Review: Freezer Cooking, Taste of Home Style

Earlier this summer, my friend, Jen, and I started freezer cooking. (Yes, that is how tardy I am in writing this post.) Since then, we’ve done it several times using different methods. I’ll try to post a little review of each, plus some pictures.

Since we are new to this freezer cooking thing, we started small. We still have yet to do more than two weeks of meals at a time. If you are scared of freezer cooking or think you have too small of a freezer, be brave and give it a try! You can do it! The afternoon of work is well worth the time and money saved later.

Another method worth trying is to prepare two of a casserole every time you cook. Eat one and freeze the other for another day. After a while, you will have a decent stash of meals in your freezer.

For our first session we used recipes from Taste of Home’s online freezer recipes and created our own “plan”. You can find TOH freezer recipes here.

Our menu

Pizza Pasta Casserole (2-9x13 pans each)
Colorful Chicken Casserole (1-2 qt casserole each)
Mexican Casserole (1-2 qt casserole each)
Hamburger Stew (5- 2 generous serving containers each)

I'll post recipes if anyone is interested.

Time spent

5 hours, including a run to my house to get more pots and cleaning up the kitchen/dishes

Pros, Cons and Tips

*Taste of Home recipes typically have a very low chance of being duds. All of the above recipes we would make again and are husband approved. (You’ll see why I say this in my next review.)

*Using meals with a variety of meats as main ingredients takes more time than doing all of one kind of meat. This saves time because you can cook all of your meat at once. I think if we had to do this session over again we would have skipped the chicken casserole and done all hamburger dishes to save time.

*When creating your own menu, sit down and make a plan. Think about cook times. Does something need to boil or simmer for a while? Do that first. Cook main ingredients together and assemble like dishes together.

*We used a George Foreman grill to cook all of our boneless, skinless chicken breast.. Most once a month cooking methods recommend cooking and processing whole chickens the day before to get your chicken meat. While I’m sure this is probably cheaper, saving time was more important to us, and, in the end, we may have even ended up even cost wise since we bought in bulk.

*Don’t worry about having leftover ingredients. Just freeze them for later use or make a soup.

*Have lots of pots, bowls and measuring cups!

*Cooking with a friend helps you persevere, gets you out of cooking tasks you dislike, and saves prep time. I hate handling meat and Jen hates chopping veggies, so she did meat and I did veggies. We were both happy!

*Freezing your meals insures that you use all your food and that it won’t spoil waiting for you to eat it.

In Honor of Fall Weather

Crockpot Potato Soup

from my friend Jen, who's husband loves this recipe

8 c. coarsely chopped peeled potatoes
1 small onion, chopped (1/3 c.)
1/2 lb. bacon, crisped, drained and crumbled
1-8oz. pkg. cream cheese softened
3 cans reduced sodium chicken broth (14.5 oz. cans) (or subsitute any chicken broth)
1 can condensed cream of chicken soup (10.75 oz. can)
1/4 t. pepper

In a 4 qt. crockpot, stir together thee potatoes and onion. Stir in the bacon.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese, chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and pepper. Add the mixture to the crockpot.

Cover and cook the soup on low heat for 8-10 hours or on high heat for 4-5 hours. If you like, mash the potatoes for a slightly thicken consistency before serving.

Summer Salads

Here are some recent salads I've tried:

Citrus Fennel Salad

4 C thinly sliced fennel bulb (about 2 bulbs)
2 C orange sections (about 3 peeled oranges)
1 C lemon sections (about 2 peeled lemons)
1/2 C thinly sliced red onion
2 T chopped mint (fresh is best)
1 T chopped fresh parsley
1 T chopped fennel fronds
1 T virgin olive oil
1 T lemon juice
1/2 t salt
1/3 t fresh ground pepper (opt.)

Combine ingredients in a large bowl; toss gently to coat. Chill 1 hour. Makes 6-8 servings.

Strawberry, Cucumber, & Basil Salad

4 C hulled strawberries, quartered (about 2 pints)
2 T thinly sliced fresh basil
2 t balsamic vinegar
1 t sugar
2 medium cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and thinly sliced
1 t lemon juice
1/4 t salt
1/4 fresh ground black pepper (opt.)

Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl and toss gently to coat. Cover and chill for 1 hour. Combine cucumbers and juice and toss to coat. Add this and salt and pepper to strawberry mixture and stir to combine. Serve immediately. Yield: 4-6 servings.

Hot old recipes

So what do you do when it's too hot to turn on the oven, you don't have a microwave, it costs too much to go out to eat, and you don't have a grill, either?

What you do is snag a couple of broken chairs left by the former owner and set the crockpot on the patio. Make sure you're on good terms with your neighbors.

This week we've had:

Garlic chicken thighs. (Which turned out amazingly tasty for how plain they were. Maybe it was the thunderstorm that hit them.)

Huevos rancheros. (This worked really well, too. Put some canned tomatoes and green chiles out to get hot for an hour or so, then add as many eggs as you need and cook for another hour. Top with grated cheese.)

French fries with hamburgers on top. (This didn't work. Save the hamburgers for when you actually have a grill.)

Lentil-rice casserole, which then got chilled with a bunch of vegetables added for a salad for supper.

It's a little odd looking, but it's working well and my kitchen is staying cool.

Summer Squash Soup

It's kind of warm for soup, but since this is the season to grow/buy summer squash I thought it'd be worth a try. And if you don't want to eat it now, just freeze it for a cold winter night.

5 small yellow summer squash, diced (seeded optional)
2 green onions, cut into 3" pieces (or onion powder if you don't like onions)
2 TB butter or margarine
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 to 1/4 tsp white pepper (black works just as well)
1-1/2 cups whipping cream

In large saucepan, saute squash and onions in butter until tender. Stir in broth, salt and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Cool slightly. Process in batches in a blender or food processor; return all to the pan. Stir in cream and heat through.

Yield 6 servings.

Works for Me Wednesdays

I just discovered "Works for Me Wednesdays" on several blogs and now I'm addicted. Check it out and get some great tips on all sorts of household stuff!

Picture and a tip

I made the Pad Thai again last night so I thought I'd pass along a picture to go with the recipe. My own variation this time was chicken only and no bean sprouts.

Along the lines of Sara's post earlier asking about frozen meal ideas, I have this tip. I hate touching/cutting up raw meat so when we fixed Thai last time I had Nathan chop up enough chicken pieces for two meals and froze the second half of the meat. All I had to do last night was dump my ziploc bag of thawed chicken pieces into the pan, add the other ingredients and I was done. I loved how easy it made my cooking which means Nathan will probably be chopping lots of meat next time I go shopping. :-)

You could also do this for Chicken Fajitas. Freeze your chicken pieces with a dash of lime juice and some spices, with a second bag of frozen green peppers and onions. Dump it all in a skillet and saute until done. Serve in soft shells with taco toppings.

Stuffed French Toast

This is not a low-fat recipe but it is a yummy treat.

Stuffed French Toast

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 cup chopped pecans (you could use other nuts)

At least 14 slices of bread
1/2 cup butter, softened
3 cans of fruit, any kind, I used apricot, about 15 oz each, home
canned is fine, just no melon or grapes

8 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (I thought it would have been good with
almond or half vanilla and half almond, especially with the apricot, or
if you used cherries)

1/2 cup butter, melted

Open cans of fruit and drain in a strainer.

Heat butter, brown sugar and maple syrup in a microwave bowl for about
2 1/2 minutes, stir to completely melt butter and mix everything up.

Spray or butter a large pan (I should have used an 11 X 15, rather
than the 9 X 13 I did, but you can squish them tightly once they are
wet with the egg mixture). Pour the syrup in the bottom of the pan and
sprinkle with the chopped pecans.

Lay out the bread slices. Spread softened butter on one slice of
bread, top with well drained fruit (berries or pineapple can be
crushed). Spread butter on a second slice of bread and use it to cover
the bread with the fruit. Cut this sandwich in half and place it in
the pan on top of the syrup mixture. Make the rest of the bread into
sandwiches like this, cut them in half and put them in the pan. You
can crowd them, but don't overlap the bread.

Beat the eggs with the sugar, cream and vanilla. Mix thoroughly.
Pour this over the bread in the pan. Press down firmly on the bread
with a metal spatula. You want to soak all the bread.

Cover the pan with plastic wrap or foil and let it stand on the
counter for about 20 minutes (or you can put it in the fridge overnight
and bake in the morning). Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Take off any plastic or foil. Melt the third stick of butter, drizzle
it over the top of the sandwiches. Bake the french toast at 375
degrees, uncovered, for about 45 minutes, or until the top has browned.
Let pan cool on a wire rack for at least 5 minutes.

Pad Thai

Nathan randomly picked out this recipe for dinner on Saturday. Low and behold it was easy to make and very yummy! We made it with chicken and shrimp, but I want to try it chicken only and stir fry veggies only. I think any combination of meat and/or veggies would be tasty with the pasta and sauce.

PAD THAI

Serves 4 (or 2 very hungry people!)

INGREDIENTS:
• 1/2 pound uncooked linguine
• 3/4 cup tomato juice
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1/2 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into thin strips/bite size pieces
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 pound bean sprouts, rinsed and drained (optional)
• 1/3 cup sliced green onions and tops
• 1/2 pound cooked baby shrimp, rinsed and drained
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro
• Lime wedges (optional) (I added a dash of lime juice to the sauce instead)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Cook linguine according to package directions, omitting salt; drain.
2. Combine tomato juice, lite soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and cornstarch.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in hot wok or large skillet over high heat. Add chicken and stir-fry 1 minute; remove.
4. Heat remaining 2 Tbsp. oil in same pan. Add garlic, bean sprouts and green onions; stir-fry 1 minute.
5. Stir in linguine and cook 2 minutes, or until heated through. Return chicken with shrimp, cilantro and tomato juice mixture. Cook, stirring, until sauce boils and thickens.
6. Serve with lime wedges.

Freezable Recipes

In anticipation of The Bigness of Pregnancy In Summer, not to mention a third child, I'm realizing I'd do well to have meals already on hand. I don't know many freezer-recipes, though. You can eat only so much lasagna, after all.

I'd love some meal recipes, or even just freezable components ("Pasta freezes. Rice doesn't. Jello is a total loss.")

As a completely irrelevent side note, I tried Sarah's Irish Stew recipe. It was marvelous.

