R.O.U.S.-es (Recipes of Unusual Size)

Santa Fe Chicken

2010-09-09T15:46:00.000-05:00

Here's a quick and easy dump recipe. This stuff is delicious either scooped out on chips or rolled up in a tortilla.

Santa Fe Chicken

1 bag frozen chicken breasts (2-3 lbs)
1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 can corn (drained)
1 cup salsa (I don't recommend black bean and corn, well, because there's already black beans and corn!)

Dump everything in the crock pot. Crock it until the chicken all falls apart (all day on low or all afternoon on high). You can add 4 ounces of cream cheese for the last 1/2 hour or so if you want a creamier stuff!

Crock Pot Beef Stew in Mushroom Cream Sauce

2010-09-01T22:05:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I made a dinner that, I have to admit, was absolutely fantastic. I wish my stomach were bigger so I could hold more; that's how good it was. Jamie loved it, too. It was crock pot-ized beef stew. The beef was so tender it practically melted in my mouth. The vegetables had the perfect amount of "done-ness" and there was just enough spice to put a little bite in the taste, but not knock your taste buds off. I used what ingredients I had on hand and just added what looked to be the right amount. Sorry, no exact measurements in this recipe. I tend to ignore measurements and judge amounts by sight.

1 lb. stew meat, cut up into cubes
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and quartered
4-5 medium red potatoes, quartered
1/2 a small-sized bag of baby carrots
1 family-size can of cream of mushroom soup
Chicken broth (it's what I had; beef broth would have added a more beefy flavor)
Dried Fennel seed
Dried crushed Rosemary
Garlic powder (or cloves)
Onion powder
Black pepper
White wine (red wine would have added a more robust flavor, but I only had white)
Cooking spray or approx. 1 TBSP olive oil

In spray coated or oiled medium skillet over medium-high heat, add the stew meat. Generously coat the meat in black pepper, garlic powder, and rosemary. If you elect to use garlic cloves instead, you would add diced garlic cloves to the raw meat. Stir in pan to coat well. Keep stirring and tossing the meat until it is well browned.

Once meat is browned well, add about two cups of wine. Stir and allow to simmer for a few minutes to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Add approximately 2 cups of broth. Lower heat to medium-low, stir well. Allow to simmer for a few minutes. Pour meat and any scrapings from the bottom of the pan into crock pot.

Dump onions, carrots and potatoes on top of meat. Pour can of cream of mushroom soup over the top. Add more broth or water to thin out the soup. Dump in some fennel seeds - probably about the equivalent of 1 TBSP. Add lid to crock pot and cook on low for 5 to 7 hours. After 5 hours have passed, use a dipper to pull out a few of the vegetables to check for doneness. In my case, the food was about perfect after the whole seven hours had passed.

I hope you enjoy this as much as we did. I have a feeling I'll be making this a lot this winter when the temperatures get chilly again!

*Note that there's no added salt in this recipe. Between the wine, the broth and the cream of mushroom soup, I figured there was already more than enough sodium in this recipe.

**If you've an allergy to mushrooms, cream of celery soup would work, too. It's hard to find a "family sized" can of cream of celery, so you may have to use two small cans, instead. I imagine this would also taste good with chicken breasts and cream of chicken soup, as well. I'll be doing lots of experimenting with slow cooker recipes as grad school continues, so I'll be sure to let you know!

Easy Pasta Salad

2010-06-18T14:07:00.000-05:00

This pasta salad is easy and yummy. You can use canned or fresh veggies, whatever you happen to have. Here's how I made it.

1 lb. rotini garden twirls
1 whole green (or red, or yellow) bell pepper (you can use more if you like)
1/2 chopped vidalia or yellow onion
1 - 2 cans diced tomatoes, or fresh
1 bottle of the Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette sold at Sam's Club (don't remember the brand)
Grated parmesan cheese to taste
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

Cook the pasta, drain and rinse with cold water. Add to large bowl with lid. Chop and dice bell pepper(s), tomatoes and onions, add to pasta. Pour in vidalia onion dressing and mix well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Jamie and I loved this as a side dish. It also went over well at a church potluck dinner. If you want to stretch this to be a one-dish lunch, you can hard boil and dice some eggs to add to it or diced chicken breast or ham chunks. We had it both ways. This will be a regular dish during the hot summer months at my house!

Update on Yearly Menu and Giveaway!

2010-04-09T09:53:00.001-05:00

Having my menus planned out is saving me a lot of grief (and money). True, I don't always follow exactly what the menu plan says; I often switch days around based on what I feel like eating. But knowing what I have available to fix and having a plan in mind for several different meals has been lifesaving. We eaten junk/fast food a lot less since I made my plan, and I've even lost a couple of pounds! Woot!

Also, just wanted to let you know you need to jump over to my blog because I'm hosting a giveaway of a 6 qt pre-seasoned, cast iron dutch oven. I can just imagine all the yummy things you can make in it. Go check it out now!

Carrot Fry

2010-04-02T14:44:00.000-05:00

Carrot Fry*
by my mother-in-law

4 green chilis, halved
1/2 an onion, sliced (we use red)
7 curry leaves

Heat some oil and add these first three ingredients, and stir until the onion starts to brown a bit.

Add about 6 shredded carrots, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder

Cover and cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add a little dry, unsweetened coconut, stir it in and cook for 2 or 3 more minutes.

*It's called a "fry" becuase it doesn't have a sauce. If it has a sauce, it's called a "curry."

Deep Fried Pickles

2010-04-01T17:34:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it's been almost a year since we visited Jenn in San Antonio, but that how time goes. While we there, we tried an appetizer at a steakhouse on the Riverwalk that Tom and I had never encountered before:

Deep Fried Pickles.

I cannot remember if the batter was smooth or crumbly, crisp and crunchy, or soft and chewy, but I cannot forget the sensation of biting into a pickle and feeling an explosion of garlicky brine, hot like broth, similar to the satisfying crunch of a cold pickle yet completely unfamiliar. The heat reduced the saltiness and amplified the dill and pepper taste.

My mind and tastebuds were transformed.

Tom's nephew came to visit us for his spring break a few weeks ago. One night while he was here we made fresh burgers and french fries. It was only the second or third time we've worked with that much hot oil in our kitchen. While going into the fridge for some lettuce and cheese, I spotted a jar of Nathan's Kosher Dill Halves on the top shelf. It would be a shame to let all that heat generated from making french fries go to waste....

Deep Fried Pickles
1 cup AP flour
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t salt
A few grinds of fresh black pepper
1 cup water or flavorful liquid
3 - 4 thick pickle halves, halved, thirded, or quartered length-wise depending on size and preference
Approx 1/2 cup cornstarch
Approx 2-3 qts canola oil in a heavy pot, heated to 375

Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt and pepper together to thoroughly combine then stir in water. Once a smooth, thick consistency is reached, set batter aside for 15 minutes. Heat oil to 375-385 degrees. Coat pickle spears in cornstarch so that all surfaces are lightly dusted, tap or brush off any excess. When oil and batter are ready, dip 3-4 dusted spears into the batter, covering completely. Lift and allow excess batter to drip off, then add one spear at a time to the hot oil, making sure it is submerged completely. Add 3-4 spears to the oil at a time, adjust temp at necessary to keep between 375-385. Fry each spear for 2-4 minutes until golden brown and batter is cooked through. Lift from oil carefully with a metal strainer, spider, or slitted spoon and let dry on a cooling rack set inside a metal pan. Let oil come back to temperature and repeat process for remaining spears.

