squash! - Part 2

2008-11-15T11:41:00.004-05:00

On a whim - I took the seeds from a winter squash (Buttercup) to see if I could roast them in the oven like pumpkin seeds - and you can! I put some olive oil, curry powder (oh - how I love curry powder!), salt, and pepper on them. And ate almost all of them myself. Makes me want to make more squash!

Homemade Yogurt - part 2

2008-11-15T11:29:00.003-05:00

My sister let me know about this awesome blog: A Year of Crockpotting (This lady made a commitment to use her crock pot every single day of 2008). In there, she has this link on how to make yogurt in the crock pot. I was intrigued - because it seemed easier than what I'd been doing. I made a batch Thursday and it turned out great! (Thin, of course, but you can drain off the whey to make it thicker. I saved my whey this time because I saw something somewhere that said you can use it instead of the milk or water in homemade bread and get really good results. I'm going to try it tomorrow.) This eliminates the tedious warm up and cool down of the milk. (I still used my thermometer to check the temperature to make sure it was right.) And - I used my last batch of yogurt as the starter - after I had frozen and then thawed it - and it still turned out fine.

The Crockpot Lady also had this "recipe" for baked potatoes in the crock po t - which I thought I had invented - but apparently I did not :)

Chocolate Craving Alert

2008-10-26T21:11:00.002-04:00

I was having a major chocolate craving, saw this recipe in my new December 2008 issue of Simple & Delicious - and while I happened to be at the store for milk, eggs, and salad stuff.... I saw that all the ingredients happened to be on sale. So I caved in to temptation. This is not in any way nutritionally redeeming - but it was soooo goood!!!

Peanut Butter Clusters

2 cups peanut butter chips*
1 cup chocolate chips
1 1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts (I used unsalted)
1 cup crushed ridged potato chips

--In microwave safe bowl, melt peanut butter chips and chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. (This took 2 1/2 min on high, stirring every 30 seconds).
--Stir in peanuts and potato chips.
--Drop by level Tablespoons onto waxed paper lined baking sheets. (I actually pressed this into a greased 9x9 pan and cut it into little tiny squares once it was cool).
--Refrigerate until firm.

This is definitely going into my high-calorie-but-the-holidays-are-only-once-a-year rotation. The kids helped me make it (and had great fun crushing the chips in a baggie) and it still only took about 10 minutes. The recipe says it yields 3 1/2 dozen - but only got 3 dozen cutting it the way I did. It worked fine - but if you object to seeing the cut peanuts - do the individual clusters. If you are in a hurry, do the 9x9 pan. Either way - it is bound to wreck any weight loss/healthy eating plan you have for the day. I'm sorry.

*I bought a 10 oz bag of Reese's peanut butter chips - and it was about 1 1/2 cups - so I used an extra 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.

Squash!

2008-10-16T06:16:00.002-04:00

I love winter squash. Baked and spread with butter and salt and pepper. That is one of my favorite parts of fall. Buttercup is hands down my favorite - but is hard to find in Indiana. It seemed much more available in Michigan, although I've grown it here with no problems. I didn't do that this year and am deeply regretting it. We've tried a couple other varieties - the Turban was so pretty! But didn't taste as good as Buttercup. The Orange Hubbard was pretty good - but still didn't match up to Buttercup. Acorn is easy to find and is ok. I found this link all about the different varieties. I've also found it is really easy to "bake" squash by cutting it in half, scooping out the seeds, plopping it in the crock pot, and turning it on high for 3 hours or so. Easy to do while the baby is down for a nap and it doesn't take up the whole oven or heat up the whole house.

Soft 100% Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

2008-10-16T05:49:00.003-04:00

I've been searching for years to find a 100% whole wheat dinner roll recipe that "soft" and rises well - instead of being dense and flat. I finally found it!! This is a recipe of contrasts: whole grains/white sugar, pre-ferment/quick rise yeast, canola oil/butter - but it works! I can stop searching now for a dinner roll recipe.

Soft 100% Whole Wheat Dinner Rolls

Pre-ferment (starter):
The night before, combine: 1 cup whole wheat flour, 1/2 cup cool water, and 1/4 tsp instant yeast. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature 8-16 hours.

Dough:
All of the starter
2 to 2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
4 tsp vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 TBSP quick-rise yeast (such as Fleishman's Rapid Rise Yeast)
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup warm milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1 egg plus 1 egg white

--In a stand mixer with a dough hook, combine all ingredients, starting with the 2 cups flour. If dough seems too wet, add in extra flour to get a soft but still slightly sticky dough.
--Knead 5-6 min with the dough hook, or by hand.
--Cover and let rest 10 min.
--Shape dough into 12 rolls as desired. (In my family, clover-leaf rolls (three little dough balls per greased muffin cup) is traditional. In my husbands family, pan rolls (12 balls set 3x4 in a 13x9 pan) is traditional. I've also rolled this into a circle, brushed with butter, cut into 12 wedges and made crescent rolls.)
--Cover and let rise 30 min.
--Bake 400 degrees for 10-12 min, until lightly browned.
--Brush with butter, serve, and enjoy!!

I've not tried this without the pre-ferment. It adds great flavor. If I know I want to bake "something" the next day, I'll take the 3 min to mix up a pre-ferment the night before, then I'll use it for 1 cup flour and 1/2 cup liquid for whatever recipe I'm going to make. This may work just fine skipping the pre-fermenting and just adding an extra cup of flour and 1/2 cup water to the recipe - but I do believe in whole grain baking, pre-fermenting changes the texture somewhat.

Also, I did do this one time with 2 1/4 tsp (one package) of regular yeast instead of quick, and I just let it rise an hour or so instead of "resting 10 min" and then the rise of the shaped rolls took longer than 30 min, but the end result was still fine. But the quick rise yeast sure is faster!

The wheat gluten is the key to making it soft and rising high. Try it. You'll like it!

What is next - pro-MSG ads?

2008-09-30T11:56:00.002-04:00

Interesting. The high-fructose corn syrup manufacturers are sad that their product is getting a bad rap - so they are going to start running ads proclaiming how great their products are. Now that is a great idea.