-- SJ

Help needed! Birthday menu ideas

OK, so it's DOB's birthday on Sunday, and I'm trying to come up with a birthday menu. He said for me just to come up with a new menu and a new dessert--or at least a new combination.

So I'm looking for something:
1) A little different
2) EASY--the ducklings don't know what a birthday means yet. ;-)
3) Must involve meat. We have gotten in touch with our inner carnivores and decided our metabolisms need meat.
4) Goes well with blueberry muffins, because that's the one thing I've thought of thus far.

Oh, and I have to decide by Wednesday morning, before I go grocery shopping. (Although if an emergency arises, we do live across the street from the grocery store right now.)

My New Favorite Sandwich

A month or so ago Nathan and I had to eat at the food court in the mall while out shopping. We ended up having these grilled sandwiches that were tasty enough that Nathan decided to recreate them the other night. They were very easy to make and yummy, too, so I thought I'd share.

The original sandwiches were thinly sliced raw meat grilled with cheese and kind of "mashed" by the spatula into pieces. We "cheated" and used the deli meat we had on hand. We also made ours with pita bread instead of french bread.

Slice any deli meat (turkey breast, chicken, ham, roast beef....) into small squares/pieces. Then "grill" the meat in a skillet until the edges are a little brown. Top with cheese and let it melt. Scoop into a pita pocket.

Nathan fixed me a turkey and cheddar cheese pita with dill pickle, but I'm sure you could use any combination of meat, cheese and veggies to make a very tasty sandwich.

Apple Crumb Coffee Cake

This dish has quickly risen to prominence in our home since its discovery two months ago, inspired by some marked-down apples that had to be used up immediately. It's quick to whip up, keeps for several days, uses fairly basic and cheap ingredients (at least in my stripped-down version), is pretty nutritious, and makes a simple, easy, yet filling breakfast food.

Apple Crumb Coffee Cake

1 Tbl. dry bread crumbs
2 cups flour (I used half whole wheat and half white until I realised that the cinnamon and apples are going to turn it brown anyway)
1 cup plus 2 Tbl. sugar (I just use one cup)
1 tsp. salt
10 Tbl. (1 1/4 sticks) butter, softened (I use half of this, or maybe 1 stick, depending on how much I have out on the butter dish. I use less butter not only because it's healthier but also cheaper, since I always use real butter in baking. Maybe the texture or taste would be better with more butter, but since I've never tried it, I don't know what I'm missing!)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup buttermilk or low-fat (not nonfat) plain yogurt, room temperature (I make my own buttermilk using the following formula: 1 Tbl. vinegar plus enough milk to make one cup = one cup of buttermilk)
1 large egg, room temperature (but I usually use a medium egg because that's what I have on hand)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 medium-large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped (I've used one sometimes)
3/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped (I never use this much)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar

-Preheat oven to 350. Butter a 9x13 pan and shake breadcrumbs over to coat. Tap out extra crumbs.
-Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in large mixing bowl. Add butter and cut in with pastry knife until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; remove 1 cup to separate bowl and reserve.
-Whisk baking powder, soda, and cinnamon into flour mixture in bowl. Add buttermilk or yogurt, egg, and vanilla; whisk until smooth and frostinglike, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
-Stir in apples.
-Pour into pan and smooth top.
-Add nuts and brown sugar to reserved cup of flour mixture. Stir until blended and spread over cake batter, pressing lightly so it adheres.
-Bake cake until center is firm and cake tester comes out clean, 50 to 55 minutes.
-Enjoy!

Some Breadish Things

Argentine Cornbread

"Hey Dad, get a picture of me next to this cornbread in authentic Argentinian garb!"

This was tried for a missions potluck, but it was good enough to warrant repeating under more ordinary circumstances.

3 T. olive oil
3 onions, chopped
3 tomatoes, chopped
3/4 c. beef or chicken broth
1 t. salt
1/2 t. crushed dried chili pepper

Preheat oven to 350. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add the onions and saute 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the tomatoes and saute 10 minutes more while stirring. Add the broth, salt and chili pepper. Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Sift together:
2 cups cornmeal
1 t. baking powder
Add:
1/2 lb. cottage cheese
3 T. butter
Mix well. Add 1 1/2 c. milk, and beat thoroughly. Combine with tomato mixture. Pour into a buttered 8-inch square pan. Bake for 1 hour.

Herb-Cheese Biscuits
I have finally perfected my reasonably-healthy biscuit technique. (The secret is to use a liquid fat and stir everything together at once.) This variation was particularly nummy.

Mix together 1/3 c. vinegar and 1 c. milk. Allow to stand for a minute, then stir in 2 c. whole wheat flour. Let stand for several hours.

Blend 2 c. white flour, 2 t. salt, and 1 1/2 t. baking soda. Add the flour-milk mixture, 2/3 c. olive oil, 1 t. basil, and 1/2 c. or so of finely shredded cheese. (I used monterey jack/cheddar mix, as that was what needed to be used up.) Mix together, then dump it out and knead it just until the flour is well mixed in. Pat out and cut into desired shapes.

Bake at 350 for about 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned. (I'm not too sure on the temperature and time. Keep an eye on them.)

This will make you GLAD for a rainy day ...

Alright, people, if you like hot chocolate you have to try this one! It's been rainy and cold here in Sacramento lately and I've actually been glad because it's given me a good excuse to make this recipe. Sometimes I like to add more espresso to make a truly amazing mocha. You can also play with it by adding peppermit or other extracts in lieu of the vanilla.

Barefoot Contessa’s Hot Chocolate

2 1/2 cups whole milk
2 cups half-and-half
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon instant espresso or coffee powder

Heat the milk and half-and-half in a saucepan on medium heat to just below the simmering point. Remove the pan from the heat and add both chocolates. When the chocolates are melted, add the sugar, vanilla extract, and espresso and whisk vigorously. Reheat gently and serve immediately. Use a vanilla bean or cinnamon stick to garnish each serving.

Stuffed Pasta Tip

Tonight I made cheese manicotti. (recipe later) It was a breeze thanks to putting the filling in a large zip loc bag, cutting off one corner and viola! An easy way to squeeze filling into the tubes. I think this idea would probably work well for just about any recipe that calls for stuffing/filling pasta.

Cheesecake

Cheesecake


.....And with cherries on top

For as long as I can remember this has been my mom's company dessert. (She got the recipe from her mom, Carol) She always made it with blueberries on top. Mmmm! I can still remember crushing graham crackers when I was little and graduating to baking the whole thing. Now I'm married to someone who loves cherries so we do cherries. Which by the way, the particular cheesecake pictured was for his birthday. Enjoy!

Filling Ingredients:

8oz. cream cheese

1/2 c. sugar

2 eggs beaten

Crust Ingredients:

1/4 lb. butter, melted

1/4 lb. graham crackers, crushed

1/4 c. sugar

Topping:

Any canned or fresh fruit topping.

Blend filling ingredients until smooth.

Mix crust ingredients in separate bowl. Press mixture evenly into pie plate.

Pour filling into crust.

Bake at 325 for 25 min. Or until slightly browned on top and filling is set.

Cool and top with your choice of fruit or other topping. Best when served chilled through.

Tagged by the Queen

1. How many meals does most of your family eat at home each week? How many are in your family?
19 meals. Two of us eat 19 meals at home; one of us eats leftover lunches at work about 4 days a week and either out or at home for one other day. Sundays we usually only have two official meals and lunch is fellowship snacks at church. Saturday is usually the same with the option to grab leftovers from the fridge if you're hungry. Breakfast is hit or miss for M & me, but Ben's favorite meal. Often I just eat his leftovers.

2. How many cookbooks do you own?
I have about three cookbooks, a couple of gift collections of recipes from friends and bunch of Cooking Light magazines.

3. How often do you refer to a cookbook each week?
Rarely. But I look at magazine recipes (or online) pretty frequently.

4. Do you collect recipes from other sources? If so, what are some of your favorite sources (relaties, friends, magazines, advertisements, packages, the internet, etc)
See above.

5. How do you store those recipes?
I have a box and a photo album and an index card binder and I keep the magazine if it is has a lot I'm going to want to refer to.

6. When you cook, do you follow the recipe pretty closely, or do you use recipes primarily to give you ideas?
I substitute a lot of ingredients and occasionally do improvisation.

7. Is there a particular ethnic style or flavor that predominates in your cooking? If so, what is it?
Just one! Italian, Thai, Indian and Mexican.

8. What's your favorite kitchen task related to meal planning and preparation? (eating the finished product does not count)
I actually like the planning best. It makes me feel very worthy of the title "homemaker" when I'm putting together meal ideas.

9. What's your least favorite part?
Chopping onions.

10. Do you plan menus before you shop?
Yes, except about once a month when I get behind on planning and we fall apart for a few days.

11. What are your three favorite kitchen tools or appliances?
Rice cooker/vegetable steamer, coffee/seed grinder, coffee maker? (I would see blender but mine is no good.)

12. If you could buy one new thing for your kitchen, money was no object, and space not an issue, what would you most like to have? There are too many to choose; a complete set of Caphalon would be nice, or a complete set of Cutco knives. But a new kitchen would be best of all.

13. Since money and space probably are objects, what are you most likely to buy next?
A dutch oven, probably 4 or 5 qt

14. Do you have a separate freezer for storage?
Hah! Wouldn't that be nice?

15. Grocery shop alone or with others?
I like to do my big shopping alone, but if I just have a few items, we make it a family outing.

16. How many meatless main dish meals do you fix in a week??
Probably 5. Though I make a lot of things that can be made with or without meat, so I can eat too.

17. If you have a decorating theme in your kitchen, what is it? Favorite kitchen colors?
Decorating theme? Hmmm....

18. What's the first thing you ever learned to cook, and how old were you?
I made a pie when I was probably 7 or 8, but no one would eat it because my mom thought it had weird ingredients. I ate it all. It was very good.

19. How did you learn to cook?
My mom taught me a little but I'm mainly self-taught with a good dose of Dana R for teaching me creativity, smaller portions, healthy yummy gourmet stuff.

A handy little method I periodically rediscover: instead of adding more salt, use a little lemon juice to brighten up the flavor. Works especially well on chicken, pasta, or potatoes.

-- SJ

What Do You Keep On Hand?