Let the pickles cool long enough that they won't burn your your tongue, but not too long that you miss out on the distinct difference of the hot brine. This batter creates a thin crispy outer layer housing a chewy, light interior surrounding the pickle. The cornstarch lets the batter bond with the pickle and keeps it from sliding out of the batter completely during cooking and eating. As for serving size, I agree with Michael Pollan--eat all the junk food you want as long as you make it yourself.

Misadventures in Cooking

2010-04-01T14:35:00.000-05:00

Yes, I double posted. So sue me.

Last night, I was craving something sweet yet spicy all at once. Then I started thinking, "How would a curry with peaches in it taste?" So I set to experimentin'. I modified another recipe for curry I found, sauteing some garlic cloves and half a sweet onion, then adding sausage links, curry powder and dried mustard powder. Then I added some chicken broth, put a lid on it and let it simmer for 15 minutes. Then I added a can of sliced peaches, recovered it and let it simmer for 8 more minutes. I didn't think it tasted too bad, but still wasn't quite what I was looking for. Also, Jamie apparently didn't like it at. all. I had forgotten one all important thing: Jamie hates peaches (unless it's my peach cobbler). If I experiment again with this, I'm going to try it with orange slices or mangoes instead of peaches and I'll add some red bell pepper strips and/or tomatoes, as well as a green vegetable of some sort (asparagus maybe?) to add some color and extra nutrients. I'm also going to use chicken instead of sausage. I'm also going to use more spices. I want my mouth to feel hot from the spices but cool from the fruit all at the same time. Any suggestions from my cooking friends on how to accomplish that?

Meal Planning

2010-03-26T14:22:00.001-05:00

I've noticed that I have a bad habit of not feeling like cooking - mainly because I have no idea what I have available to cook - and grabbing some take out or ordering pizza for dinner, instead. This adds up quickly. So, in an effort to save money and better realize what I have in the pantry and fridge/freezer, I'm making a calendar with meals all laid out. I'm going to try to come up with meals and ideas on a 25-30 day rotation. This way, I don't get tired of having the same thing on the same day of the week every week, and I get some variety. This should also save me money at the grocery as I'll know exactly what I'll need for the week and will only buy (theoretically) what is needed that week. To help save money, I also am utilizing Excel to list out all the groceries I buy at all the different stores, listing their most current prices per item, and leaving space to mark which items and how many of each I need. This should help me to better budget my grocery money, as well. I'm also going to try to buy more locally grown items at the farmer's markets down here. I'm trying for more responsible food consumption. Becca posted a lot on her blog about her efforts. What about you all? Do you have a favorite cheap recipe to share? Any budget-friendly ideas? How do you save money at the grocery? Please let me know!

More White People Food

2010-03-15T12:31:00.000-05:00

(Let me know if you're offended, and I'll stop calling it that.)

Daniel started a new job (yay!) and wanted to take white people food to work for lunch for a while. We've been using some new recipes, and some that we'd been experimenting with for a while. Here are two I really like.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza (check out Pioneer Woman's, too.)
This recipe is from Better Homes and Gardens. It's really just a recipe for crust, and has some suggestions for toppings, so we just followed the guidelines and went with what we liked.

2 3/4 to 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (I like King Arthur)
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water (120 to 130 F)
2 tablespoons cooking oil or olive oil (I used olive.)

1. In a large mixing bowl combine 1 1/4 cups of the flour, the yeast, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; add warm water and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl. Beat on high speed 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can. (Notice you don't have to mix the yeast and water separately first--I'm no good with yeast. Also, I used a hand mixer, but I think this would be way easier in a Kitchenaid deal. I had to keep turning it off and shaking the dough-ball down. It kept climbing up the beaters.)

2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total). Divide dough in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Use to make Pan Pizzas or Thin-Crust Pizzas. (I freaked out a little when my dough was not smooth and elastic after I kneaded it, but then after it rested for 10 minutes, it was gorgeous.)

Pan Pizzas: Grease two 11x7x1 1.2 inch or 9x9x2 inch baking pans. If desired, sprinkle with cornmeal. (I didn't.) With greased fingers, pat dough onto bottoms and halfway up sides of prepared pans. (Mine kept slipping down, and it looked really thin in some places. I even had to seal a little hole. All was well after baking.) Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double. (30 to 45 minutes). Bake in a 375 oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until brown. Spread sauce onto hot crust; top with meat, vegetables, and cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes more or until bubbly.

Thin-Crust Pizzas: Grease two 12-inch pizza pans or baking sheets. If desired, sprinkle with cornmeal. On a lightly floured surface, roll each dough portion into a 13 inch circle. Transfer to pans. Build up edges slightly. Do not let rise. Bake in a 45 oven about 12 minutes or until brown. Spread sauce onto hot crust; top with meat, vegetables, and cheese. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until bubbly.

We usually make pan, because that's what we like (duh), but this time we tried the thin crust to save an hour (an hour!). So first we did the thin, and had that for dinner, and then I did the pan for the next day's lunch. Indeed, we still like the pan better, but the thin was fine for time saving.

Here are the suggestions for making pizzas:
Spread one 15 ounce can pizza sauce or one 10 ounce container refrigerated Alfredo sauce over each hot, partially-baked crust.
--For each meaty pizza, add 1 lb cooked and drained Italian sausage or ground beef, 6 ounces sliced pepperoni, or 1 cup cubed cooked ham or Canadian-style bacon.
--Additional toppings could include 1 cup of your favorite vegetables, such as sliced green onions, sliced pitted ripe olives, sliced fresh mushrooms, and/or chopped sweet pepper for each pizza.
--Finally, sprinkle 2 to 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese over your toppings on each pizza. Finish baking according to the Pizza Dough recipe.

Daniel and I used Sticky Fingers Memphis Sweet barbecue sauce, a rotisserie chicken from the store, a can of sliced black olives, and slices of a red onion and a bell pepper coated in olive oil and grilled on the George Foreman. The first few times we made pizza at home, we used "Pizza" cheese. This time we used part-skim mozzarella. (I couldn't tell a difference, but it made Daniel feel like he was eating less fat. Can you believe he eats cheese now? He used to not even want to walk next to the cheese in the grocery store. It freaked him out.) Anyway, yummy! The pepper and onion are super mild if they're grilled until soft. My mom ate it once, and she hates bell peppers. (My parents are wonderful house guests. My dad hates strawberries and ate homemade strawberry sauce on his pancakes that same visit. You should have them over.) We've also made this when we cooked thicken ourselves. It tastes the same, just takes a little longer. I probably poached it and then may have put it in the skillet or on the grill for a minute. I might try spreading some garlic on the crust next time I make this.

The Easiest Pasta Ever.
We don't make our own pasta at this point, but may someday. But we do make sauce. This is based on a Rachel Ray recipe. I have learned a lot from her over the years. I'll just give you the three recipes based on the same basic one, and then I'll tell you my variations.