Homemade Yogurt

2008-09-28T19:57:00.000-04:00

A while ago, I noticed that sour cream can now be purchased as either "Natural" (cultured cream) or "Original" (which had a lot of additives). It got me to thinking.... how many other things that I assume are natural - are really not. So I looked at the strawberry yogurt I bought for the kids: Cultured pasteurized lowfat milk, sugar, nonfat milk, strawberries, high fructose corn syrup, whey protein concentrate, modified corn starch, gelatin, pectin, agar, natural flavors, citric acid, vitamin A palmitate, vitamin D3, red 40, blue 1.

So I looked up how to make homemade yogurt (I make my own bread and wine so I figured yogurt couldn't be too much harder). It is actually pretty easy! (I took photos - but my camera battery died before I could up-load them - sorry!)

Homemade Yogurt

Supplies:
Clean cooler
Heating pad
Milk (I used 2%)
Plain yogurt (I've tried Activa, Dannon, and Stonyfield Farm - the Stonyfield Farm wins hands down!)
Clean containers (I sterilized quart canning jars in my dishwasher)

--Heat milk to 170 degrees.
--Remove pan from heat and chill in ice water to reach 105 degrees. You may have to keep changing the ice water as it heats up.
--Stir 1/2 cup plain yogurt into warm milk.
--Pour into jars and place in warm cooler with heating pad set on "medium." Close cooler lid and let sit undisturbed for 6-8 hours.
--After six hours, check jars. It should smell "yogurt-y" and be thickened. Tip jars to see if thickened. If not, let go another two hours.
--If ready, put in fridge and cool.

At this point - the yogurt is ready - but a little thin. Commercial yogurt usually has added thickeners. If you like a creamy yogurt (which I do) - line a colander with coffee filters or cheesecloth and let yogurt drain over a bowl in the fridge for a few hours, then pour off the whey. This leaves you with more of a sour-cream like texture. (In 2 hours, I got 2 cups of whey drained off of 2 quarts of yogurt.)

Now, you can sweeten to taste with honey or brown sugar or fruit or whatever, and you have a more economical and certainly more "natural" yogurt than the little containers at the store! Make sure you save 1/2 cup of the plain yogurt to start the next batch.

Spaghetti Sauce

2008-09-28T14:56:00.003-04:00

This is good for when you run out of jars of spaghetti sauce. I always have canned tomatoes and tomato sauce on hand.

Spaghetti Sauce

2 (16 oz) cans diced tomato, undrained
1 (16 oz) can tomato sauce
2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 Tbsp dried minced onion
2 tsp minced garlic
1 lb lean ground beef

--Brown beef, drain grease.
--Add all other ingredients, heat to boiling, reduce heat and simmer 15-20 min.
--Serve over hot pasta or spaghetti squash.

This makes a chunky-style sauce. If you don't have oregano and basil, use the same amount of dried Italian seasoning. My kids actually eat this better than they do jarred sauce.

Pesto Pizza

2008-09-24T21:22:00.002-04:00

I was inspired by Ree over at The Pioneer Woman Cooks! to make Pesto Pizza. We often make a margarita pizza with fresh basil, sliced mozzarella, olive oil, sea salt, and sliced tomatoes... so this sounded like an easy substitute when there is no fresh basil. I had never even tried pesto before - but it was really good!! I am still working out the kinks on making a whole wheat margarita crust - but I'm soooo close! A pre-ferment (starter) is the key! If I get it right - I'll post it. But for now - just use your favorite pizza crust.

Pesto Pizza

1/4 cup (or more) prepared basil pesto from a jar
sliced mozzarella cheese
fresh tomato, thinly sliced
olive oil
sea salt

--Spread unbaked crust with pesto. Top with cheese. Top with tomato. Drizzle with olive oil.
--Bake 425 degrees for 15 min, or until cheese starts to brown around the tomato and the crust is done.
--Remove from oven, brush edge of crust with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

Feedblitz

2008-09-24T21:19:00.003-04:00

At my sister's prompting... you can now subscribe to Feedblitz to get notified by e-mail of when I post something new. Because there is no rhyme or reason as to when I post! Mostly it depends on when the kids get to bed, if the internet is working (I love living in the country!), and if I had anything remotely interesting for dinner this week. :)

Requested Recipes - Apple Dip and Molasses Banana Bread

2008-09-24T20:57:00.004-04:00

I had some ladies from the church over last night for a Bible study - and I had several recipe requests for the snacks that I served - so here they are:

Apple Dip

1 brick cream cheese (8 oz) softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

--Beat all ingredients together with a mixer. Chill, or serve at room temperature with apple wedges.

This was from my wonderful sister-in-law, Terri. I normally don't like cream cheese in ANY format - so it took me years to try this - but it doesn't have a cream-cheesy taste. It is more like caramel. I made it this time with 1/3 less fat cream cheese and it was great. It also doubles well for big parties.

Molasses-Oat Banana Bread

This is from Cooking Light. It was soooooo good! The only slight disappointment was that it looks like chocolate - so you have to explain that it is molasses before they try it!

I also made their regular banana bread - and... I'm sorry Betty Crocker.... but I think I found a replacement for your tried and true. Sorry!

Good Article

2008-09-24T20:53:00.002-04:00

This is a few months old - but I still thought it was worth reading. In New York - many restaurants are required to post the calorie content of their meals in a effort to make New Yorkers more aware of their food choices and help reduce obesity. Very interesting - I'm not sure I could eat a "Bloomin' Onion" after reading this! I wish all restaurants did this! I love that Applebee's has the "Weight Watchers" part of the menu that actually has healthy(er) fare. But I'm not sure that it should be a government mandated thing. Any thoughts??

Pork Marinade

2008-09-04T13:09:00.003-04:00

I love this pork marinade - and apparently my sister does too! I had made some freezer meals for her when she was due with baby #4 (my adorable new nephew Edmund!) and I included a pork roast marinated in this. She e-mailed me begging for the recipe - so here it is in all its simplicity:

Greek Pork Marinade

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp oregano
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

--Combine all together. Marinade pork roast or pork shish-ka-bobs for 2 hours or more.