I have the challenge of a small kitchen but recently realized that I had to keep a larger stash of certain staples on hand for convenience and economy's sake. A few of mine are:

Onions
Garlic
Olive Oil
Whole wheat flour
Bananas
Rice
Pasta
Organic black beans (Ben's favorite)

What are yours?

Chicken Paprikash

Once again, the vegetarian is posting something she won't eat. But it is a favorite of my husband and quick and easy.

8-oz pkg medium egg noodles
2 t vegetable (or olive) oil
1 C sour cream (reduced fat works really well)
2 T paprika, divided
1/2 t salt, divided
1/4 t black pepper
1 C vertically sliced onion
1 lb chicken tenders cut into 1/4 inch wide strips (turkey works too)
1/2 C chicken broth (go for the low-sodium fat-free)

Cook the noodles according to the pkg directions omitting salt and fat.

Combine sour cream, 1 Tablespoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper in a bowl; set aside.

Heat oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Combine 1 Tablespoon paprika, 1/4 teaspoon salt, onion, and chicken, tossing to coat. Add mixture to the pan; saute 4 minutes or until chicken is done. Add broth; cook 2 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Add sour cream mixture; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly until thoroughly heated. Serve over noodles. Makes 3-4 servings.

Irish Beef Stew

Serves 4-6 people

Ingredients:

2lbs. stewing beef, cubed
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
2 10 3/4-oz. cans tomato soup
1 soup can water
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 cups diced carrots
2 cups diced potatoes
1-lb package frozen peas
1/4 cup water

1. Place beef, onion soup, tomato soup, soup can of water, salt, pepper, carrots, and potatoes in slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on Low 8 hours.

3. Add peas and 1/4 cup water. Cover. Cook on Low 1 more hour.

**I found a bag of frozen peas and carrots in my freezer so I used this instead of the carrots AND the bag of peas.

*** I cut this recipe in half so I wouldn't have too much. It fed the two of us for dinner with one set of leftovers, so for those of you who want more keep it as it is or double it.

This is a FAST prep recipe and is soooo delicious!

Easy breakfast casserole

I found this recipe recently and have already made it four times. I halved it for our breakfasts, doubled it to serve my family, and even brought it to a baby shower (so it makes the transition from elegant to hearty!) It's easy to make, tastes great, and consists of fairly cheap ingredients. There, that's my pep talk.

Easy Breakfast Casserole

Six bread slices (I use leftover heels from the freezer)
1 lb. sausage (I use a lot less, especially if it's spicy; I also use just a smidgen of sausage, which is expensive, and mostly ground turkey)
1 cup cheese (I use less)
Six eggs
2 cups milk
Salt
Pepper

Rip up the bread slices and place in the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Fry the sausage and sprinkle over the bread; sprinkle the cheese over this. (Note: at this point you could cover the dish and store it in the fridge overnight, if you wanted to save time the next morning.) Beat the eggs and milk; add salt and pepper and pour over the sausage mixture. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Best when hot and fresh!

Easy Stuffed Shells

The other night we had company for dinner and I wanted a tasty, but not ordinary meal. I settled upon Stuffed Shells. There are dozens of recipes out there varying from meatless stuffed shells, veggie stuffed shells or meat/sausage stuffed shells. I found one that sounded good on AllRecipes.com and it turned out very delicious!

-------------
Stuffed Shells III

Jumbo pasta shells stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan, smothered in a mushroom tomato sauce and baked.

Prep Time: 30 Minutes
Cook Time: 1 Hour
Ready In: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
Yields: 10 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1 (12 ounce) package jumbo pasta shells
2 eggs, beaten
1 (32 ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 pound shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
8 ounces grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (28 ounce) jar pasta sauce
8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. In a large bowl, mix eggs, ricotta, half the mozzarella, half the Parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper until well combined.
4. Stuff cooked shells with ricotta mixture and place in a 9x13 inch baking dish.
5. In a medium bowl, stir together pasta sauce, mushrooms and reserved mozzarella and Parmesan. Pour over stuffed shells.
6. Bake in preheated oven 45 to 60 minutes, until edges are bubbly and shells are slightly set.

*You could also add spinach if you were looking for something more than cheese, or for the meat eaters try Italian sausage or ground beef in with the tomato sauce. Mushrooms add great taste, but can be omitted for those with allergies.

**I read in a magazine that you can cut prep time by pre-stuffing uncooked noodles and letting them sit over night. This was recommended for Manicotti. I tried this with my stuffed shells, it worked for the most part, however some of the shells weren't open at all, unless cooked, so I couldn't stuff about 4 from the box. It was ok, there was still plenty to go around for dinner and leftovers.

I started by putting a little tomato sauce on the bottom of the pan then laying the stuffed uncooked shells on top and topping with the tomato-mushroom mixture. Next, I added a little bit of water before cooking and baked with a foil cover for 45-50 minutes. The last 10-15 minutes I cooked without the foil cover. They turned out PERFECT!

***You can click on the above link to go to the AllRecipes.com site where this recipe is located. There you can email it or print it as a full page or partial page recipe card.

DOB offers a recipe

DOB: Sometime you should make French Onion Soup.

QOC: I don't know how. But I will try to learn sometime.

DOB: It's easy. You just take some soup, and put in onions. And then you add the French seasoning.

QOC: Aah, I see.

Cranberries Anyone?

For our client Christmas party the centerpieces were large glass bowls with floating cranberries and roses. By now you probably get where this post is going. ;-) I ended up with two large boxes of fresh cranberries. And no ideas for what to do with them. For the time being they are frozen....in hopes that I will find something to use them in. Suggestions?

Chicken That's Special

Alison S. asked me about a chicken and rice dish and I immediately thought of this family favorite, so I thought it might be a good idea to post it here in case the rest of you are interested. I'm not sure where the recipe came from, but my mom's been making it for years. It's delicious!

Chicken That's Special

Ingredients:
1) 3-4 chicken breasts
2) 1 can of cream of chicken soup
3) 1/2 cup mayonnaise
4) 1 tsp lemon juice
5) 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
6) 1 Tbs Margarine or butter
7) 1/2 grated cheese

Mix ingredients 2-4 and pour over ingredient chicken. Combine margarine/butter with crumbs and brown. Sprinkle top of chicken dish with cheese and top with browned crumbs.

Bake 30 min at 350ºF.

Serve over cooked rice.

SPICED PUMPKIN LOAVES WITH WHIPPED CREAM

From my friend Amy

4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups canned solid pack pumpkin
2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cups raisins
1 cup chopped pecans
Lightly sweetened whipped cream

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly oil two 9 1/4 x 5 1/4 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pans. Dust pans with flour. Sift first 6 ingredients into large bowl. Using electric mixer, beat pumpkin and next 4 ingredients in another large bowl to blend. Beat in dry ingredients just until blended. Stir in raisins and pecans. Transfer batter to prepared loaf pans.
Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, covering breads loosely with foil if browning too quickly, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Transfer pans to rack. Cool 15 minutes. Remove breads from pans. Cool slightly. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cool completely. Wrap in foil. Store at room temperature. Before continuing, rewarm in 350°F oven 15 minutes.)
Serve breads warm with cream. Makes 2 loaves.

Cheesy Broccoli Potatoes

It's been awhile, and anything I cook these days is in the easy-to-fix-in-a-few-minutes-with-the-assistance-of-a-toddler line. But this got such rave reviews I thought it was worth posting.

Scrub and bake 4-8 potatoes, depending on how big they are. (This is the toddler part. Dirt and water!)

When they're almost done, make a white sauce with:
2 T. butter
2 t. chopped garlic (Saute for a few minutes, then add):
2 T flour
2 c. of milk

Rinse the ice off a 1-lb package of frozen broccoli, and chop it a little smaller if needed. Toss into the skillet with the white sauce and 2-3 cups grated cheddar cheese. Cook just until the cheese melts. (The broccoli should still be bright green and crunchy.)

Serve sauce over the potatoes. Serves 4-6 or thereabouts.

Tuscan Chicken and Beans

This is a great fast, simple recipe. I found it in a cookbook and it is a favorite of Ben's.

1 lb chicken, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 t dried rosemary or 2 t fresh, chopped rosemary
1/4 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1 C chicken broth
1 16-oz white beans (cannellini or other), rinsed
2 T sun-dried tomatoes (optional but they add a lot of flavor)

Coat non-stick skillet; place over medium heat until hot. Add chicken, sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add broth, beans, and tomato sprinkles; bring to boil. Reduce heat, simmer 8 minutes.

Creamy Tomato-Balsamic Soup

This is mostly from Cooking Light (Oct 2005) but I made a few substitutions when I made it and it turned out wonderful. It has a rich creamy almost-smoky flavor.

1 C vegetable or beef broth, divided
1 T brown sugar
3 T balsamic vinegar
1 T soy sauce
1 C coarsely chopped onion
5 garlic cloves
2 28-oz cans whole tomatoes, drained
Cooking spray
3/4 C half-and-half
Freshly ground pepper (optional)

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Combine 1/2 C broth, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce in a small bowl. Coat a 13 X 9-inch baking with cooking spray and place onion, garlic, and tomatoes in it. Pour broth mixture over the top. Bake at 500 for 45 minutes or until vegetables are lightly browned. Cool for about 10 minutes.
Place tomato mixture in blender and add remaining broth and half-and-half. Process until smooth. Garnish with pepper. Serves: about 4.

Ideas Please!

I realize this isn't really a cooking post, but it is along the lines of home organization so I thought I'd ask all you "Marthas" out there for your help.

I've been working on cleaning out the second bedroom of our house where all our "stuff" seems to get stuffed. I've been going through boxes of stuff that I packed up while I still lived with my parents. Yeah, I'm that bad. :-P Anyway, I've run across a lot of my papers, etc. from high school, college, HSLDA, and so on. Does anyone have any ideas for the best way to store this kind of stuff? I don't really want to shove it all in a box and have it fall apart or get smashed any further than it already is, but I also don't want to take the time and effort to put it all in scrapbooks for now. Help!

Free Cooking Magazine

If anyone is interested, Kraft Foods has a free food magazine, Food & Family, they mail out 5 times a year. (I just got the recent issue in the mail last week, hence this post.) You can sign up online here.