Basilico: Tomato-Basil Sauce

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (28 ounces each) crushed tomatoes, or diced in juice if you like chunky tomato sauce
20 leaves fresh basil, roughly cut or torn

Heat olive oil and garlic in a deep saucepan over medium heat. when the garlic speaks, add tomatoes and heat through. Stir in basil leaves and reduce heat to low. Simmer until pasta of choice is cooked until al dente. This is enough sauce for up to 1 1/2 pounds pasta.

Marinara Sauce
In addition to the ingredients for Basilico Sauce, you will need:
3 stems fresh oregano, leaves stripped from stems and chopped
A palmful of fresh flat-leaf parsley
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Follow method for Basilico, adding the other herbs and pepper when you stir in the basil.

Arrabiatta: Spicy Tomato Sauce
In addition to the ingredients for basilico, you will need several shakes crushed red pepper flakes, about 1/2 teaspoon

Follow method described in Basilico Sauce recipe, adding the crushed red pepper with the garlic when first heating the oil.

So I just make it with whatever I have, and we almost never have canned tomatoes (though I like them and am trying to convince Daniel that we should try them sometimes because the tomatoes we get aren't very flavorful and because I hear there is more lycopene in them than in fresh tomatoes.) So I just quartered several roma tomatoes, because that is what we have, and put them in the food processor. One time I made this we didn't have fresh basil, so I used dry. The sauce was sour, so I had to add a little sugar. The next time we had plenty of basil and I used all of it and the sauce was not at all sour, but not to sweet, either. We like this recipe. We have a couple other recipes for cream type sauces (Better Homes and Gardens), and one with portabellos (from Rachel Ray), but this is my favorite because it tastes so fresh and can be reheated well. (The cream sauces get a little clumpy when they cool.)

Riverwalk "Pickles"

2010-02-18T16:13:00.001-06:00

Tooz, David and I went downtown to the Riverwalk and Farmer's Market one Saturday afternoon (Jamie was with his BB). We got hungry, so we looked for stuff to eat. David got chili. I didn't see anything that tempted me, and Tooz got a San Antonio snack specialty. Some people call it "Riverwalk 'Pickles'". Some call it cucumbers. Whatever it was, it was delicious! Basically, it's sliced peeled cucumbers, pickle juice, lime juice, salt, and a special type of Chili seasoning called "Tajin". Sounds disgusting, but tastes delicious! It's an easy to make, cheap, low calorie snack.

Ingredients:
1 large cucumber
Splash of dill pickle juice
Splash of lime juice
Splash of vinegar (if desired)
Salt to taste
Tajin to taste

Note:
Tajin is a type of flavor enhancer containing salt, chili powder, garlic and other super-secret spices. It contains no msg. It is low in sodium. It has very few calories, if any.

Basically, you just peel and slice the large cucumber and put it in a bowl big enough to hold all the slices. Pour over the top dill pickle juice, lime juice and vinegar to taste. Add a dash of salt to taste. Then, start shaking on the Tajin. Put as much or as little as you want. It isn't really that spicy, but it has enough kick that you know it's there! It's a very interesting sensation to have the cool of the cucumber, but the heat of the chili powder on the back of your tongue. It's really really tasty!

Cinnamon Christmas Tree Ornaments

2009-12-17T10:10:00.000-06:00

I made these this morning with five kids ages six and under. The mess was really minimal! :)

Mix together 4 cups cinnamon (use the dollar store variety!), 3 cups applesauce, 2 spoonfuls of cloves and 1/2 cup white glue. Mix and mash and knead these ingredients together.

Divide out the dough in small batches. I gave each kid a small hunk like I would have if they were playing with playdough. Roll the dough out (we just used our hands) and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Lay them out on a cookie sheet and poke a hole in each one (I used a straw). Let them dry. The recipe I used says bake at 200 for 6 hours or let them sit out on the counter for four days! However, please note, I did this this morning and it didn't take NEARLY 6 hours. Mine were dry in 1-2 depending on the thickness of the ornament. Check on them after about an hour, if they still have a little give when you squeeze them let them dry longer. If they're all dry, they're all dry.

We plan to paint these, leave some plain and use glitter on some.

Enjoy!

Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts & Tomatoes

2009-11-06T14:37:00.000-06:00

It's official: Ree Drummond (a/k/a "The Pioneer Woman"), is my new "go to gal" when I want something tasty to cook. Her websites are chock full of yummy goodness, she has a quirky sense of humor, and regularly does Ethel Merman impersonations. What's not to love? She recently published a cookbook (available on Amazon.com, if you're interested) called "The Pioneer Woman Cooks" - and, I gotta tell ya - it's number one on my list of wants. I've never actually DROOLED over a cookbook before, but hers sure got me salivating!

Anyway, I've been drooling over her recipe for Artichoke Hearts and Tomato Spaghetti since she posted it. I'm going to make it tonight. It looks fairly easy, I have everything the recipe calls for (well, with some substitutions), and it's pasta. Add a glass (or two or a dozen) of white wine, and this approaches taste bud heaven for me. I'll check in later and tell you how it tastes.

Spaghetti with Artichoke Hearts and Tomatoes

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
1 14.5 ounce can artichoke hearts (quartered or whole), drained
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup chicken broth, more as needed
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
salt & pepper to taste
1 pound thin spaghetti
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped chives or other herbs

Cook spaghetti till al dente. Drain and set aside.Melt olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for 2 to 3 minutes. Add artichoke hearts and tomatoes. Stir and cook for 8 to 10 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Stir in cream and chicken broth. Add salt and pepper to taste (do not undersalt!) Cook over low heat until heated through, then turn off heat.Place drained pasta in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1 cup Parmesan. Pour sauce over the top. Add chopped chives. Toss lightly to combine and coat; add a tiny bit of reserved pasta water if sauce seems too thick.

Delicious!

Roasted Garlic & New Potatoes a la Pioneer Woman

2009-10-08T13:52:00.000-05:00

So, Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) just posted this on her website. EVERYTHING this woman posts looks so yummy! This recipe has the added attraction of looking extremely easy. Just my kind of recipe! I'm making meatloaf either tonight or this weekend, and I know these will go oh so yummily (is that a word?) with meatloaf and spinach! FYI - Her cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks, is coming out very soon, and is already available for pre-order at Amazon.com. This is on my wishlist, and if any of y'all out there like her stuff, this cook book is the MUST HAVE new cook book! Go check it out! Then (if you haven't already), go check out her website(s). This woman is insanely talented! The title below links to this recipe on her website. She has all sorts of pictures and funny commentary to go along with this recipe. You should go read it!

Roasted Garlic & New Potatoes

20 small to medium new potatoes
5 to 7 whole heads of garlic
1/3 to 1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup dry white wine
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Quarter new potatoes and set on a large rimmed baking sheet. Lop off the very top of each garlic head and arrange throughout the potatoes. Drizzle olive oil over the tops of the garlic and all over potatoes; do the same with the wine. Generously salt and pepper potatoes and garlic. Toss potatoes to coat. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes until nice and golden. You can then pop the roasted garlic out of the "shell" and mix it with the potatoes in a bowl, or you can just dive in and scoop them up off the baking sheet - it's your call!