Meal Planning

2008-09-03T12:32:00.004-04:00

How do you all plan meals? I try to have a written plan for the week - taking into account the nights I'll need a crock-pot or leftover something if it is going to be a hectic night - such as Tuesday's when I work and have a Bible that starts at 6:30 in a town 20 min away! One concept I've seen recently was to have a ten-day rotation so that every month you repeat the same kind of meal (not the same recipe, but I guess you could if you liked it) three times. I've half-heartedly tried to implement this, with my 10 meals being:

1. Mexican
2. Italian
3. Other Ethnic
4. Fish
5. Vegetarian
6. Chicken
7. Pork
8. Beef
9. Soup/Sandwich
10. Pizza

This is supposed to be more freeing - because you don't have to rack your brain and scour the universe to find inspiration for dinner every night - you know that it is "Italian" night and you can narrow your search to only your family's favorite "Italian" items. With it being a new month - I thought I'd try to implement this now. But let me know what you other ladies do for your families. Thanks!

Make Mine Mexican!

2008-09-03T12:01:00.004-04:00

I have been on a huge Mexican food kick for the last 6 months or so. I could eat it 3-4 days a week. The main problem for me is the high levels of sodium in store-bought stuff. One thing I've found that I love is Frog Ranch Salsa. Only 40 mg of sodium compared to the 230 mg found in Pace Salsa - which is what I always bought before. Another great find is these chips. So good you would never ever miss the salt! The corn flavor is out of this world! Thank you organic section of Kroger!

I've been making a lot of home-made salsa too:

Fresh Tomato Salsa

3 cups diced tomato
1/2 cup finely diced sweet onion
1/2 cup finely diced green pepper
2 Tbsp lime juice
2 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 Tbsp canned diced green chilies
1/2 tsp salt
3 cloves garlic, minced

--Combine all together. Let stand 15 min at room temperature.

I've been making quadruple batches of this. It keeps disappearing. :)

Another Mexican staple of late is Freezer Quesadillas. I keep this on hand all the time - good for those quick dinners after work. I have used ground lean beef instead of chicken - and it is great. I'm also thinking of trying it with black beans. I also use all 2% cheddar instead of cheddar and jack cheeses and whole wheat tortillas. I assemble these on my big electric griddle at 350 degrees and can make them all at the same time.

Another great - yet a little different - Mexican dish is.... Fish Tacos! They are so good - I was going to make them for my mom - who kinda gags whenever I mention this - but we ran out of time at our last visit. Mom - your time is coming. You will try these and you will like them too! :)

Fish Tacos

Sauce:
1/4 cup sliced green onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
6 Tbsp reduced-fat sour cream
1 1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
1 clove garlic

Fish:
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground red (cayenne) pepper
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 lbs mild white fish (I use tilapia)
flour or corn tortillas
bag of plain cole slaw mix (shredded cabbage with shredded carrots)

--Combine sauce ingredients - set aside.

--Combine spices - sprinkle on fish. Bake on cookie sheet sprayed with Pam (or on a silpat) at 425 degrees for 9 min or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.
--In a bowl, break fish into pieces with a fork.

--Serve fish on warmed tortillas topped with cole slaw mix and topped with sauce.

So good! Serve with a side of black beans.... mmm....yummy!

Pasta Sauce - Two Ways

2008-08-25T14:39:00.003-04:00

I normally have a bumper crop of tomatoes this time of year - but I had serious tomato cage issues and all of my formally beautiful 5 foot tall tomato plants are lying on their sides :( But - I still have some - and have been able to enjoy the unrivaled taste of garden fresh tomatoes. These are two of my favorite ways to make pasta sauce:

Quick Fresh Tomato Sauce

3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp minced garlic
5 cups chopped tomato (about 2 lbs)
1 Tbsp dried basil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

--Heat olive oil in 4 qt pan on med-high heat.
--Add garlic, saute 30 seconds. Add tomato, cook 2 min, stirring occasionally.
--Add basil , cheese, salt, and pepper.
--Serve over hot cooked pasta. Doubles easily.

This looked so pretty with my three colors of tomato - red, orange, and yellow. I tried to take a picture, but my camera was out of battery and I had no leftovers!

Jamie's Favorite Pasta Sauce

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
4 cups coarsely chopped tomato (about 5 medium)
3 oz tomato paste (1/2 of a 6 oz can)
2 tsp dried basil
2 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
3/4 cup no-salt-added tomato juice

--Saute onion and garlic in olive oil.
--Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 1 hour uncovered.
--Serve over 1 lb hot pasta. Yields 1 quart.

Jamie LOVES this. I can a bunch of this every summer (although to can it - I omit the olive oil (no botulism for my family!) and just toss the onions and garlic in with everything else). I made either 25 or 30 quarts last year and I'm down to one left. So far this year, I've made 5 quarts :( Like I said, major tomato cage issues :( This is what I used for my veggie lasagna. It makes a really chunky sauce.

Zucchini Pickles

2008-08-12T06:51:00.005-04:00

I was trying to think of what I could do with all my zucchini and had the idea that I could make pickles out of them. Why not? So I turned to this book my aunt had given me: The Complete Book of Small-Batch Preserving and modified one of the recipes there. I didn't can these - I just made them as refrigerator pickles - but I'm going to try canning some. My husband loves dill pickles and he really liked these - and couldn't tell that it was zucchini. Neither could my stepson or his girlfriend.

Zucchini Dill Pickles

3 lbs zucchini, sliced
1/4 sweet onion, thinly sliced (optional, but pretty)
2 cups white vinegar (5% acid)
2 cups water
2 Tbsp pickling salt (has no additives (like iodine or "free flowing agents") to make the final product a funny color. I found this pretty easily at the grocery store -although for my first test batch - I did use sea salt)
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp dried dill weed
1 heaping Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp mustard seeds

--Combine all in a large container with a lid. Let marinate in the refrigerator at least overnight. Will keep up to a month in the fridge. Makes 4 pints.

I made these Saturday and they are almost gone. I used a mandoline to slice the zucchini - but I will make thicker slices next time - or try making pickle spears. I also might try with a little crushed red pepper. After I try canning some - I'll post more pictures/results. Oh, and the cute white lid on the jar - I found these at the store and thought it was such a great idea! I put them on all my already opened jams in the fridge. I can see using them to store dry goods in jars in the pantry too.

Cherry Bread - Perfection!