Most of the recipes are along the "quick and easy meals" vein. (i.e. lots of pasta) I wouldn't necessarily put it in the healthy foods category, but most of the meals could be adapted to your eating style. And, the pictures are great for inspiration.....Especially if you are hungry while browsing. (As I was! :-) )

Lunches that Travel

Hey, Marthas, rally 'round. We're planning a weekend trip, mostly because Darren has been traveling a lot lately and, since he can't be at home with us, we'll just join him on the road.

Here's what I need: to cut down on food costs, I want to pack breakfast/snack/lunch stuff to take with us. Lunch especially. Sandwiches are okay, but I'm looking for something a little more filling. And we can't be sure we'll be near a microwave, so I can't necessarily heat anything up. Any suggestions?

Also, I need your suggestions pretty quickly, since due to my usual forethought and planning, I didn't think of this until today. Thanks in advance for any help, and fie on you if there isn't any. That's all.

-- SJ

Does anyone have...

a recipe for haystacks?

At least, I think that's what they are called. I'm referring to those chow mein noodle things, usually butterscotch, sometimes chocolate. At worst, I can just melt some butterscotch chips and dump chow mein noodles in, but I'm sure there's more to it than that.

Any help would be much appreciated!

Enchiladas

Last night I was at the grocery store trying to figure out what to get for dinner (our fridge and cabinets are VERY empty right now) when suddenly I was inspired by the mexican food aisle to make enchiladas. After all our traveling and fast food lately, Nathan was very happy to actually eat a hot, home made meal. :-)

For those of you who like to wing it in the kitchen, here is the way I fix my enchiladas. (As learned from my sister in law) Adapt to your taste and spice level. This makes 6 large enchiladas last night in a 9x13 pan.

In a large skillet (enough to hold all the filling) brown 1lb. ground beef. Drain. Add 1 can refried beans and some salsa (about 1 c.) to taste. Mix well.

Lightly grease 9x13 pan. Pour some enchilada sauce over bottom of pan. I use the El Paso brand canned sauce.

On the side assemble your enchiladas as follows in the large flour shells: Meat & Bean mixture, a few diced fresh tomatoes, light sprinkle of cheddar cheese. Roll and place folded side down in pan. Repeat until pan is full.

Pour remaining enchilada sauce over top. I used 2 cans total for one pan. Sprinkle diced tomatoes, cheddar cheese and black olives over top as desired. Bake in oven at 350 until hot and cheese is melted. (About 20+ minutes.)

Spaghettini

Hey Marthas - It's been forever, I know. Here's a good one for either a main meal (I added grilled chicken, for Kev 'cuz he likes/needs protein in his meal) or a side dish (recently I used it for company and it was a great nontraditional side). I know it's more of a "spring" dish than a "fall" dish but since we enjoyed it - and it was easy - I thought I'd share it. Happy cooking!

Spaghettini with Lemon Zest and Chives

1 pound spaghettini or thin spaghetti
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 stick butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup ricotta salata cheese or Parmesan, coarsely grated
2 tablespoons fresh chives or scallion greens, thinly chopped
Salt and pepper

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook 1 pound of spaghettini, or thin spaghetti, until al dente according to package instructions.

2. Grate the zest of 1 lemon into a large pasta bowl. Juice the lemon, and add juice to the bowl. Stir in 1 stick butter, cut into small pieces, and 1 cup coarsely grated ricotta salata cheese or Parmesan.

3. Add drained pasta to lemon sauce, and sprinkle in 2 tablespoons thinly chopped fresh chives or scallion greens. Season with salt and pepper. Toss well, and serve.

Supper in a hurry

This is a wonderful recipe I just discovered in Mrs. Garvis' excellent little booklet on saving time and money. It takes literally ten minutes from start to finish - prep time included - if you have the meat thawed out, is so easy to fix, tastes delicious, and is very cheap if you get the ramen and cans on sale. I've made it twice in the last week and a half, and it has now replaced spaghetti at the top of my list for emergency I-can't-think-what-to-make-for-dinner days.

Skillet Dinner
1 lb. ground beef (or ground chicken or turkey) [Note: you don't actually need a full lb. I use whatever quantity I have on hand]
1 can corn, undrained
1 can stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 ramen package

Brown ground beef on stovetop. Drain grease; add vegetables, undrained (the liquid will cook the ramen noodles), and add the packet of seasoning from the ramen package. Stir in ramen noodles and stir until cooked, 2-4 minutes. Makes 3-4 servings.

When the cooking is over

And you have that big, nasty pan to scrub--especially if you've been frying or roasting meat--try this tip I just learned from my new stepmother. Soak the whole nasty thing overnight in dishwasher detergent (the powder that goes in the dishwasher) and water and it all will wipe right off in the morning. I tried it once on a hamburger frying pan and once on a roasting chicken pan, and it worked like a dream both times.

Funny, I didn't expect a retired career Army officer to be a great source for household tips, but I guess they get meat stuck on the pan even in the Army. :-)

Nice and Easy

Last night I fixed a tasty little dinner of grilled cheese, soup and freshly sliced strawberries. (I'm proud of myself, can you tell?) At Nathan's request the grilled cheese had a twist to it: thinly sliced apples inside with the cheese. I was skeptical at first, but this variation is actually quite tasty.

Another easy meal I fix often is Pita Pizzas. I use whole wheat pitas for my crusts. Top with sauce, mozzarella and your choice of toppings, then bake at 425 until the cheese is melted and golden. Very quick, healthy meal with a salad and great cold for lunch the next day.

Any other suggestions out there for easy meals? Oh, and cheap ones, too. ;-)

Roasted Green Beans

In my continual quest to find vegetables that we'll eat, I came across this recipe:

Toss fresh green beans with olive oil and some salt and roast in a 400-degree oven for 20-30-ish minutes until they're tender and slightly brown in places.

Make up a dressing along the lines of:

Vinegar
Oil
Sugar
Dill
Black pepper

Remove the beans from the oven, coat with dressing, and yummy! This is a "simple" one, Rachelle -- not a lot of ingredients. You may could try it with Ben. Our kids at least don't despise them.

-- SJ

Summer Quesadillas

I recently did this to make a dinner out of peaches and they were a hit.

Slice peaches and add some chives and a TINY bit of brown of sugar. Add this and feta or goat cheese to tortillas and let them heat in a pan or the oven for a few minutes. They are great with a sauce of honey, lime juice, and a little lime rind peel (lemon or orange works fine too).

What chicken can do for you

There were lots of adjectives that would have done for the title (cheap, cheery, etc.) but I dismissed them all as too cheesy (ha ha!); however, chicken is a wonderful dish and forms the building block for many a meal. So here's the overview for all the mileage I can get out of your average fryer chicken, bought in bulk on sale at $0.49/lb. and frozen for future use:

Roast Chicken
By far the simplest, cheapest, and one of Michael's favourite meals:

1 whole fryer chicken
Several cups water
Salt
Pepper

Pour water over chicken in roasting pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper and cover; cook at 350 for 2-3 hours, at which point meat should be juicy and tender. I drain the broth (of which I have a lot because of all that added water) and make a quick and simple Stovetop Gravy:

Chicken broth
1-2 Tbl. cold water
1 Tbl. white flour
Milk (optional)

Stir broth in saucepan on medium heat. Shake up flour and water in airtight Tupperware; stir in gradually to broth; add milk if desired. If there are lumps, whisk vigourously. This makes a lot of gravy so I always save the leftovers for future recipes.

I always serve at least two sides with roast chicken: mashed potatoes (I assume you all have a recipe for this) and either open a can of creamed corn or make Candied Carrots:

Several carrots, sliced
Butter (like 1 Tbl., depending on how many carrots)
Brown sugar (ditto)

Boil carrots in a saucepan until tender. Drain. Add butter and brown sugar; stir and serve.

There are always lots of leftovers with just the two of us. Cooking up two chickens works great for company (and, I assume, a small but growing family). The best method of dealing with a leftover chicken carcass is to have your husband de-bone it while you read a book aloud to him. Let's assume you have all the leftover chicken meat tidily stored away in Tupperware. At this point I have several option for yummy follow-up meals:

Chicken Casserole
Cornbread crumbs (8x8 pan's worth - I usually bake a cornbread with the chicken just because I like to be efficient with my oven)
1 medium onion, chopped
Sage
Poultry seasoning (optional)
Salt
Pepper
Chopped chicken
1-3 cups chicken broth (leftover gravy)

Crumble cornbread into bottom of casserole dish; stir in chopped onions, sage, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle chicken over this; pour chicken gravy over the top. You can water it down with milk to stretch it, because it will usually thicken in the oven. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. (Not less, as the onions will be crunchy otherwise.)

Hearty Chicken and Rice Stew
Chicken broth (leftover gravy)
1 medium onion, chopped
1-3 carrots, chopped
Parsley
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme
1 bay leaf
Chopped chicken
2 cups cooked barley
1 Tbl. lime juice

Stir gravy in saucepan over medium heat until warmed up. Add onion and carrots and spices, and simmer until tender. Add chicken and barley; simmer for a few minutes to allow the flavours to absorb but not too long or the barley will get soggy. Add lime juice right before serving. The quantities are approximate, but this always does for at least two meals.

California Chicken Enchiladas
10 flour tortillas
Chopped chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup (cream of mushroom works, too)
1 can chopped green chilis
8 oz. sour cream
1 cup shredded cheese

Mix soup, chilis, sour cream, and most of the cheese. Save 1/2 cup; dice chicken and stir in to main mixture. Scoop mixture into tortillas, fold up, and place in 9x13 pan. Spoon leftover mixture over the top with the rest of the cheese. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. (Not quite so cheap, I'm afraid, unless you get the cans on sale; but SO good!)

Moroccan Chicken and Lentils

If any of you have any simple recipes, please post. I am looking for things I can cook for Ben and the less ingredients, the greater chance that he isn't allergic to something in it. Here is a good one that is so easy and was a big hit with Ben and his dad:

1 Cup baby carrots (or chopped carrots)
1 & 1/2 C lentils, uncooked
1 & 1/2 lb frozen chicken
2 T minced garlic
3/4 t salt
3/4 t tumeric
1/2 t red pepper flakes or ground red pepper
1/2 t ground cinnamon
2 cans (14 oz) broth (chicken is recommended)

Place all ingredients in a slow cooker. Cover and cook on high setting for 5 hours. Or cover and cook on high for an hour and then switch to low setting for 7 hours. Makes 4-6 servings.