A Variation on Clara's "Poor Man's Meal"

2009-07-07T09:06:00.000-05:00

So, a while back, Tooz posted a video of "Depression Cooking with Clara's" Pasta with Peas. I really liked this little granny, and liked the idea of relatively cheap ways to feed the family, so I went to YouTube and watched a couple more episodes. One of her recipes was for "Poor Man's Meal". Basically, you take some potatoes and peel them, chop up half of an onion (I used a sweet onion), and chop up some hotdogs (because hotdogs are cheap meat, and were cheap back during the depression, too). Put enough olive oil in a skillet to lightly coat the bottom, then fry up the potatoes and onions. When they are almost fried through, add the hotdogs. Clara notes you can add your favorite spices and anything else you have handy (she likes to use spaghetti sauce in everything). Then keep stirring to prevent sticking, until it is heated through. Serve some veggies or a salad on the side, and you have a filling, cheap meal.

I made this the other night, (I added shredded cheese over the top at the end) and Jamie loved it. Last night, he asked for it again. This time, I got creative. Instead of hotdogs, I used some cubed ham we had leftover from chef's salad. I also added a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning mix (if you don't have any ranch seasoning, adding ranch dressing after it is cooked is just as yummy). We also added a can of tomatoes (Jamie's idea), and it was okay - but not spectacular. I think it would have been better if we had used mushrooms instead, and two packets of ranch seasoning instead of just one.

Clara has three seasons' worth of episodes of depression cooking recipes on YouTube. She even has a DVD for sale, and a cookbook coming out this fall. With the economy the way it is, I'm planning on watching more episodes and getting tips on how to cook delicious meals that cost less. Clara's YouTube page is here.

Thanks, Tooz, for introducing us to Clara's recipes!

Puddin'... Southern Style

2009-07-02T10:44:00.000-05:00

I've been a bad, bad mommy. I have deprived my child. Until earlier this week, he had NEVER had banana pudding "southern style". Do you know what I'm talking about? It's banana pudding with sliced bananas and Nilla wafers in it. I myself had never had it until I was about Jamie's age. Maybe that's why I neglected to ever fix it for him. Or maybe it's because I love the taste of banana, but hate the texture. Anyhoo, for anyone who doesn't know what I'm talking about, here's the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 packages of Jell-O instant Banana Cream pudding (or you can do it the hard way and make the old-fashioned, cooked kind of pudding. To me, it's way too hot to do that, though!)
1 box of Nilla wafers
2-3 Bananas, sliced
1 tub of Cool Whip

Fix the pudding according to package directions, except do NOT pour into individual serving cups.
Layer a large, flat bottomed bowl (or casserole dish) with one layer of Nilla wafers, as many as you can fit across the bottom and up onto the sides
Put a relatively thin layer (about half of a package of pudding) of pudding on top of the Nilla wafers.
Take one of the sliced bananas and layer across the pudding.
Put another 1/2 package of pudding on top of the bananas.
Put another layer of Nilla wafers on top.
Put another layer of 1/2 package of pudding on top of that.
Put another layer of banana on top of that.
Put the last 1/2 package of pudding on top of that
Put another layer of Nilla wafers on top of that.
Layer on a thick layer of the Cool Whip, covering the whole top
Put the last bit of banana slices on top of that

For best results, let sit long enough for the Nilla wafers to get kind of soft - usually overnight. However, if you can't wait that long (and Jamie and I couldn't) go ahead and dig in. It will still be delicious!

Pioneer Woman's Potato Salad

2009-06-29T10:52:00.001-05:00

Ever since I started following my old high school chum Jessi's blog, I've also followed Pioneer Woman's website, the link to which was on Jessi's blog. All I can say is, "Thank you, Jessi, for 'introducing' me to Ree!" Anyhoo, this recipe for homemade potato salad looked absolutely delish, so I couldn't resist posting a link to it here. I may just have to make this when I'm off work on Friday (woo hoo!)

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/06/fourth-of-july-week-perfect-potato-salad/

Enjoy! I know I will!

Ziploc Omelets

2009-06-24T20:33:00.000-05:00

My sister sent me this recipe to post. I'm not an egg eater, but I am an egg cooker; this looks pretty cool:

Ziploc Omelets

This works great!!! Good for when you're alone or when all your family is together. The best feature is that no one has to wait for their special omelet. Have the guests write their name on a Quart Size Ziploc Freezer Bag with a permanent marker.

1. Crack 2 eggs into the quart size Ziploc bag (not more than 2) shake to combine them.
2. Put out a variety of ingredients such as: Cheeses, Ham, Onions, Green Peppers, Tomatoes, Hash Browns, Salsa, Etc.
3. Each guest adds prepared ingredients of choice to their bag and shake the bag to mix them well.
4. Make sure to get the air out of the bag and zip it up.
5. Place the bags into rolling, boiling water for exactly 13 minutes. You can usually cook 6-8 omelets in a large pot. If you have more omelets, make another pot of boiling water.
6. Cut the bags and the omelet will roll out easily. Be prepared for everyone to be amazed.
7. Nice to serve with fresh fruit and coffee cake; everyone gets involved in the process and it becomes a great conversation piece.

Imagine having these ready the night before, and putting the bag in boiling water while you get ready. And in just 13 minutes you have a nice omelet for a quick breakfast.

"Pasta with peas"

2009-06-23T08:28:00.000-05:00

I sort of like this little old granny--I wish I had one like her, or at least knew this one.

Are You Kidding Me?

2009-05-24T01:39:00.000-05:00

It's chicken.

In a can. With pictures.

Click it.

You know you want to.

Pasta for Daniel

2009-05-18T07:03:00.000-05:00

At long last, we have a recipe for pasta that Daniel will eat.

He claimed to like pasta. He always tried it. He spoke of restaurant pasta he'd enjoyed (but couldn't describe it even far enough for me to make out wether it was alfredo or tomato sauce). But come to my apartment, and the variuos experiments (Rachel Ray, Saving Dinner, Better Homes and Gardens...), and no luck. He would try it. Sometimes even eat some for leftovers. But he was not happy. Maybe even kind of grossed out. "Tastes like white people food." This was true of the "Great Greek Pasta" with chicken and greek seasonings--he loves Greek food--from the "Saving Dinner" cookbook. This was true of the meat sauce we tried two weeks ago. He chose the recipe, and even the meat (lamb). "Tastes like tomatoes." I tasted the lamb, and the Italian parsley, in every bite, but Daniel only tasted tomatoes. He doesn't much care for tomatoes. Also true of the fresh tomato-heavy sauce from Better Homes and Gardens ("No flavor." This was before I figured out he didn't like tomatoes much.) and the Pasta Primavera recipe from the back of another box of pasta in Publix. The first time he liked it, but the second time, "It tastes different."