2008-08-02T21:59:00.005-04:00

Ok, I feel like I've been a billboard for King Arthur lately - but they have some great stuff! I modified one of their No-Knead recipes that called for dried fruit - and it turned out just like what I was hoping for! The only problem is that I now have an entire loaf of this bread in my kitchen calling out my name.

Cherry Tarragon Bread

3 1/4 cup flour
1 cup wheat flour
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 3/4 cup cool water
2 1/2 tsp dried tarragon, crushed
2/3 cup dried cherries

--In a large glass bowl, combine all except cherries to make a sticky dough. Work in cherries.
--Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 8 hours.
--Fold dough onto itself 3-4 times with a spatula. Re-cover and let sit two hours.
--Spray covered casserole dish or dutch oven (I used a 6 qt stainless steel dutch oven with a glass lid this time instead of my Corningware casserole) with Pam. Plop dough into cold pan, slash top with sharp knife or kitchen scissors, cover pan.
--Place in COLD oven and turn on to 450 degrees. Bake 45 min, remove lid, bake 5-10 min more. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

The crust turned out much better, not as chewy, as my first attempt. And I liked using the cold oven/greased pan technique. It was guaranteed to not stick and I didn't have to worry about burning myself! And even though it only sat 10 hours - it still developed a lot of flavor. Very, very good.

Zucchini Overload

2008-08-02T17:23:00.002-04:00

In the past two days, I've shredded and frozen 26 packages of two cups each shredded zucchini. And my garden is nowhere near done. So - other than observing that my fingers feel funny after shredding 52 cups of zucchini - I figure that I can have zucchini muffins for breakfast every Sunday all winter if I stop now. This isn't the healthiest recipe in the world - but it tastes pretty good. Jackie actually just requested a batch of these to take on the 19+ hour road trip to move to Florida - so I guess I really shredded 53.5 cups :)

Zucchini Muffins

1 cup oil
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cup shredded zucchini (you can actually use mashed banana, canned pumpkin, or applesauce as well - as long as it is 1 1/2 cups)
2 cups wheat flour
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips or raisins (optional)

--Combine all ingredients together. Bake 350 degrees for 25-30 min in greased muffin tins.

--Makes 12 large muffins.

Figuring out the whole Blogger thing

2008-08-01T23:21:00.002-04:00

I just now figured out how to embed web-links so that all you have to do is click on the blue words and it magically takes you to that web site. Much prettier than the long actual addresses. Also, I just figured out how to label posts. So, for example, if you are looking at a bread recipe and are thinking "Hmmm.... I wonder if she has any other bread recipes?" - you can just click on the label "Bread" down in the corner and it takes you to all the bread recipes. Very helpful. Now - if anyone who is more of a Blogger-expert than me (and that would likely include just about anyone) could tell me how to make a "Search" box - so you could search by keyword - I think that may be helpful. To my 3 or 4 readers.

PS: I made my first "Best Salad Ever" of the season with garden-fresh heirloom tomatoes. Beyond description how yummy it was. I'm thinking of making a huge batch of the dressing so I can have it on hand to just drink.... I mean - drizzle on tomatoes fresh from the garden.

Veggie Lasagna

2008-07-29T07:37:00.003-04:00

I made this to use up the bountiful zucchini in my garden. It is modified from a Cooking Light recipe I liked. Like the Blitz Bread - this too got devoured at the family get-together.

Veggie Lasagna

2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 1/2 cups thinly sliced zucchini
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup diced green pepper
1 large onion, thinly sliced (I used a mandoline to slice it)
2 (26 oz) jars spicy, fat free, spaghetti sauce (I used 2 qts homemade spaghetti sauce)
30 oz container part-skim ricotta cheese
6 oven-ready lasagna noodles
3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

--Saute veggies in olive oil for 5 min. Add pasta sauce, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 min.
--Spray 13x9 pan with Pam. Spread 1 cup pasta sauce in bottom of pan. Top with 3 noodles. Top noodles with 1/2 the ricotta. Top ricotta with half the sauce. Repeat with remaining noodles, ricotta, and sauce. Top with mozzarella.
--Cover with foil and bake 375 for 45 min. Uncover and bake 20 more min until cheese is browned. Remove from oven and let stand 10 min before serving.

--Makes 12 servings.

Blitz Bread

2008-07-29T06:57:00.004-04:00

This fantastic and EASY recipe comes from the great people over at King Arthur Flour company. I tried this out for a big family get-together (served with lasagna) and it got devoured! Start to finish - under two hours! Here is the recipe - but here is step-by-step (with photos!) over at King Arthur's Blog.

Blitz Bread

1 1/2 cups warm water

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 1/4 tsp salt

3 1/2 cups flour

1 Tbsp instant yeast (yes - a whole Tablespoon!)

4 tsp King Arthur Pizza Dough Flavor (optional - but this really is what makes it great) OR 1/2 cup cheddar cheese powder (like from a Kraft Mac & Cheese box)

Extra olive oil

dried spices of your choice (I used oregano and basil)

--Grease a 13x9 pan with pam and then drizzle with 2 tbsp olive oil.

--Beat all ingredients (except extra oil and spices) with an electric mixer on high for 1 min.

--Scoop the very sticky dough into the pan, cover, let rise for 1 hour.

--Drizzle top with more olive oil and sprinkle with spices. (Their recipe calls for poking it with your finger to make indentations like foccacia - but I've tried it twice and it never worked - so I left it un-poked).

--Bake 375 degrees for 35-40 min.

--Remove from oven, let cool 5 min, then turn out onto a cooling rack.

Crockpot Roast Beef

2008-07-22T15:36:00.005-04:00

I threw a frozen chuck roast in the crock pot yesterday before work - and it ended up being the best roast beef we've had in a while. Now, maybe we just haven't had roast beef in a while - but this was really good. I was in a hurry and used only two seasonings - but you can bet I'll do this again.

Quick Crockpot Roast Beef

1 chuck roast - still frozen

1 cup coffee

generous sprinkle of steak seasoning (I actually used the "Montana Steak Seasoning" from our Amish bulk food store - but unless you shop there too, the McCormick's "Montreal" seasoning will have to do) :)

Turn on low for about 11 hours.