The Big Dipper

Lately I've begun serving a plate of raw vegetables and dip along with meals, in yet another attempt to get us to eat our veggies. I've come up with two or three different dips, but would love more suggestions -- especially ones lower in fat. I know, I know, we should be eating the vegetables without dip, or at most a light drizzle of low-fat vinagrette, blah blah blah. Any progress is good, in my opinion.

-- SJ

Vegetarian Cashew Chili

This can be used on a campout fairly easily. I have made it at home but made it on our recent church campout.

3 C chopped onion
2 & 1/2 C chopped red bell pepper
1 & 1/2 C chopped celery
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 C red wine vinegar
1 T molasses
1 & 1/2 t dried basil
1 & 1/2 t dried oregano
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t salt
1/2 t chili powder
1/2 t black pepper
1/8 t bay leaves (or 1 whole bay leaf)
2 T olive oil
2-15.5 oz cans red kidney beans, undrained
1-28 oz can diced or stewed tomatoes, undrained
1-15 oz can pinto beans, undrained
2/3 C cashews, coarsely chopped

Place first four ingredients together (in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag if camping). Combine the next 9 ingredients (vinegar through bay leaves) separately. (Also in a zip bag if camping.)
(At campsite): Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic; saute 8 minutes or until tender. Add vinegar mixture, beans and tomatoes; cook 20 minutes, stirring often. Stir in cashews. Serve. Yield: 7 large servings.

Two Random Tips

Fresh Pineapple: I did not realize, until someone told me, that everybody else hurts their mouth eating fresh pineapple, too. I thought it was some peculiar biochemical reaction of my own, but worth the payoff in fresh pineapple. But, according to my informer, if you put salt on the pineapple, it won't burn. I haven't tested this yet, as there haven't been any sales on fresh pineapple around here lately. But I pass it on for what it's worth.

Whole wheat baked goods: I actually prefer whole wheat for flavor as well as nutrition, but I admit the frequently crumbly-sawdust texture of quick breads made with whole wheat doesn't do much for me. Then I heard that if you mix up the flour and the sour milk part of the recipe several hours in advance (the blender was recommended), the product will turn out much more tender and fluffy. I've tried it so far on waffles and banana bread (banana bread batter was too thick for a blender, I may have to use my Kitchenaid instead), and the results were outstanding. Except for the extra-hearty flavor, you could hardly tell it was whole wheat.

Next I'm going to try it on biscuits. I don't have much hope, since whole wheat biscuits are so very, very far from their white flour equivalents, but the results so far have been so good it's worth a shot.

Apparently it has to be a sour milk type of product (buttermilk, yogurt, milk with vinegar), so if your recipe calls for regular milk and baking powder you'll have to adapt it.

My Company Dinner

Nathan randomly picked this recipe out of one of my cookbooks while helping me create a menu. Ever since it has been our "company meal" and always been a hit. Now that we have a gas grill again (Nathan's $30 garage sale bargain.....almost in new condition), I'm planning on serving it more often.

Hawaiian Chicken Kabobs

1 can (20 oz.) unsweetened pineapple chunks
2 large green peppers, cut into 1" pieces
1 large onion, quartered (optional)
12-16 mushrooms (I don't like cooked mushrooms, so I skip these)
16-18 cherry tomatoes
1 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. olive oil
2 T. brown sugar
4 t. ground ginger
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. dry mustard
1/2 t. pepper
2-3 lbs. boneless, chicken breast fillets, cut in small pieces

Drain pineapple, reserving the juice. Place pineapple pieces and vegetables in large bowl and set aside. In a saucepan combine reserved pineapple juice with soy sauce, olive oil, brown sugar, and seasonings; bring to a boil. (WARNING: this will boil over VERY quickly, use a large pot with plenty of room) Reduce heat and simmer for 5 min. Pour half of mixture over vegetables and half over chicken pieces in another bowl. Marinate at least an hour, but the longer the better, stirring occasionally. May be put on skewers or grilled in a grill basket, basting with left over marinade. Grill until thoroughly cooked. Serve over rice if desired

Savory Beef

This is an excellent crock pot recipe. You can, and its even recommended that you do, use a very tough (i.e. cheap) cut of meat. I've never had it turn out less than fall apart tender. Serve over rice, noodles, or I've served it the next day as a sandwich with bbq sauce.

Savory Beef

Serves 8

Heat in heavy skillet or Duch oven:
2 T. oil

Add and quick-fry until brown:
2 lbs. lean beef, cut into 1-1/2" squares (may use very tough meat)

Add and quick-fry in a few minutes:
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Add:
1/2 c. soy sauce
2 T. brown sugar
1/8 t. pepper
3 c. water

Bring to a boil. Transfer to crock pot and simmer for an afternoon or whole day. (The longer, the better.) Optional: prepare the night before and transfer to crockpot. Store overnight in the fridge. Then simmer in crock pot all the next day.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Years ago we used to get these muffins as a treat at the local health food store's bakery. My mom begged and pleaded for several years before they relented and gave her the recipe. We've enjoyed them ever since. :-) Don't ask me why they are considered "healthfood" because I think they have more sugar than any other muffins I've ever made. But, every once in a while you just have to overlook the sugar content and enjoy a treat.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins

Makes 12

Wet:
2 beaten eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. pumpkin
1/2 c. oil

Dry:
3-1/2 c. unbleached white flour
1-1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. soda
1/2 t. coriander

Filling:
2 softened cream cheese blocks
2 eggs
1/4 c. sugar

Mix filling in food processor until smooth. Filling works best when refrigerated overnight or until completely chilled.

1) Combine wet ingredients first so sugar can dissolve for a while.
2) Combine dry ingredients.
3) When wet ingredients beat smooth, fold dry ingredients into wet ones.
4) In oiled or paper lined muffin tins, put about a T. of batter into each cup.
5) Make a "well" in each cup by swirling the batter around with the back of the spoon.
6) Fill each "well" with about a T. sized dollop of cream cheese filling.
7) Place another spoonful of batter on top of the filling. Smooth the top and "seal" it so the filling won't seep out.
8) Top with a little finger smear of filling.
9) Bake at 350 for 25 min, rotating between racks after 13 min. (I don't remember for sure, but I highly doubt I ever did the rotating thing.) Filling smear on top will be lightly browned when the insides of the muffins are done.

Black and White Bean Soup

I haven't tried this recipe yet, although it is on the menu for later this week so stay tuned....However, I mentioned it to Sarah because of the creative way it is served. It looked like a great company conversation starter. Not to mention that beans are cheap and healthy, too! So since she really wanted me to post this recipe, here it is. :-) Enjoy!

Black and White Bean Soup

Makes 4 Servings

3/4 c. dried black beans
3/4 c. dried great Northern beans
2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small poblano chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped (my cookbook recommends wearing gloves for this....)
1 small rib celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1-1/2 t. chopped fresh thyme leaves
8 c. chicken broth
1 t. chili powder
1 t. groun cumin
1 t. chopped fresh sage
Roasted-Pepper Cream (recipe listed below)
Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Place black beans and great Northern beans in two separate large bowls, cover with cold water, and soak overnight in the fridge.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, chile pepper, celery, garlic, and thyme and cook for 8 min, or until the vegetables are tender. Remove half of the vegetables to another large pot.

Drain the beans. To the first pot, add the black beans, 4 c. of broth, the chili powder and the cumin. To the second pot, add the great Northern beans, the remaining 4 c. broth, and the sage. Heat both pots to boiling and cover. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer the black bean pot for 1.5 hours and the white bean pot for 1 hr. Keep both warm over low heat.

To serve, ladle 1 c. black bean soup into each of 4 serving bowls. Tilt the bowls and ladle 1 c. white bean soup into the other side of each bowl. Drizzle with the Roasted-Pepper Cream and garnish with the cilantro leaves.

Roasted-Pepper Cream

Makes about 1 cup

1 jar (7 oz.) roasted red peppers, drained
2 T. fat-free sour cream
1 t. apple cider vinegar
salt
groun black pepper

In a blender or food processor, combine the peppers, sour cream, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chicken-Black Bean Salad

This is one of the few salads I've ever had in a restaurant that was tasty enough and cheap enough to make a regular staple at home. It's my favorite summer dinner and is easy enough to make even during the first trimester!

2 c. chopped cooked chicken. (If it was cooked with taco seasonings to begin with, all the better. If not, you might want to mix up extra dressing and marinate it for a few hours.)
1 head shredded leaf or Romaine lettuce
1 can black beans, drained
1-2 cups frozen corn, rinsed (you could used canned, but I like the frozen texture better.)
8 medium (Roma) tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c. fresh cilantro leaves
Any other veggies that sound good; cucumber and cauliflower would be tasty.

Dressing:
2 T apple cider vinegar
2 T olive oil
1 t. granulated garlic
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. thyme
1 t. chili powder

I like to have an equal mix of salsa and plain yogurt to serve with it, either to go on the salad or for chips. It feeds the two of us with a little bit left over, so it would probably feed four people of normal appetite.

Vegetarian Wrap

This is for my own benefit more than anything else. I stumbled upon this while picking out the menus for some upcoming workshops I'm planning and it sounded tasty (and healthy). I'm posting it here so I'll be able to find it again. :-P

If anyone gives it a try let me know how it turns out.

Vegetarian Wrap
Hummus, shredded carrots, red onion, cucumber, lettuce and pine nuts wrapped in a flour tortilla.

WDIDWT? Cooked Egg Whites

D1 has started on egg yolks this week, according to proper introduction-of-food procedures, whereby one delays introducing the egg whites for some time yet. And she loves egg yolks. So this leaves me with a hard-boiled egg white a day to consume. Plain with salt is rather uninspiring. Any ideas on what else one can do with hardboiled egg whites?

DOB suggests I could separate the eggs and then poach the yolks, but I am not positive this would work, and even if it did I don't think I'm quite inspired enough to fix enough meringues or macaroons to use up the raw whites. I guess I could throw them into scrambled eggs, but that seems too uninspired.

Orange White-Chocolate Cheesecake

Can you tell I was suffering from Lent-imposed baking deprivation? Here's the other Easter treat I made. I probably won't make desserts this fiddly until next Easter.

Formatting note: Notice all the italics in the last post? How nice it looks? Since my browser doesn't let me do that automatically, so I have to type in all the <'s and /'s. So formatted posts are almost as rare a treat as orange white-chocolate cheesecake. And less enjoyable to make.