On to the succeess. My brother taught me how to make Naked Pasta. We grew up eating some pasta naked. It was usually served with Ragu heated in a saucepan. (Though my parents make good pasta with meat sauce--can't remember the name.) So we experimented a bit and found that we liked it just as much without the sauce. Thus he tried Naked Pasta. I think the recipe can be found somewhere on this blog. I tired Naked Pasta for Daniel. "White people food." I tried it again a little later, to the same answer. Then recently, I went much bolder with the add-ins. Much more crushed red pepper, more black pepper, fewer herbs, and added it all after draining the pasta instead of before. (I had wanted the dried herbs to soak up some of the water.) So the successful recipe was some dried oregano, garlic powder, fresh ground black pepper, a pinch of sea salt, generous layers of red pepper flakes. This last time I also used some of that leftover fresh Italian parsley. Success! I can say that, because he ate it once and asked for it again a couple of weeks later, and liked it again.

100th Post! Woot!

2009-04-19T12:05:00.000-05:00

If the counter on the home page is correct, this is the 100th post of R.O.U.S.-es! I came up with my own quick-n-easy recipe, using mainly left overs, and thought I would share in case any of you are as time-crunched as I am and need something fairly quick and nutritious to feed the fam. Usually when I make pasta of any sort, I wind up making way to much noodles for the amount of sauce I have made. Over the years, I've discovered this is actually a good thing, as it can be a way to stretch one cooking session into several meals, without eating the same stuff over and over and getting tired of it. I learned to store leftover sauce and the noodles separately so I can use them for other items. The noodles in question are the tri-flavored spirals (plain, spinach and tomato) we seem to prefer around here for our pasta. Seems like the sauce "sticks" to the crevices in these noodles better than it would to plain-old spaghetti. However, any noodle will do. The below recipe uses leftovers and/or common staples I keep in my pantry.

Alfredo a la Leftovers

Leftover spiral pasta (or whatever kind of pasta you prefer)
Can or jar of favored alfredo sauce of whatever type you prefer
leftover chicken or can of chicken breast or chicken from the freezer
can of mushrooms or fresh if you have them on hand
seasoning to taste (I like to add more Italian seasoning and salt and pepper to taste)

There are two ways you can make this a) Dump some pasta in a microwave safe bowl with the other ingredients, mix well, then microwave until it's hot; or b) For a better blended taste, mix ingredients in an oven safe casserole dish, sprinkle parmesan cheese and more Italian seasoning over the top and bake at 350 degrees until it's warm and the edges are lightly browned.

Serve this dish with a dinner salad, and you have a pretty well balanced and tasty quick meal!

Need Suggestions and Ideas, Please!

2009-04-16T15:31:00.000-05:00

Okay, people. I need your help. More specifically, I need ideas and suggestions as to quick, easy, tasty, NUT FREE meals for me and my kid. I'm burned out on eating restaurant/fast food. Then we did the chef salad thing for a while. Everything in my own library of recipes that is fast and simple has been done over and over again. I need your recipes! If you're a member of this blog, please post your favorite quick and easies as a new post. If you aren't, please add it in a comment. I'm too busy to cook and oh so tired of what I've been doing for dinner up to now. Your help is much appreciated!

Baking/Cooking Jag

2009-03-20T14:40:00.000-05:00

I took a week off work last week, just because, and have been home this week sick. In the meantime, I've been on quite the jag in my kitchen.

During my timeoff, armed with print-outs of Good Eats transcripts (from Good Eats Fan Page), I made Blueberry Muffins, Very Basic Bread (2 loaves), Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto, and Premium Mint Chip Ice Cream.

The Blueberry Muffins were really good. A bit denser than I expected, but I think that might be from the yogurt. The Very Basic Bread was excellent. The second time I made it, I forgot to glaze it with water and cornstarch and slash it, but it came out better--still had a nice crust, but nothing requiring gnawing to get through.

The Mint Chip Ice Cream is sublime! I had two quarts worth after churning, and it's better than anything I've bought at the store! I used 2t of peppermint extract instead of peppermint oil and got exactly the mint taste I wanted, without the chemical/alcohol aftertaste. This recipe sounds scarier than it is, with the scalding of the dairy and tempering with eggs for a custard, but it wasn't that hard. I did use my mixer to beat the eggs and sugar and temper the custard. The only difference was that I had a foam develop that went away on the second heating to 170 degrees.

A tip on the Risotto--scale this recipe way down. 2 cups of rice is a ton after cooking, and it was hard to ensure a even finish with that much rice. I'm going to try it again, but scaled for 1/2 cup of rice to better control the product. Also, the leftovers heated nicely in the microwave. I also found the mushroom and asparagus paired with leftover roast very well, making me wish I had used beef broth instead of chicken broth.

I tried Pate a Choux to make eclairs and cream puffs. This recipe is easy to put together, but very fussy. I blew out my Ziploc pastry bag on my first try piping, and the dough was very sticky. I didn't get much of a rise, so my eclairs came out the size of circus peanuts. I whipped up a quick whipped cream and stuffed them, then threw them in a Ziploc bag and into the freezer. The frozen "cream puffs" are not bad, but nothing near what I was going for. I think if I try this again, I might use a disher (#20) to get the rough size I want for the eclairs.

After reading the recent news about traces of mercury in high-fructose corn syrup, I bought popsicle molds to make CJ's favorite snack on my own. I made cranberry-grape popsicles that he loves--3 cups Cranberry-Grape Juice (100%), 3/4 cup sugar, and 2 T of lime juice. Stir till dissolved, then pour into molds, assemble sticks, and freeze. They came out very well, and CJ likes them very much. I have a Good Eats fudgsicle recipe to try next.

Monday, I made ham and lentil soup, loosely based on Alton's recipe, and paired it with a fresh loaf of Very Basic Bread. Yummy! Too bad I forgot to add the swiss chard I had intended. Tuesday, as the cold was overtaking me, I was able to make a fresh Chicken Noodle Soup--Chopped half a sweet onion, 3 carrots, and a stalk of celery, a couple cloves of garlic, sweated that in olive oil, then added two chicken leg quarters and 3 qts of water. Add salt, two bay leaves, pepper, a bit of curry powder, a bit of sage, and a bit of turmeric. Bring to boil, then simmer two hours. Pull out the leg quarters to cool, remove the bay leaves, add an 8oz bag of egg noodles and let boil till noodles are done. Meanwhile, remove chicken meat from bones and fat, roughly chop, and add back to pot. Another success, and also very yummy with the leftovers of that loaf of bread.

Right now, I have dough from Suze's recipe for bread rising in the oven, and should be ready to bake it in a few hours. It's coming along nicely--I realized after I got it together I had forgotten to add oil, and I added 2t of honey, so we'll see. I used my mixer to assemble it, per the Very Basic Bread recipe, and that seemed to work.

This weekend, provided I feel better, I plan to make another batch of muffins, the Premium Chocolate Ice Creams, more cranberry popsicles, fudgsicles, and maybe try the risotto again. No pressure.

A week for creativity

2009-03-14T13:11:00.001-05:00

Woo, seems like it's been years since I posted on here! This week I had a couple of occasions to make new (to me) dishes. Tuesday, I fixed a corn casserole for a friend's family. It was pretty much the standard corn casserole recipe, so I shan't post it. If you would like to see it, let me know in the comment section, and I'll put it up. When I took the casserole to the house, there was no one there, so I had to leave it on the back stoop. I asked another friend later if they had found the casserole I left (as well as the dish of green beans and salad that someone else left). I was assured that they had, and that they thought the corn casserole was very good.