I have a huge crockpot, so I actually set a plate on top of the roast and put potatoes wrapped in foil on top - so we had "baked" potatoes with the roast. My husband strongly prefers this to potatoes that simmer in the beef juice all day. We served this with garden zucchini broiled with olive oil and Mrs. Dash - quick Monday night after work dinner.

Cherry Bread - Part I (aka "I have an oven again!!")

2008-07-19T07:11:00.007-04:00

We just got back from Traverse City, Michigan for our Anniversary. Unbeknownst to us - we happened to be there during National Cherry Festival Not, small/local Cherry Festival, National Cherry Festival. It was a "Big Deal". And everything all week was cherry-this and cherry-that. And I am normally not a big fan of cherries. Actually, I avoid them whenever possible. They just have never tasted good. So I was really disappointed when we went to our fancy anniversary dinner and the waiter brought our bread and proudly announced that it was "Cherry Bread with Tarragon Butter." I'm smelling the warm bread and looking at it all studded with red and thinking, "But I don't even like cherries. And tarragon, who would do that to butter??" But I was starving, so I tried it - with the weird butter... and it was really really good! So good - I ate about 5 pieces and sat there trying to figure out how to make it at home. Jamie liked it too, but I was shocked that I liked it.

It ended up being good that we tried that the first night, because it opened me up to the idea that maybe all cherries are not evil. And the fresh tart cherries that we bought from the roadside stand were wonderful - as was the cherry wine we sampled on a winery tour. So real cherries are good - but I still don't like canned cherry pie filling.

Anyway, here was my first attempt at making the cherry bread - using the Artisan Bread recipe as a base. I really came close on the taste - but the texture was a bit off for what I was trying for. It needed a starter/poolish for sure, and needed to be a bit saltier than I normally make bread - but my crust was a bit too chewy and it didn't rise quite as high as I was hoping. (I'm working on that for Part II.) But the taste was great! I added the tarragon to the bread instead of the butter, because I thought the red and green would look pretty together - and would be really good for the holidays.

Cherry Tarragon Bread

2 cups bread flour

1 cup King Arthur White Wheat flour

13 oz cool water

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp yeast

2 tsp dried tarragon

1/3 cup dried tart cherries

--Stir all together (except cherries). Cover and let sit at room temperature for 12 hours.

--Pour boiling water over cherries and let stand 15 min to soften. Drain. Sprinkle over dough and fold in as you fold the dough 3x (like an envelope). Cover and let stand 2 hours.

--Half hour before baking, preheat covered casserole dish in 450 degree oven.

--Carefully dump dough into hot dish, cover, bake 30 min, remove cover, bake 15 min longer.

--Let cool on wire rack.

Summer Easy Pie

2008-07-03T06:23:00.003-04:00

This has always been a go-to recipe when I have company coming and I want to have something for dessert - but keep it light. This is so creamy and good - it always goes over well. I first had this in Mendenhall, Mississippi while working with Mendenhall Ministries for short-term mission work. I've made this three times so far this summer because it is no-bake and goes together very fast. I tried to take pictures - but it always get eaten before I can take the picture. And no-one has ever, ever guessed the main ingredient - so don't let the name turn you off.

Yogurt Pie

1 graham cracker crust
2 6-8 oz containers fruit yogurt
1 container cool whip (regular or light), thawed

--Stir together the yogurt and 1/2 carton cool whip. Spread into pie shell.
--Spread remainder of cool whip over top. Refrigerate 2 hours or more.

This is so easy to "dress up." A lot of the time I add chopped fruit to the yogurt mixture and sprinkle some on top before serving. We do this with strawberry yougurt and fresh strawberries. A couple drops of pink food color in the yogurt mixture make it a more vibrant pink color too. My husband's favorite is a chocolate crust, raspberry yogurt, and fresh raspberries and chocolate shavings on top. And it does not have a "yogurt tang" to it at all. I promise.

So.... my only dilemma is... how to make this more "real"? I love the taste of cool whip - but it is NOT a natural food by any stretch of the imagination. And I don't want to un-lighten the pie by using natural heavy whipping cream and whipping it up. I have had good luck making homemade frozen yogurt (more about that later!) - but that would melt in the fridge and I don't really want a frozen pie. Or for the once in a blue moon we enjoy this - since the rest of our diet is pretty good - does it not matter? Any ideas??

Still No Oven! (But Made Bread Anyway)

2008-07-02T20:40:00.005-04:00

The oven-repair-man is coming for his 4th service call tomorrow bringing his third replacement part. On a not-quite-6-year-old oven. Last week I had to make 4 loaves of bread for a bake sale to support Relay for Life. So I found out that you can sort-of make English Muffin Bread in the roaster oven, but not my Rustic Artisan Bread. Which is too bad - because that is my easiest and best bread recipe. While I was burning that bread to the bottom of it's pan - my darling husband confessed that he had really contemplated borrowing a pickup and buying me a new electric stove/oven and installing it in the basement. But, he wasn't able to. Which is too bad, because I'm afraid that by now with what we've probably spent in parts and labor - we could have easily bought a new one. :(

So - here are my two easiest bread recipes. Please use a real oven if you can. And FYI: it is pretty hard to go easy on the carbs when your house smells this good from baking bread. Good luck!

English Muffin Bread

5-6 cups unbleached flour (I use part King Arthur White Wheat for this)
2 packages yeast
1 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 cups milk
1/2 cup water

--Combine 3 cups flour with all dry ingredients. Heat milk and water to very warm (120ish degrees) and add to dry ingredients. Beat well. (You can use a sturdy spoon or a stand mixer.)
--Add enough more of the flour to make a stiff batter.
--Spoon into 2 loaf pans that are greased and floured. Cover and let rise in warm place 45 min.
--Bake 400 degrees for 25 min, remove from pans to cool.

This makes excellent toast!

Rustic Artisan Bread

I've adapted this from the original "No-Knead Bread" recipe from Jim Lahey of Sullivan Street Bakery. This first appeared in the New York Times in November 2006 and created quite a phenomenon in the bread baking world. This is the version that works best for me. But if you are obsessed with reading about bread - Google "No-Knead Bread" and Jim Lahey's name and you will find 9000+ variations.