1 1/2 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup orange juice
1 envelope (7 grams) unflavored gelatin
2 cups (12-oz pkg) white-chocolate morsels
2 pkgs (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons finely grated orange peel

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees.

COMBINE crumbs and butter in medium bowl. Press crumb mixture onton bottome of ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 min., cool in pan on wire rack.

COMBINE orange juice and gelatin in small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, till gelatin dissolves.

MELT morsels in medium, uncovered, microwave-safe bowl on MEDIUM-HIGH (70%) power for 1 minute; STIR.

BEAT cream cheese and sugar in large mixing bowl until combined. Gradually stir in gelatin mixture and morsels.

BEAT whipping cream in small bowl until soft peaks form. Gently fold whipped cream and orange peel into cheese mixture. Pour filling over crust. Cover; refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours or until firm.

Allow to stand at room temperature for a few minutes before removing side of pan.

Yummy!

-- SJ

Gumdrop Cake

This is a recipe of Darren's grandmother's, and one of Darren's favorites. Always a risky undertaking for a wife, to attempt to reproduce a matriarchal specialty; but I tried it anyway. Success!

Gumdrop Cake

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 cup milk
2 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp lemon extract
1/2 tsp almond extract

1 lb. gumdrops (cut in half or third -- do not use purple or black, as they discolor the cake)

1 cup golden raisins (which I forgot to put in)

1/2 cup red & green cherries (which we couldn't find, as they're seasonal, so we used dried cherries instead)

2 dried pineapple rings or fruit of your choice (we couldn't find rings, so used a package of dried chunks. It was a small package; can't remember the exact size.)


Cream butter and sugar well. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat after each addition. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture, alternating with milk (flour first, then milk, in small amounts, mixing after each addition. End with flour.) Add extracts. Flour fruit (in small amounts, so it doesn't fall to bottom of cake) and add to batter. Add gumdrops.

Bake in a greased square or tube pan at 325 degrees for 1 1/4 hours, till done.

Note from Darren's grandmother: She -- and so I did, too -- bakes it at 300 for about an hour to see how it's coming along, then raises the temperature if it's not getting done. I baked it longer than I expected, but it came out nicely done. Take it out of the pan once it's cool enough, or it'll stick horribly.

-- SJ

Fast Lemon Chicken and Rice

This is an easy chicken recipe. The cooking time is short, and it is a favorite with my husband.

Cooking spray
1 lb skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1/2 strips
2 1/4 C chopped onion
1 C chopped red bell pepper
2 C instant rice (I use brown)
1/4 C lemon juice
1/4 t salt
1/4 t black pepper
1 14-oz can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 14-oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained
2 T grated Romano (or Parmesan) cheese (optional)

Heat a Dutch oven coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add chicken, chopped onion and red bell pepper; saute 5 minutes. Stir in rice, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and broth; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes. Stir in artichokes. Cook 1 minute. Sprinkle with cheese. Makes 4 good size servings.

Glad to Be Back

I was delighted to return to the cyberhood and see that y'all kept up the chit-chat while I was gone. The recipes look great. Alison, glad to see some posts from you!

When recipes, time, and computer all coincide, I'm going to post my two Easter successes: Gumdrop Cake, one of Darren's grandmother's specialties; and Orange-White Chocolate Cheesecake... yeah, it was pretty good.

Got to rush!

-- SJ

One a penny, Two a penny

There's still time to mix up a batch of Hot Cross Buns for Sunday morning. These were easy and (we sampled one each last night) very delicious.

1 pkg active dry yeast
4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. Salt
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup currants (can't find them around here, so I used raisins. A bit largish, but workable.)
1/4 cup diced citron, optional (I didn't use it. I'm not even sure what it is.)

Combine yeast, 1 cup flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a mixing bowl. Heat milk and butter to about 125 degrees (feels quite warm on your wrist), pour over dry ingredients and beat until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Gradually add remaining flour, beating well. Mix in currants and citron. Turn out on a floured board and knead until smooth and satiny. Place in a greased bowl and butter top lightly. Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled.

Turn dough out on a floured board and knead lightly. Cut off pieces about the size of a golf ball. roll between the palms of your hands. Place on a lightly greased baking sheet, cover and let rise until almost doubled in size. With a razor blade or sharp knife, cut a cross in the surface of each bun. Bake in a preheated 375 degree oven 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool on a wire rack. Drizzle lemon glaze over tops of buns in a cross design:

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
1 1/2 tbs. milk

Spring ahead with a light salad

It's getting warmer here and I thought a nice light salad might be a good recipe to post. I can't wait to try this one...

Salmon-Asparagus Salad

1 lb. fresh asparagus, diagonally cut into 1-inch pieces
1 1/2 lb. salmon fillets
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/8 tsp. red pepper
6 cups mixed salad greens
3 plum tomatoes sliced
1 cub shredded carrots
1/4 cup crumbled goat cheese
14 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup bottled vinaigrette dressing (or homemade)

Arrange asparagus in a steamer basket over boiling water; cover and steam 4 to 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Sprinkle salmon with salt and peppers. Grill, covered with grill lid, over high heat 10 to 12 minutes per inch of thickness or until fish flakes with a fork. Flake salmon into chunks and plate over mixed greens. Toss with tomatoes, carrots, goat cheese, pine nuts; drizzle with vinaigrette.

Serves 6
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min

* Option: Use pre-grilled or smoked salmon to save prep time.
* Optional Subsitute feta for goat cheese

Vegetable Cheese Rolls

One of our family friends made this recipe up. Ever since we tried it it has been a family favorite and requested for birthday meals. We even served it for my mom's surprise birthday party this past weekend. (Its her favorite meal)

Rolls:
1T. active dry yeast
1/4c. water
1c. milk, scalded
1/4c. honey
1t salt
2T shortening or oil
2c. wheat flour
1 1/2 c. unbleached white flour (my family grinds their own wheat and uses all wheat flour in this recipe so use whatever combination suits your situation)
1 beaten egg

Soften dry yeast in water. Combine milk, honey, salt and shortening. "Scald" in microwave; cool to lukewarm. Add 1c. wheat flour and 1c. white flour to liquid. Add yeast and egg. Stir in remaining flour or enough to make soft dough. Knead enough to make soft, but not sticky, dough. Cover while preparing filling.

Filling:

Here is where you can be creative and add whatever sounds tasty to you. This is the combination our family likes.

cheese (1/2 mozzarella, 1/2 cheddar), shredded
1 red sweet pepper, chopped
1-8oz. pkg, fresh mushrooms, chopped
1 can chopped black olives

Cut dough in half and roll out in 9x16 (approx) rectangle on floured surface. Sprinkle with 1/2 of cheese and vegetables (kind of like a pizza). Roll tightly, as in a jelly roll and pinch closed. Slice into 2-3" rolls. (Should look like cinnamon rolls). Repeat with second half of dough. Bake at 375 til browned and cheese is bubbling. (approx. 20+ min)

Makes 12

Many Bean Soup

Coming from a large family I've tried my share of bean soups! This recipe is a version of bean soup that I actually took with me when I left home. It is easy and a great way to eat lots of beans and veggies.

4c. boiling water or tomato juice
1c. each chopped: onion, celery, carrots, potatoes, cabbage
1/8t. garlic powder
pepper to taste (optional)
4c. any combination cooked beans (soak and boil beans until tender)
1T. ham or veg. soup base/boullion (I found that I needed more to get the flavor I wanted)

Combine water and fresh vegetables and cook on stove top until tender. Add remaining ingredients and heat through.

Serves 6

Cabbage Soup in the Slow Cooker

Don't be frightened off by the title of this recipe -- cabbage can be very tasty and is cheap too! Since tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day I bought myself some cabbage earlier this week to make corned beef and cabbage. Around this time of year cabbage is VERY cheap (17 cents a pound). I had some extra so I decided to try this soup.

Cabbage Soup
Makes 8 servings

Half a head of cabbage, sliced thin
2 ribs of celery, sliced thin
2-3 carrots, sliced thin
1 onion, chopped (or you can substitute onion powder)
2 chicken bouillon cubes or substitute some of the water below with chicken broth
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 qt. tomato juice
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp. pepper
Water (see above note about chicken broth)

1. Combine all ingredients except water in slow cooker. Then add water to within 3 inches of top of slow cooker.
2. Cover. Cook on High 3 ½-4 hours, or until vegetables are tender.

Other variations...

* Instead of chicken broth or bouillon use beef broth or bouillon. Then add beef stew meat, precooked. Or up the slow cooker time if adding raw or browned meat. Cook till meat is done and vegetables are tender. This is very tasty too!

* Also, I only had a half a quart of tomato juice, so I finished up the other half with diced tomatoes and their juice. This adds the tomato texture and flavor without getting to saucy tasting.

* I didn't have any broth on hand so I used bouillon and added a bit of water to it first so they became liquefied before I added them to the veggies.

* I also added some HOT red pepper flakes to add some ZING to the recipe.

This was VERY tasty and is simple and cheap to make. It works both as a vegetarian and as a meat recipe. Of course, if you want a Vegan recipe just subsitute vegetable broth when it asks for chicken. Five Stars on this one.

Crock Pot Recipes?

Anyone want to give me some good crock pot recipes? Vegetarian or chicken? I just pulled out my old crock pot from college and made beans in it, but I am facing a lack of creativity in the kitchen. Maybe because no one has posted on here in over a month. HELP!

The Best Caramel Corn

I tried this at a Christmas party and just now got the recipe. There was another batch of caramel corn there and this one beat it all hollow.

1 cup hot air popcorn kernels
2 cups butter
4 cups brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pop the corn. Mix butter, sugars, and salt. Boil for five minutes. Then stir in vanilla and soda. Drizzle over popcorn. Place in a large roasting pan and bake at 250 degrees for 45 minutes. Stir frequently. Cool before serving.

Successful Soup and Substitutions

I tried the "Cream of Acorn Squash" recipe that Sarah posted a while back (post entitled "Tale of Two Soups"). Delicious soup. I'm sure that if I'd followed the recipe, it would have been just as good.

I mostly did follow it. Due to an absence of limes and cream, I used lemon juice and evaporated milk/milk instead. I also added salt, garlic, and celery salt. It was quite good, served with biscuits. I'm enormously proud of myself for making and enjoying a squash dish. Thanks for the recipe, Sarah.