Wednesday, I made my first veggie appetizer pizza. Again, this was a standard recipe, so I'll omit posting it with the same suggestion: if you want the recipe, let me know. I took that to our Friendship program in Lexington, for the mothers of the babies we babysit every Thursday as well as all the other international wives who show up. It disappeared, so I guess it was okay, too.

After I finished the pizza, I baked a cake. (Thursday was my birthday.) It was an extremely simple recipe--a box of spice cake mix and a 16-oz can of pumpkin puree. That's it. Mix those two ingredients, put in a greased 9x13 pan, and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for about 23-25 minutes. That recipe can also be baked in muffin pans, for a baking time of 20 minutes. It looked pretty messy, but it tastes pretty good.

Now, for my best recipe of the week (in my opinion). Today David and I are watching the SEC conference on TV, and lunchtime sneaked up on us. I knew I had an extra bag of raw mixed vegetables left from the pizza on Wednesday, and I needed to use them up. I also knew I had ramen noodles. The result of combining those two ingredients was terrific.

Ingredients
bag of mixed veggies from the produce department (broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots)
2 pkgs of beef-flavored ramen noodles

Rinse the veggies in a colander. Place them in some sort of microwave safe dish that has a lid (or a way to cover). Add a scant 1/4 cup of water. Cover and microwave for two minutes. Drain.

Bring a quart of water to boil in a 4-quart saucepan or small dutch oven. When the water is boiling, add the seasoning packets from the ramen noodles and stir. Then add the noodles; stir to separate. Finally, add the vegetables. Stir again. When the pot starts to boil again, cover and cook for two minutes.

That's it, folks! Easy, cheap, and with the vegetables, reasonably nutritious. David says we could always add meat if we wanted to do so--that would be a good use for the leftover chicken or ham or whatever you might have in the ice box.

Haven't Cooked Much Lately

2009-03-11T15:28:00.000-05:00

Been too busy with trying to do midterms, assignments and wade through legal crap to cook much, but I did cook last night. You may already know from my blog that I cooked shrimp scampi again last night. I noticed the lack of vegetables, and it got me wondering what shrimp scampi would taste like on a bed of grilled squash and zuccini, or nested on top of a pile of spagetti squash. I'll have to try it soon (if I can figure out how to COOK spagetti squash) and let you know how it turns out.

Easy Calzones

2009-02-25T20:33:00.000-06:00

Tonight I made a quick and easy dinner.

I took Rhodes rolls (frozen dinner rolls) and thawed them (this takes about an hour give or take a bit). I then smooshed a roll out and topped him with cooked chicken and cheese. I added either fresh mushrooms or broccoli. I topped the entire puddle of filling with another smooshed out roll and pinched the edges together to make a little pouch of roll stuffed with stuff. At this point you have two options. Stick them in the freezer or bake them at 350 for 15-20 minutes. Either way you're good to go! (To serve from frozen thaw them a little. Or not. Whatever.)

Vegetable Curry Stew

2009-02-24T07:28:00.001-06:00

I've been reading Wicked Anomie's sociology blog for a while now, and began reading her recipe blog recently, too. This recipe for vegetable curry stew sounded so good, I just had to post a link to it here. I'm planning on trying this one out really soon!

Becca's No Clue Curry

2009-01-30T10:55:00.000-06:00

I'm a little nervous posting this one, since I'm afraid Ann and Daniel might come hunting me for messing up a classic. I've discovered Indian food over the past year and found that I love it, especially lamb! I had the good fortune of working with an awesome Indian woman named Radhika last year who shared some secrets about cooking Indian food, and helped me realize it's not as scary as I thought.

Since I don't have time to cook traditionally, I'm posting a few modified recipes that I make at home. This is from studying traditional recipes and figuring out how to modify for the time I have. I don't have a recipe set in stone, but just cook; this is what I did last night. I'll borrow from Tara's structure--Dishes first, recipes to follow:

Quick Chicken Curry
Basmati Rice
Chickpeas
Raita

Quick Chicken Curry
Roughly 2 cups cooked chicken (about half of a rotissarie chicken left over from a night or two before)
1 can diced tomatoes
1 small can green chilis, diced
1/4 onion, chopped or frenched (or onion powder)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced (I cheat, I use a heaping tablespoon of garlic from a jar I get at Costco)
6-8 oz plain yogurt (whatever size carton you get at the grocery store)
Curry powder, turmeric, ground cumin, red pepper flake, ground ginger, black pepper, kosher salt

In your favorite skillet on medium heat, add a pat of butter and melt. Add the onions and cook till soft. Add 5/6 of the tomatoes and all the green chilis. Add curry powder, cumin, and pepper flake to your taste. Add pinch of kosher salt, few cracks of black pepper, and sprinkles of turmeric and ginger. Turn to medium-high heat and cook until the liquid begin to boil; turn heat to medium and stir in carton of yogurt. Stir in cooked chicken; reduce on medium heat until sauce thickens and reduces, stirring occasionally (about 10-15 minutes, depending on the amount of liquid). Adjust taste and add more curry, cumin, or salt as you desire.

Basmati Rice
(note: If you have frozen peas, you can add them directly to the saucepan after the broth comes to a boil and you turn the heat down, or about 5 minutes before the rice is done--it depends on the texture you want. Closer to the end makes for peas that are crisper to the bite. You might need to adjust the salt and seasoning with the extra moisture from the peas)
1 pat butter
1 cup basmati rice (you can use white rice, but there's a nuttiness to the flavor that you'll lose)
1 1/2 cups water or chicken broth
Pinches of salt, turmeric, and black pepper

In a saucepan on medium heat, melt the butter then add the rice, stirring to coat. Once you start smelling the aroma that gets unlocked from the rice, add the broth or water, salt, pepper, and turmeric. Bring to a boil, then turn to low heat. Let simmer about 15 minutes (start checking around 12 minutes to make sure rice doesn't overcook). Done.

Chickpeas
(I cheat quite a bit here)
1 can garbanzo beans
1/6 can diced tomatoes (kept from the curry above, or you could chop a tomato if making this alone)
1 t. dried cilantro
1 t. lemon juice
Kosher salt, black pepper, garam masala (or curry powder, cumin, and nutmeg)

In a small saucepan, combine beans, tomatoes, cilantro, and lemon juice. Add pinch of kosher salt, few cracks of black pepper, and sprinkles of chosen seasoning. Cook on medium low heat until heated through, stirring occasionally.

Raita
(This is Tom's favorite part)
2 fresh tomatoes (good ripe ones)
1 cucumber
6-8 oz carton of plain yogurt
1t - 1T lemon juice
Kosher salt, black pepper, ground ginger, honey

Peel cucumber and dissect, removing seeds. Cube and place in bowl. Cut tomatoes in quarters, remove seeds, and dice. Add to cucumber. Add pinch of salt, cracks of pepper, sprinkles of ground ginger, one squirt of honey. Stir together, then add lemon juice and yogurt. Stir--done.

Last night, I managed to get the timing down so that I started the rice, got the curry going, put on the chickpeas after the rice was done, and let the rice cook while made the raita and the chickpeas and curry finished. Around half an hour from start to finish.

Here's what's cooking!