1 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp instant yeast (yes - only 1/4 tsp)
scant 1 1/2 tsp salt
14 oz cool water

--Stir all together in non-metal bowl. Cover with plastic wrap. Walk away for 12-18 hours or so.
--Surface should be covered in bubbles. Take a silicone spatula and "fold" dough over on itself like folding a letter in thirds. Recover with plastic wrap. Walk away for 1.5-2 hours.
--A half-hour before dough is ready, put an empty, ungreased, covered casserole dish or covered dutch oven in a 450 oven to preheat.
--Dump dough into hot pan (carefully) and cover. Bake 450 for half-hour, remove lid, bake another 15 min until very browned.
--Remove from pan and let cool and enjoy the sound of the crust crackling as it cools.

I usually start this after dinner the night before I need it. It has a wonderful flavor! It also works well with 3 cups bread flour and only 13 oz water if you want a white loaf - and it rises higher and has more of an open crumb.

Green Machine

2008-06-21T09:03:00.003-04:00

This is something I wouldn't have tried - but my stepdaughter brought it home and made us try it :) It is really good!! The two little kids REALLY like it. Too bad it is like $3 for a little tiny bottle. But - for a totally hypothetical example - if you are trapped at a resort in Las Vegas against your wishes and you need breakfast but don't want to spend $12 for fruit and yogurt at the restaurant - a bottle of this from Starbucks and an ounce of raw almonds you brought from home makes a really good breakfast. With a Venti brewed coffee, of course.

Jackie's Pasta Sauce

2008-06-19T17:46:00.004-04:00

My step-daughter, Jackie, just graduated with a degree in Hospitality Management and has a management job lined up at J. Alexander's in Florida. This recipe is her own invention - and is really good. The White sauce is the only way I'll eat a mushroom. And she showed me how to use the big cooks knife to finely dice onion and garlic. I felt like Rachel Ray!

White Wine Pasta Sauce

olive oil
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
3 large yellow onions, finely diced
1 package fresh sliced mushrooms
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
3/4 bottle dry white wine (chardonnay or sauvignon blanc)
1 pound hot cooked penne pasta

Saute garlic and onion in olive oil, add mushrooms, saute until onions translucent.
Add wine and reduce to a simmer. Let sauce reduce down. Toss with hot pasta.

Red Wine Pasta Sauce

olive oil
4-5 cloves of garlic, minced
3 large yellow onions, finely diced
2 cans petite diced tomato
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
3/4 bottle dry red wine (merlot or shriaz)
1 pound hot cooked penne pasta

Saute garlic and onion in olive oil, add tomato, saute until onions translucent.
Add wine and reduce to a simmer. Let sauce reduce down. Toss with hot pasta.

Happy Father's Day Cheesecake

2008-06-15T06:36:00.003-04:00

In honor of Father's Day - another quote from my Dad:

"Everything in moderation - even moderation."

So... here is my husband's favorite splurge - New York Style Cheesecake. I make this maybe 2 times a year - it normally makes a huge springform pan and then he's tempted to eat cheesecake 3x day for the next week to use it up and not waste it. Now... it is not a temptation for me - as I despise cream cheese and everything it comes in contact with - but my (slightly biased) husband seems to think that I make the "best cheesecake ever - and it is so strange because you don't even like it - and you make the best cheesecake I've ever had!" I think he exaggerates - but I'll take the compliment!

Anyway, to make the splurge seem a little less overwhelming, I've been playing around with a half-recipe. And I've got it to where it works - even in a roaster oven! This makes a 9x9 pan worth. And since you are splurging - go ahead and use real butter, original Philadelphia cream cheese (not store brand or low fat), and real sour cream (not reduced fat). As a side note - this time when I went shopping for sour cream - I could get "Natural Style" or "Original Style" - the "Natural" was cream and cultures. The "Original" was full of thickeners and all sorts of stuff. Guess which one I bought? :)

Cheesecake

Crust: 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 Tbsp sugar
3 Tbsp melted butter
2 1/2 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp flour
1/2 Tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs

For crust: combine crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press into bottom of 9x9 pan greased with Pam. Bake 325 for 10 min. Let cool slightly.

Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, and vanilla together until creamy. Add sour cream and mix well. Add eggs one at a time and mix on low until just blended. Pour over crust.

Bake 300 degrees for 50-55 min until center is almost set (it will still look slightly wet). Cool completely and top with fresh raspberries.

Thank You Grandma!!

2008-06-15T06:26:00.003-04:00

This has been a busy week: two birthdays and Father's Day in the same week. And my oven goes out. :( It won't be fixed until sometime next week. And I have birthday treat's to make - plus just regular everyday oven use - and no oven. So my brilliant engineer husband suggests that I use the Rival 20 qt roaster oven that I use for turkey's and hams. "It has temperature settings just like an oven" he says. So we try it. A batch of brownies, a casserole, a cheesecake, and turkey later - and it works great! We just put a wire cooling rack on the bottom to elevate the food so air could circulate underneath. And a 13x9 pan fits with plenty of room to spare. So thank you Grandma for my gift of a roaster oven several years ago - it saved me this week! And thank you and Happy Father's Day to the best husband ever!!

The Best Salad - EVER

2008-06-05T21:06:00.004-04:00

True confession - until last summer - when I tasted this salad for the first time - I could not/would not eat a raw onion. And then I tasted this. And this summer - I've planted all the key ingredients of this salad in my garden so I can eat this 17x a week all summer. Mmmmm..... I made it today.... and my husband and I ate the entire batch in one sitting. It is that good. Reading the list of ingredients doesn't seem that impressive - but the whole is much, much better than the sum of it's parts.

1 cucumber - peeled and diced

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes - cut in half

1/2 large Vidalia onion - chopped fine

1/2 green pepper - diced

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp oregano

1/8 tsp ground red (cayenne) pepper

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

--Combine in a bowl. Sprinkle seasonings over top. Drizzle with olive oil. Stir to combine and let stand at room temperature for 20 min or so. Try not to eat it all yourself. :)

Doing Some Thinking

2008-06-01T10:17:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted in a little while because I've really been doing a lot of thinking and soul searching about how and what should we eat. How did God design our bodies? What kind of food were we made to consume? I've had this topic come up everywhere - in my Bible study, in what I read for fun, in kids books.... everywhere.