Also, I made a coffee cake that called for sour cream, which I didn't have. I used plain yogurt and cream cheese instead. How often will you have plain yogurt and cream cheese instead of sour cream on hand? Well, if it ever happens, now you know what to do.

-- SJ

Mexican Corn and Bean Soup

While this is not the exact recipe that Sarah is looking for, we had it for dinner last week and it was very good. As with any soup, you could add in any extra vegetables you have on hand and just make more broth. The benefit to this recipe is that it is FAST. Great for coming home from work and having something ready 20 minutes later.

2 t olive oil
1/2 C chopped onion
1 t ground cumin
1 t minced garlic (the bottled kind or fresh)
1/2 t dried oregano
1 C frozen whole-kernel corn
1/2 t black pepper
1 - 14 oz can chicken broth (or vegetable broth)
1 - 15 oz can black beans, drained
1 - 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes and green chiles, undrained
Lime slices (optional)
Cilantro (optional)

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, cumin, garlic and oregano; saute 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in corn, pepper, broth, beans, and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes. Serve with lime slices and top with cilantro if desired. Serves 2-3.

What do you do with black beans? How about a Mexican soup...

Last night I had the most delicious soup in a bread bowl, I'm dying to make it at home. It was vegetarian, but even meat eaters would love this one.

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup
Ingredients included: Water, black beans, onion, celery, red bell pepper, vegetarian vegetable base (baked carrots, lima beans, natural flavorings, tomato paste, cooked potatoes, corn oil, celery, onions), modified food starch, spices, salt, lemon juice, garlic.

Does anyone know of a recipe for this? The closest I can find is on AllRecipes.com and is called: Black Gold Bean Soup.

It was like having taco soup, I love Mexican foods. :) The bread bowl added a very nice touch - have any of you ever done a bread bowl? They are also great with chili.

Bread and circuses

Well, not really circuses.

We just got back from a place that served the most sumptuous chocolate bread. Michael ate some every meal and actually asked the chef for the recipe. So I was going to make some for his birthday. The problem is that the recipe is handwritten, and a little difficult to decipher. Unfortunately I don't make bread often enough to recognise what is credible, so I'm at a loss with the proportions. Perhaps some helpful soul out there can verify for me how much salt and yeast should go per cup of flour. (I tried looking up some basic bread recipes in my cookbooks to get an idea, but they were very unhelpful, giving all the proportions with packages of yeast.)

So the recipe calls for 2 lbs. of flour. (How much is that in cups, by the way?)

Then 4 TSP of salt and yeast. I assume this is teaspoon? Because otherwise there would be a B in there? But then why the all caps? Perhaps because the chef is French? Anyway, there's a big difference between tsp and Tbl, and I want to make sure the loaf doesn't end up too bland or too salty. Any help and guidance would be much appreciated. If it turns out well I'll post the recipe here.

Thanks for Lunch

This weekend we made tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch. (I forgot to buy cocoa, so couldn't make the brownie pudding.)

I've detested canned tomato soup ever since my daycare days, but Rachelle gave me the courage to try it again. I am pleased to say that it turned out marvelously good. I sauted onions and celery, and seasoned the soup with garlic, corriader, and something else I forget now. As my brother would say, it was plumb edible.

Darren did the grilled cheese, and we added cream cheese, as the Queen suggested. It was very rich, but so good that Darren says he might leave off the cheddar next time. :)

So thanks for the ideas. I wouldn't ever have tried tomato soup otherwise. -- SJ

Menu Planning

Tomato soup, grilled cheese, and brownie pudding... I think I've got a dinner all planned out for this week. :)

Do the rest of you all plan menus for the week or month? We did for a couple of months and really liked it, but it was more effort than I usually want to put into meals. I'm just curious as to how y'all handle things. I might get back into meal-planning again, especially as it's more efficient and economical.

-- SJ

Quicky, but tasty dessert

Brownie Pudding

Preheat Oven: 350°

Mix together:
1 Cup Flour
3/4 Cup of sugar (or 1/2 Cup of brown sugar)
2 Tbs. Cocoa
2 tsp. Baking powder
1/2 tsp. Salt

In a separate bowl mix:
1/2 Cup Milk
2 Tbs. Veg oil
1 tsp. Vanilla

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. For the nut lovers now is the time to add 3/4 cup of chopped walnuts, but they are optional, so for those of you who hate nuts just skip this step.

Next our mixture into a greased 8x8 pan.

In another bowl mix:
3/4 Cup of Sugar
1/4 Cup of Cocoa
1 3/4 Cup of hot water

Pour over batter, which is already in the greased pan. It will flood the brownie mixture, but that's ok.

Bake 45 minutes. Take out and let cool. At first the liquid might be very runny underneath the brownie, but once it is cooled it will gel up into a nice pudding.

Scoop out with a spoon and serve with vanilla ice cream or alone.

It's delicious! :)
~ SEM

The natural follow-up

So, once you have made the delicious tomato soup, what are you going to serve with it? Grilled cheese, of course. A sandwich with many possibilities. The core secret to grilled cheese, I finally realized, is cooking it on a low enough setting that the outsides don't burn before the insides melt. Pretty obvious, but I'm very impatient.

Some ideas for variations:

Different bread: I like a multi-grain bread with nuts for the texture; sourdough is also good.

Different cheese: Munster is my favorite. Cream cheese can blend well with another cheese inside.

Things besides cheese to add: Mustard. I like dijon, but DOB likes yellow. Avocados, thinly sliced (by far my favorite addition). Tomatoes. Dill pickles (after the sandwich is cooked, so they stay cool and crispy).

Tomato Soup with flair

One of my beloved former roommates (LMJ or DMR) left a can of tomato soup in the townhouse when they moved out. I hate tomato soup so it made it through two moves. Then in an act of low-fund desperation, I made it for my husband early in our marriage. He told me as he took a bite that he hated tomato soup but has continued to request it ever since. Last night, feeling a little sick, he requested it once again. Why? Because I fail to follow any directions printed on the can. Instead...

Make soup with milk instead of water, or even better, half-n-half and water mix.
Add onion soup mix or onion flakes for a little more flavor. (Or saute onion in the pan before making the soup.)
Another good add-in is orzo (rice-shaped pasta) and then
top it with fresh cilantro and fresh ground pepper.

Thanks to Linds or Dana for bringing out the creativity in me and helping us discover a family favorite.

Sprucing Up...

Tuna fish.

I really like canned tuna fish (although my one occasion of freshly-caught deep sea tuna opened a whole new world for me). I grew up eating tuna fish made with mayonnaise, dill pickles, and boiled egg. Later in life my mother started putting in apples and sweet pickles, which was an absolute desecration of a good dish. Not that I said that, in so many words, to my mother.

Recently I came across a great recipe for grilled tuna-fish sandwiches, along the lines of grilled-cheese. It even froze well (pre-grilled, of course). I'll look for the recipe.

Nowadays, I do half and half mayonnaise and sour cream, and throw in a dash of garlic and celery salt. And dill pickles, of course. If you cut the sandwiches into little triangles and have a picnic on the living room floor, it suddenly become delicious to kids, too.

-- SJ

Cooking lessons from my siblings

I discovered while visiting my family that my youngest two siblings (19 and 17) have taken over nearly all the cooking duties for the family. Some cooking tips I observed while there:

• It is impossible to have too much garlic. At my sister's direction, I peeled 6 heads of garlic for one meal's worth of garlic red potatoes. There were a few potatoes leftover--no garlic.
• It is impossible to put cayenne pepper in the wrong dish. Cayenne pepper in spaghetti? No problem.
• It's a whole lot more fun to make a big mess in the kitchen when Dad is going to do the dishes.

Pumpkin Bisque

Our Christmas Eve tradition....

1 1/2 T unsalted butter
1 sm. onion, chopped
1 C pumpkin puree or canned pumpkin
1 1/4 C chicken broth
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg
1 C heavy cream or 1 C half-n-half
Salt and freshly ground pepper
In medium saucepan saute onion in butter until translucent, not brown. Add pumpkin, chicken broth, 2 cups water (or 1-1/2 C if you are using half-n-half), cinnamon and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add cream/half-n-half. Gently heat bisque until hot. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serves 2-4.

Martha Goes to India

These are recipes shared with me by Leah Z. I've been meaning to post them after I make them but decided to get them posted soon. I have eaten many of them when Leah made them. Yum!! Oh, Leah's dad is Indian, so these are some of their family's favorites. I hope Baby Focht survives this post as I believe Rose favors Indian as do I. (Warning: Ben and I got very sick when he was in utero and it took me a while to try it again. It was the American tummy, I'm sure.)

Puchatti (Cucumbers and Tomato in Yogurt)

2 Medium cucumbers
2 green onions (w/ tops) chopped
1 tsp. salt
2 tomatoes chopped
1 small clove of garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp snipped coriander (cilantro)
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/8 tsp pepper
1 cup plain yogurt

Cut cucumbers lengthwise into halves. Scoop out seeds, chop cucumbers into small pieces. Mix cucumbers green onions and slat; let stand 10 minutes. Add tomatoes. Mix remaining ingredients except yogurt, toss with cucumber mixture. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Drain thoroughly. Just before serving, fold in yogurt.

Pulao (it goes great with the puchatti)

1 cup uncooked regular rice
1 med onion chopped
1/2 cup ghee (you can use butter or margarine)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)
1 tsp instant chicken bouillon
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups boiling water
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds

Cook and stir rice and onion into ghee until rice is yellow and onion is tender. Stir in raisins, bouillon, curry powder and salt. Pour into ungreased 1 1/2 quart casserole pan. stir in water. Cover and cook in 350 degree oven until liquid is absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes. Stir in almonds.

Carrot Halva ( sort of like pudding - one of my favorite desserts)
6 med carrots (about 1 lb) finely shredded
2 cups half and half
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup golden raisins (normal ones work just fine :)
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup unsalted pistachios or slivered almonds

Heat carrots and half and half to boiling in 2 qt saucepan, reduce heat. Over and simmer, stirring frequently, until half and half is absorbed (about 1 - 1 1/2 hours).

Stir in brown sugar, raisins, butter, cardamom and salt. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until brown sugar is dissolved and mixture is desired consistency, about 15 minutes. Garnish with almonds or pistachios.