2009-01-30T10:24:00.000-06:00

I've got an extra kid today since his mom is at appointments with his little brother ALL DAY LONG. Since I'm totally insane I'm also tossing together some dinner for them. (Have I mentioned that I'm totally insane?)

Here's the menu, recipes to follow.

Farmer's Casserole
Focaccia Bread
Chocolate chip/M&M cookies

Farmers Casserole (Once A Month Cooking cookbook)

6 cups frozen shredded hash browns
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno peppers (using plain, lots of kids)
1 cup diced fully cooked ham (leftovers from the other night, bonus!)
1/2 cup sliced green onion
4 beaten large eggs
1 12 oz can evaporated milk
1/8 t pepper
1/4 t salt

Grease 9x13 pan. Arrange potatoes evenly on the bottom of the dish (which means dump them in and spread them around). Sprinkle with cheese, ham and green onion.

In a medium mixing bowl combine eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Pour egg mixture over potato mixture.

**At this point you can freeze this dish and make it for later. When you go to use it, thaw it out and bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until center appears set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

***I'm making two smaller pans of this instead of the one. One for us, one for them!

Focaccia Bread: I got this one at Antique Mommy this morning. Instead of copying the entire thing I'll just link!

And the yummy sounding cookies I have no recipe for. They're from a jar mix we were given when we moved in! :) Happy cooking!

A Simple Drink

2009-01-30T09:37:00.000-06:00

This is a short one, but as I'm curled up with this drink right now, I thought I would share. If you're looking for an alternative to $4 Starbucks, here you go:

1 packet hot cocoa mix of your choice
6 oz brewed coffee

Open packet, dump contents in mug. Pour in coffee and stir. Mmm, that's great mocha!

In college we discovered this when we were working in the radio station at odd hours and the coffee was sitting so long it got bitter. We called it Cafe del Diablo. If you have coffee that's been sitting for a while, go ahead and mix in some cocoa and pour over ice--if you're so inclined, throw it all in a blender and you have a Frappuccino!

This is also really good for those times when you buy a brand of coffee on sale, like a store brand, even though you haven't had it before, but you can't resist the deal and go ahead and buy the 32oz can for 3.99 and after you get it home and open it and brew a pot, you realize that it's fairly disgusting and you have a WHOOOOOOOOOOOLE lot of coffee left before you could justify opening another can.

And if that happens, and you happen to have a box of fat-free, 25% less sugar hot cocoa packets sitting in your pantry for a year because you stumbled upon them on sale and thought to yourself, "Fat-free, less sugar, but it's cocoa--how can you screw that up?" but then you tried them and realized that indeed, that could get screwed up fairly badly, then you have everything you need for some Cafe del Diablo.

Just sayin'.

steak fajitas

2009-01-11T12:34:00.000-06:00

I know it's been ages since I posted a recipe or even a comment, but that doesn't mean I haven't been reading! Here's a recipe I just put up on Madtown Mama...

This past fall we split an order of a quarter steer with a friend of mine. The animal was organic, grass-fed, and lived on a farm not far from Madison. It's good meat. Since I didn't eat meat regularly as an adult until I got pregnant with Daniel (I craved protein and it never let up!), I am pretty clueless as to how to cook it. Ground beef isn't so difficult (taco meat, hamburgers), but we have all these roasts and steaks that take actual culinary skill to prepare. My mom's coming up for a week next month, and I'm hoping we can do a roast together so I can learn how to do that. But steaks? I'm not a big fan of steak, never have been, and I know that they can be tricky to get right. I tend to be paranoid about undercooked meat, so if I tried to cook a steak, it would probably be completely overdone and tough and, frankly, a waste of time and good meat.

When meat is cut up into little pieces, I find it much less intimidating. When it's combined with other things like vegetables, I find it much more appetizing. Thus, I've come up with one solution to this particular problem: steak fajitas. They can be rather labor-intensive to prepare, but they're so delicious, they're worth the effort.

First of all, I make my own tortillas. I think I've posted this recipe before, but that was a long while ago, so you get it again. Once you make your own tortillas, it's awfully hard to go back. If you live in Chicago or New York or someplace with lots of Hispanic/Latino markets with fresh, cheap tortillas, consider yourself lucky. Madison is not such a place, so I make my own.

Flour Tortillas (1 recipe makes about 16 flatbreads; I usually do half for me and Stu)
Mix:
4 cups flour (can sub up to half with whole wheat)
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking powder
Cut in:
1 stick unsalted butter OR 1/2 cup shortening OR 1/2 cup lard
Add and knead just for a minute or so:
1 and 1/4 cup warm water, more if the dough is dry, less if it's sticky
Cover and let rest for an hour or so.
Divide dough into 12-16 balls of equal size, depending on how big you want the tortillas to be. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Do not add oil; the skillet should be seasoned, but dry. One at a time, roll the balls into flat rounds. To cook, place the tortilla on the hot pan, flip after 10 seconds, flip again after about 30 seconds, then remove when it starts to brown, but not smoke.

Steak filling
Slice 1 medium onion, 1 green or bell pepper, and 1-2 cloves of garlic, mix with 2 T. fajita seasoning (Penzey's is good) or 1 T. chili powder and set aside in a bowl.
Slice a steak of your choosing (I've used tenderloin, porterhouse, and sirloin because I really don't know the difference...) into very thin slices. Sprinkle with fajita seasoning or chili powder, then add to a very hot cast iron skillet with a little oil and stir fry 1-2 minutes, or until pieces are browned through. Remove meat from heat and save in a bowl. Turn heat to medium and sauté vegetable mixture 3-5 minutes, or until onions are clear. Add meat and stir until everything's heated through.

Wrap the filling in tortillas with any or all of the following:
chopped lettuce
salsa
chopped tomatoes
cilantro
sour cream
shredded cheese (jack, queso fresco, etc)
avocado or guacamole

I can eat these until, well, until the cows come home.

Quick and Easy Shrimp Scampi

2008-11-12T10:28:00.000-06:00

Tired of the same-old same-old dinners, last night I whipped together a scampi-esque meal, but I used rice instead of pasta. It was a major hit! I don't really have any exact measurements; I just put the ingredients in until it "looked right" to me.

Ingredients:
~ 2 Tbsp. olive oil
~1/2 lb. pre-cooked, deveined peeled frozen shrimp (thawed)
butter or margarine (probably about 2-4 Tbsp.)
white wine (~1 cup)
garlic (I used powdered)
onion (I used powdered)
Italian seasoning
lemon pepper
dash salt

Directions:

Put enough olive oil in bottom of skillet to lightly coat entire surface
On medium-high setting, heat oil and add butter or margarine. Allow to melt.
Add shrimp.
Add garlic, onion, lemon pepper, dash salt and Italian spices. I added until the shrimp had a nice "coat" of spices on it.
Add wine and stir all ingredients well.
Turn heat up to high and allow to boil. Let boil until all alcohol has evaporated off and there is a level of "juice" left in the pan that is to your liking. Don't cook too long, though, or the shrimp gets rubbery.

I had enough juice left that I fished out the shrimp and served on the side separately, then poured the juice over the white rice I served as a side. Add a side of green peas, and you have a yummy, balanced meal. (Note: I have been strongly urged by Jamie to make this again!)