I was reading the "NIrV Story Bible for Children" with my daughter. In the story where Jesus appears to his disciples after the resurrection (Luke 24 and John 20) - and it says "The disciples were very happy when they saw the Lord. Jesus asked them, "Do you have anything to eat?" They gave him a piece of cooked fish. He took it and ate it in front of them."

Now - you can bet Jesus wasn't eating beer-battered deep fried fish with hush puppies, fries, and a large Coke. He was eating all natural cooked fish - likely with fresh herbs. God has created a wonderful assortment of fruits, veggies, herbs, animals, and grains for us to enjoy. Why do we pervert his wonderful provision? Or to quote my dad's (obviously sarcastic) quote: "Better living through chemistry"

I was reading online yesterday and found this great article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24716880/

It goes into an easy-to-follow description of the insulin system and how it should work. What stood out to me was this: "Of course, this insulin system has worked fine for 99.6 percent of human existence. That's because hunter-gatherers derived no more than 40 percent of their calories from carbohydrates, mostly fruit, according to Colorado State University scientists. What your pancreas wasn't designed to handle on a regular basis was the carb load from a Cinnabon washed down with a Big Gulp, all part of the 140 pounds of sugar the average American consumes annually. "The high-blood-glucose response to a high-carb diet is an almost normal response to an abnormal situation," says Ron Raab, past vice president of the International Diabetes Federation. "We've largely created this illness.""

I have been really burdened lately with the sense that I'm not doing enough to help my diabetic patients. So much of them just don't "get it" that their carb intake and excercise is so crucial to avoiding blindness. Re-read that last sentance above: "We've largely created this illness."

Wow.

And it isn't just carbs. The manufactured fats (trans fats) that the food industry has created are deadly too. I like this quote from Vaughn Bryand, PhD from the Texas A&M University: "For the past 95 percent of all human existance until now, the most difficult food for humans to find was fat. If you think about it, it just makes sense. There were no Dunkin' Donuts, Domino's pizzas, pints of Ben & Jerry's, or blue cheese dressing. For ages, only wild, roaming animals provided lean, infrequent servings of meat, and the primary fats humans put in their mouths came from nuts and seeds." The fats in nuts and seeds are monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and are extremely good for you.

In my personal Bible reading - these verses jumped out at me: "So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor 10:31) and "And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Phil 4:19) I'm also running into a ton of references to self-control (portion sizes anyone??).

So - I'm thinking. How to reduce (eliminate?) the fake/perverted/distorted foods that God never meant for our bodies to consume. And how to not over-eat. And it is hard. I LOVE carbs. But certain sins feels good too - for a season. I have noticed that since I've been really limiting my carbs - I don't get as hungry - and when I do - I don't get the grouchy/jittery hungry that I used to. So a step in the right direction. But, for example, all the stuff I ususally make for breakfast - all carbs. Muffins, pancakes, toast, oatmeal, cereal, etc. I can only do egg whites so many days in a row before I go nuts. So if anyone has any low-carb/high protein/low in saturated fat ideas for breakfast - please let me know!! :)

Healthy "Rice a Roni"

2008-04-15T13:41:00.003-04:00

This is my husband's favorite way to eat whole grains. It goes great with chicken, pork, and fish.

Healthy "Rice a Roni"

1 Tbsp parsley
1 tsp dried celery flakes
1 tsp minced onion
1/2 cup barley
1/2 cup bulgur wheat
1 Tbsp butter or olive oil (optional)
1 Tbsp chicken base (or two bouillion cubes)
2 1/4 cups water

Combine all ingredients in rice cooker and cook until done (about 40 min). I have tried this in a covered saucepan on the stove - and it took almost 45 min for it to be done. I just think a rice steamer is easier! And this is much easier (and better) than opening a little box of refined rice and preservatives!

Overnight Oats

2008-04-15T13:34:00.003-04:00

This is a very quick, filling breakfast that my whole family loves. Very easy to throw together on a Saturday night so Sunday morning is a little less hectic. Don't be put off by the fact that you eat it cold - it is really good!!

Overnight Oats

2 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup milk
1 cup water
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Combine all ingredients, cover, and let sit in fridge overnight. In the morning - top with fruit (berries, peaches, and apples are really good) and chopped nuts. Makes 4 servings.

Home-Made Pop Tarts

2008-04-07T11:48:00.002-04:00

I have not made these - but it looks fun! And certainly better than store-bought (although with a cup of butter - they are still not really "health food.")

http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/recipe.jsp?recipe_id=1207248043335

Another New Veggie - Leeks!

2008-04-04T12:46:00.006-04:00

I've been feeling like I'm in a veggie rut lately. Green beans, corn, peas, broccoli, and cauliflower. So I'm trying new things. Last night I made chicken and vegetable soup and tried using leeks. I've never even seen one before - but they look like huge green onions. I only used the white bottom portion - sliced like in the photo. I didn't tell Jamie what was in the soup - but he made the comment that this was the best soup he'd had in a while - "better than what you usually make." :) The leeks disintigrated during cooking - but gave the broth a lot of flavor. I am definitely going to be making this again!

Chicken Vegetable Soup with Leeks

3 cups diced cooked chicken

5 carrots, sliced

6 stalks celery, sliced

3 leeks, white portion only, sliced and rinsed well

2/3 cup bulgur

2/3 cup barley

handful wild rice

5 qt chicken broth (or water and chicken bouillion)

2 Tbsp parsley

1/4 tsp mace

Combine all ingredients, bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook about an hour - or until veggies and grains are cooked. Add more broth if it gets too thick.

Edamame

2008-04-02T16:09:00.004-04:00

We tried a new veggie last night. Several weeks ago Kroger had a sale on their Private Selection frozen veggies in the microwave steamable bag. I saw Edamame (green soybeans) and had read about them - but never tried them - so I bought a bag. Last night I needed a quick veggie to go with our tilapia and whole wheat pasta - so I tried these.

They came in the pod - like green pea pods - so we naturally assumed that you eat the pod. You don't. It is really, really tough and chewy! So we ended up shelling them all - which was pretty easy - but did take a while. They ended up tasting pretty good - very mild. I'd make them again - but I would be more interested in buying them already shelled.