Cauliflower Masala (required a few spices that you need from an Indian store)
1 med onion
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp ginger
1 head cauliflower
8 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 med tomato
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garam masala
1 tbsp lemon juice
salt to taste

Blend onion, garlic, ginger with 1 tbsp water into paste. Heat oil, add paste and turmeric, add rest of ingredients. Cover and summer until cauliflower is tender. Add water if necessary.

Mushrooms with Tomatoes and Peas (serve w/ bread, at home we just warm tortillas)

1 med onion - sliced
1/2 - 1 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ghee or vegetable oil
1 pkg (10 oz) frozen green peas, thawed and drained
8 oz whole mushrooms
2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/4 salt
2 med tomatoes, cut into wedges

Cook and stir in onion, turmeric and ginger in ghee in 10-inch skillet over medium heat until onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in peas, mushrooms, lemon juice and salt. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until peas are tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, heat just until hot.

Potato & Pea Curry (again, serve with bread)
1/4 cup oil
1 tbsp chopped ginger
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 cup chopped onion
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1/2 t turmeric
3 med tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh coriander (cilantro) chopped
20 oz pkg frozen peas, thawed
1 large potatoes, chopped
1 cup water
1 tsp garam masala

Mix together and cook until potatoes are cooked :) (my mom didn't write any directions)

Anguish-free Lasagne

I love lasagne. DOB loves lasagne. I hate making lasagne, as no matter how laboriously I stack the ingredients, it makes a goopy mess. But I promised DOB lasagne this week, a promise I was regretting yesterday evening when I looked at the recipe and realized it expected me to have three hours waiting between me and dinner time, which even if I had had there were lots of other things to do with them than wrestle with lasagne noodles.

Then it occurred to me that DOB was neither a chef nor an artist, and had never been known to complain about presentation of food. It also struck me that I had read somewhere a concept for making an unlayered sort of lasagne. So I did, as follows:

Brown 1 lb. hamburger, 1/2 medium onion, chopped, 1 clove garlic. Toss in crockpot with a medium can of tomato sauce and a large can of chunky tomatoes, a teaspoon or so of oregano and all the basil that was left in the jar (maybe 1/2 teaspoon? I would have added more if I'd had it.) Add 8 oz. lasagne noodles, broken into 2 inch lengths. Cook on high for about two hours, stirring occasionally, until noodles are cooked.

Add 2 cups cottage cheese and one cup mozarella, stir well, and cook another 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is nice and stringy.

It was a goopy pile, but not much more so than when I generally try to make lasagne. I bet you could also do it even quicker in a pot on the stove by cooking the noodles separately, it would just require more attention and stirring. DOB actually liked it better, because he doesn't like the crunchy spots that form on regular lasagne, or cleaning a regular lasagne pan. I'll still stack the layers for company, but for family meals this one is a keeper.

Pasta with Pumpkin-Gorgonzola Sauce

This is a very tasty dish and it makes yummy leftovers. We don't like mushrooms so I included them here but I leave them out. Oh, and when having the Mehrens over (which I'm sure you ALL do,) leave a little set aside for Nathan without the onions.

1 lb pennette (small penne) or other small pasta
1 T olive oil
5 C thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms (about 3/4 lb whole mushrooms)
4 C vertically sliced onions (I never quite make it to this much--I'm crying at 2 cups)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 T chopped fresh sage (you could use dried too)
1 12-oz can evaporated milk
1-1/2 T cornstarch
1-1/2 T cold water
1/2 C crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1/2 C canned pumpkin
1 t salt
1/2 t black pepper
1/8 t nutmeg

Cook pasta according to pasta directions, omitting any salt and fat. Keep warm.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion, and garlic; cover and cook 3 minutes. Uncover, cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally.
Combine chopped sage and milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring iwth a whisk. Add cornstarch mixture and cheese to milk mixture, stirring with a whisk. Cook 2 minutes or until thick and smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in pumpkin, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Mix all three things (onion mixture, pasta and pumpkin mixture) together. Toss well to combine. Garnish with fresh sage sprigs, if you would like.

Breakfast Idea: Peanut Butter Parfait

My former roommate used to fix yogurt parfaits for breakfast at least once a week, usually with frozen raspberries. They were good, but out here in Ohio I encountered two problems with the concept: a) berries are more expensive out here; b) a yogurt parfait does not have enough protein for me to make it through the morning even when I'm not feeding someone else, too. I switched to banana parfaits (with homemade granola) which were much cheaper, but they were still a tad low on protein. This morning I got an idea from my favorite sandwich and created:

Peanut Butter & Banana Parfaits
1/2 c. vanilla yogurt (I can't find one with fructose sweetner out here, so I add a spoonful of honey and a dash of vanilla to plain yogurt.)
1-2 T. peanut butter

Mix together; then if you want to be fancy you can layer the mixture in an elegant glass dish with 1 chopped banana and 1 cup of granola, or if you just want to eat breakfast you dump the banana and the granola in on top and mix it all up. If you do it that way, it's not much harder than a bowl of cereal for those who like bananas in their cereal. In slightly smaller quantities, it would be a great snack or maybe even dessert. Amounts are very approximate, except for the banana.

I survived until 11:45 before I was ready to kill for lunch, so I think it had adequate staying power. Now to convince DOB that he likes it, which might be hard because he thinks peanut-butter-and-banana sandwiches are gross.

Tortellini Salad

While rummaging through my cookbooks for an idea for what to take to our church dinner yesterday I rediscovered this recipe. It is very simple to fix. I know this is the wrong time of year to mention this, but I especially like this as a simple dinner on a hot summer day.

Tortellini Salad

1 pkg. (8 oz. usually) frozen cheese tortellini
1 cucumber, chopped
2-3 roma tomatoes, chopped
several green onions, chopped (optional)
1/2 cup Italian dressing

Note: I take the veggie amounts as a guideline and sort of eyeball it until I think I have enough to balance out the pasta. You could be creative and add other veggies as well.

Cook cheese tortellini according to directions on the package. When finished cooking rinse with cold water. In separate bowl, toss veggies and dressing. Add tortellini last. Gently mix. Serve immediately or chilled.

~Alison

Help!

We just got back home from Oklahoma at 2am this morning so my brain is still a bit foggy. Please help! :-)

We're going to a friend's house for a Christmas get together tomorrow night right after work and I'm supposed to bring some kind of finger food. Any ideas for quick and easy snack food that doesn't take long to fix?

On Sunday our couples class is having a pot luck after church and Sunday school. I'm completely drawing a blank as to what to bring for a main dish and/or side dish that can be cooked before church and still taste good sitting around until lunch time. I'm not for sure if there is a place to plug in crock pots or any way to heat things up before eating. . . .

Two-Potato Salad

This one is easy and a nice change from greasy mayonaise-saturated potato salad.

1-1/2 lbs small red potatoes, halved
1-1/2 lbs peeled sweet potatoes or yams, cut into 1-in pieces
3 T white vinegar
3/4 C creme fraiche (or sour cream, which is what I normally use)
1/4 C chopped fresh chives (or green onions, which are much cheaper)
3/4 t salt
1/4 t ground black pepper

Place potatoes in a large Dutch oven; cover with water. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 18 minutes or until tender. Drain. Place potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle with vinegar; toss gently to coat. Let cool to room temperature.

Combine creme fraiche (or sour cream) and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Add to potatoes, tossing gently to coat. Makes 6-8 servings.

A Cake for All Seasons

The following chocolate cake recipe has many virtues. 1) It's delicious: rich, moist, very chocolatey. 2) It's super easy and fast. It's as easy and fast as making a mix; easier if you factor in how hard it is to get those stupid plastic bags open. 3) It's cheap: it doesn't use butter or eggs or expensive chocolate. It's perfect for "oh, let's have something chocolate" or "we need to plan a cake for the party."

Mrs. C's Cake
3 c. flour
2 c. sugar
1 t. salt
2 t. soda
6 T. cocoa

Mix dry ingredients. Add:
3/4 c. oil
2 t. vanilla
2 T. vinegar
2 cups water

Mix well; bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

It handles well and tastes good with buttercream icing, which is handy if you need to do fancy decorations for some purpose. (I'm making one for my brother-in-law's graduation tomorrow.) But for the ultimate chocolate cake experience, you leave the cake in the pan and make

Chocolate Skillet Icing
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 c. milk

Mix in a skillet and bring to a boil. Boil for one minute; remove from heat. Add 2 t. vanilla. Stir until lukewarm, then pour on cake.

WDIDWT? Leftover Ice Cream

I know, I know, that's such an oxymoron - who on earth heard of such a thing? But the situation can arise if, say, you have someone over who wants to bring something, so you tell them to bring ice cream to go along with your dessert, and you use it just as a topping to your brownie, so you have almost a whole carton left in the freezer, and then you get hit with the early-pregnancy blahs and don't want sweets for a few weeks, and by the time you're back in the market for ice cream, it's turned all icy and freezer-burnt....well, anyway, the scenario is possible. I expect it would also be an excellent way to use up leftover cheap store-brand vanilla ice cream that you wouldn't really want to eat straight but which would lend itself beautifully to a little clever disguise.

This is the second time in a week that I've pulled this off, so I think it's an official recipe by now:

Chocolate Peanut Butter Milkshakes

(The proportions are a little shaky - I just tossed the ingredients in without measuring until it looked right)

1/4 cup milk (or less - the more milk, the runnier the shake)
A few Tbl. cocoa
An equal amount of powdered sugar (maybe less - Michael thought it a bit rich the 2nd time)
1-2 Tbl. creamy peanut butter
1 Tbl. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
Several scoops of vanilla ice cream

Melt peanut butter and butter in microwave. Stir until smooth and add a dollop of ice cream to cool it. (The first time I did this, I didn't add this step, and the shake was very runny.) Set aside.

Put milk, cocoa, and sugar in blender. Blend until smooth. Add vanilla and ice cream; blend until thoroughly mixed. Add peanut butter mixture and blend very briefly. Serves 2, with small second helpings all around.

Very quick, rich, smooth, creamy, and delicious.

With Thanks to Martha

Just wanted to show how the Martha blog is improving my life. DOB wanted to cook my birthday dinner but he wanted a recipe, of all things! Then I remembered Amy's recipe for alfredo sauce that sounded good. Sure enough, it was quite elegant and delicious, and manageable for someone who hasn't cooked a meal in seven years.