I know there are supposed to be a lot of health benefits to eating soy - but it is not something I've ever looked much into. Anyone know much about soy? I had to go to Dictionary.com to listen to how to even pronounce edamame - if you are interested - it is "ed-a-mommy."

Whole Grains in the Rice Cooker

2008-04-01T07:24:00.005-04:00

The term "whole grains" has really become a buzz-word lately - but I know a lot of people think they can only get their whole grains in commercially packaged things: crackers, store-bought wheat bread, cereal, etc. We have been eating whole grains for years. My favorite way to incoporate them: my rice cooker. I use this 2-3 times a week - at least. We use brown rice, barley, and bulgur interchangeably. Sometimes I add in wild rice, or millet. We've tried quinoa - but it has a distinct taste that I didn't really appreciate.

The recipe is really, really hard: 1 part grain to 2 parts water. Then press the button at wait 40 min or so. That's it. We mix and match grains all the time. Sometimes I'll add chicken bouillion or dried minced onion or herbs - sometimes not. For simplicity, we end up calling all of the grain variations "rice." It is funny - I have not made white rice in 6 years and my 3 year old daughter actually ordered some by mistake at PF Chang's (which does serve brown rice) and didn't like it. She said that it was like the "rice at school" (daycare) and that she "doesn't like school rice - only my rice." Yeah!!

Later, I'll post my two favorite kinds of "rice."

Honeymoon Pancakes

2008-04-01T07:05:00.004-04:00

On our honeymoon in Aspen - Jamie and I went to this little cafe for breakfast. Jamie ordered whole grain buttermilk pancakes and they were wonderful - really light - not at all what I expected from whole grains. When we came home - I found this recipe that tastes very much like what he had at that cafe. I actually had not made them in a while - but after tasting them again - we've had them twice for breakfast in the last week!

Honeymoon Pancakes

2 cups buttermilk (or place cider vinegar in bottom of measuring cup and fill to 2 cup mark with milk and let stand 5 min)
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup quick cooking oats
1 Tbsp molasses
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder

In a large bowl, mix buttermilk, eggs, oats, molasses, and oil. Mix well.
Add in rest of ingredients and stir to combine.
Pour 1/4 cup of batter at a time onto hot (350 degree) griddle sprayed with Pam.
Makes approx. 12 pancakes.

I use my plug-in electric griddle for this. It was a wedding gift I did not register for and didn't think I wanted. Then Jamie showed me that I could do 6 grilled cheese or 6 pancakes at a time. Then I discovered - when I set it to 350 degrees - my grilled cheese and pancakes turn out just right. They don't burn or get underdone. I never had success on the stove! So I now really appreciate the thoughtfulness of the gift giver!

Grilled Bread Sticks and Roasted Asparagus

2008-03-29T14:07:00.004-04:00

Last night it was 40 degrees and sunny and calm - so to celebrate Spring - we had steaks on the grill for the first time in quite a while. To go with the steaks - I made some Grilled Bread Sticks to have with herbed olive oil. We also had my husband's favorite veggie: Roasted Asparagus. Both of these recipes were originally from Cooking Light (my hands-down favorite cooking magazine) but I've modified both just a little.

Grilled Bread Sticks

1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) yeast
1 1/2 cup warm water
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients. Knead 10 min. Cover and let rise in greased bowl 1 hour. Preheat grill. Roll into 2 large rectangles, cut each rectangle into 6 breadstick sized strips. Coat both sides of dough with Pam. Place directly on hot grill - cook 3 min per side with grill lid closed.

We then dip this into oilve oil and herbs. You can also put cheese on this and melt it on the grill a little. This dough also makes wonderful grilled pizzas - but that is more appropriate for summer. The bread itself has a really delicate flavor and cooking it on the grill adds to that a lot. And don't worry - the dough will not sag down between the grates on the grill. It cooks too fast. If you would rather have it like a flatbread - make it into six 7 inch rounds and cook 4 min per side (which is what we do for grilled pizzas).

Roasted Asparagus

1 lb asparagus - woody ends trimmed
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar (or lemon juice)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp minced garlic
1/4 tsp black pepper

Toss all ingredients together. Bake at 425 on a silpat or greased cookie sheet for 10 min, stirring after 5 min.

This is very adaptable. Sometimes I just saute all the stuff together on the stove if my oven is occupied. I don't even measure the spices anymore. And sometimes I'll toss in some onions cut into rings or some crushed red pepper. We have this 3-4 times a month (more often, if asparagus is on sale).

Spice Rubs

2008-03-25T15:04:00.003-04:00

Today I made a trip to my wonderful local Amish Bulk Food Store to stock up on some spices. Then, I made an octruple (I think I made that word up - to me it means 8x) batch of both of these rubs. I always have these in my fridge (Why in the fridge? I'm not sure. I don't store any of the components in the fridge - but blended together it makes me feel better to store it there.)to put on chicken, pork, or fish before baking or grilling. My husband particularly likes the Thai on baked tilapia and the Chili Spice on pork.

Thai Spice Rub

1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 Tbsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp curry powder
1 Tbsp basil

Chili Spice Paste

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp salt

Motivation

2008-03-25T14:36:00.005-04:00

As a health care provider - I see people in my office every day who are on a huge list of medications to help manage conditions that are lifestyle-related. Obesity - and with it hypertension, high cholesterol, Type II Diabetes, etc - is on the rise in America. A lot of these diagnoses could be controlled by watching what we eat and moving more.

As a Mom - I am the gatekeeper of my family's health. I plan the menu, buy the food, prepare it, and serve it to my husband and children whom I dearly love. How can I - in good conscience - feed them artifical processed junk? I wouldn't give them tobacco or meth - why should I give them trans fats and preservatives?

As a Christian - I am commanded to act with self-control in all aspects of my life. Which - by the way - includes what I eat! This has only recently been something I've been convicted about. It took watching someone I care about battle and conquer a life-long addiction by becoming completely reliant on God. I began to see the parallels between his struggles and mine. And if he could conquer his sin with God's power - then surely I have the ability to conquer my obsession with food.

I've gradually, over the past few years, been moving more and more toward home-made, healthier, more natural foods anyway. My sister has been asking me to blog my recipes. So here - in my human imperfection - is my cooking blog.