Frugal tip:

You can make a whole other meal if you have left over shrimp. Just add cold shrimp to the top of a garden salad, add some shredded cheese and some vinaigrette, and you have shrimp chef's salad for another meal!

Beef Tips and Gravy

2008-09-27T13:35:00.000-05:00

I guess there's been some question as to whether or not anyone is reading. I think people are reading, just not posting!

Here's my favorite fall and winter recipe. Quick and easy and freezes well!

Beef Tips and Gravy

1-2 lbs of stew meat (I just buy one package, who knows how much is in it?)
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 oz sliced mushrooms
12 oz 7-up

Toss them all in a 9x13 pan. Stir it around a little to mix everything together. Cover tightly and bake at 350 for 3 hours (yes, three hours). Serve over mashed potatoes, rice or noodles.

To make ahead and freeze: Toss everything in a gallon sized freezer quality baggie (not a storage one). Smoosh it all around and freeze. On serving day, thaw, and follow the above directions. You can pre-prep several of these at once and have dinner in the freezer for several meals.

The end! This makes a great meal for company. It's quick and easy, requires little prep and clean up and since you put it on mid-afternoon, you have plenty of time to clean the house while dinner is cooking!

My brother's mother-in-law 's Gwen Curry

2008-09-19T11:43:00.001-05:00

No recipe, just checking to see if anyone is reading here!

My mother-in-law's Lamb Curry

2008-08-22T16:11:00.001-05:00

I don't have the recipe in front of me, but I think I remember it. I'll fix it later if I find a mistake. :-)

1 cup fresh coconut and 1 handful of cilantro (with or without stems) ground to a paste.*
sliced onion (1/8 of a big one? my mother-in-law's onions are the size of golf balls and she uses 1)
3 green chilies, slit in half lengthwise
1 tsp of crushed ginger and garlic (can chop then grind in mortar and pestle)
1 tsp coriander powder (can grind the seeds in a coffee grinder)
1/2-1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2-1 1/2 tsp salt
pinch turmeric
2 plum tomatoes, chopped
lamb shanks*

On medium heat, in oil, saute the onion, green chilies, and ginger-garlic paste (until the strong smell goes away). Add the coconut/cilantro paste. Fry it until it's dry. Add the coriander, cayenne pepper, salt, and turmeric. Fry for a few seconds. Add the tomatoes. Cover and cook for about 2-3 minutes, until the tomatoes can be squashed with a wooden spoon. Add the lamb. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Add about a cup of water and cover and cook for 30 minutes. Or, transfer to a pressure cooker with sufficient water and cook for 4 whistles (about 20 minutes). Serve over rice or with flat bread (rotis, chapatis, even tortillas would be good.)

*I used to have an Indian mixer, but I burned out the motor. It was a good one because you could grind things finely without having to add a lot of water. This time I used a food processor to break everything up, but it was still a little chunky for our taste, so I put it in the blender with some water, and then had to strain it with a sieve. Once I used just the food processor and you could totally feel the texture of the coconut, which wasn't too pleasant with lamb. Last time I used the blender and the coconut was fine, but it took forever to cook out all the water. This time was perfect with food processor, blender, sieve. but if you have a food processor that grinds things finely than you're set. Anyway. Turns out my mixer had a reset button on the bottom. It's okay now.

*My mother-in-law doesn't do this, and I didn't the first two times I made it, but this time I boiled the lamb first and drained off the fat. Then I put it in the fridge until I was ready for it, and the remaining fat totally congealed and I just sliced it right off. It was way less greasy than the other times I made it. Lamb can be pretty fatty. So what I did was sort of poach it. I covered the lamb in water and covered the pan and brought it to a boil then simmered it for 15 minutes. I also cut down the cooking time later so it wouldn't be too overcooked, since the meat was pretty well done after the poaching. But since we used a pressure cooker, it was still plenty tender. This is just if you're concerned about your fat intake or don't like your lamb too greasy. :-) We do this with chicken and ground beef and lots of stuff.

White Bread

2008-06-20T17:11:00.000-05:00

In response to Jenn's request for bread recipes, here you go! My mom noted on this recipe card that it was her first loaf of bread. And mine, too!

1 1/4 C warm water
1 pkg dry yeast
2 T soft shortening
2 t salt
2 T sugar
3 c flour (I'd bet on all purpose)

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add salt, sugar, shotrening and half the flour. Beat 2 minutes on medium speed of mixer. Add remainging flour, blend with a spoon until smooth. Cover, let rise in a warm place 30 minutes. Beat 25 strokes, spread in a greased loaf pan. Smooth into shape. Let rise 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375. Bake 45 minutes.

OR

Dump liquid ingredients in your bread machine pan. Dump dry ingredients on top leaving out the yeast. Make a little well in the top of the dry ingredients. Dump the yeast in the well. Turn the thing on and let it do all the stirring, kneading, mixing, spreading and waiting. Go read my blog and enjoy your summer!

Banana Bread

2008-06-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

From Better Homes and Gardens cookbook

Prep 25 minutes Bake 55 minutes Oven 350

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
2 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (5 medium)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter or margarine
NO nuts (but other people can add 1/4 cup chopped walnuts)
optional: Streusel Topping*

1. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9x5x3-inch or two 7 1/2x3 1/2x2-inch loaf pans; set aside. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1/4 tsp salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, bananas, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Nut people fold in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared pans. If desired, sprinkle Streusel Topping over batter.

3. Bake in a 350 oven for 55 to 60 minutes for 9x5x3-inch pan, or 40 to 45 minutes for 7 1/2x3 1/2x2-inch pans, or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (if necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning). Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.

*Streusel Topping: In a small bowl combine 1/4 cup packed brown sugar and 3 tablespoons all purpose flour. Using a pastry blender, cut in 2 T butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (Nut people can stir in 1/3 cup chopped walnuts.)

I think you could put the batter in a muffin pan and bake it for half the time.

Basic Lamb Curry

2008-06-04T07:50:00.001-05:00

I think this recipe is from Vahrevah.com.

Basic Lamb Curry

1 T oil
whole garam masala: 3 cinnamon sticks, 6 green cardamom pods, 6 cloves
1 onion, diced (I like red onions for indian food.)
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
pinch turmeric powder
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2" pieces of lamb
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
2 tsp corrainder powder
1 tsp cumin powder
water
1-2 green chilies, diced
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
black pepper
handful chopped cilantro

Heat oil. Add whole garam masala, onion, and salt. When onions begin to brown, add turmeric and ginger garlic. Sautee ginger garlic until the raw smell goes away. Add lamb. Stir. When lamb begins to become white, add cayenne pepper, corrainder powder, and cumin powder. Add 1 cup water. STir. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. Add green chilies, coconut powder, and black pepper. Add cilantro. Cook 1o more mintues, covered. Serve with rice or flat bread (chapatis, naan, or even wheat tortillas would be good.)

Easy Lamb (or turkey, beef, or chicken) Keema

2008-06-04T07:37:00.000-05:00

Recipe by Vijay Golla (our buddy)

This one's super easy, and you can substitute ground turkey, beef, or chicken if you can't get a hold of ground lamb. (If you choose to use beef or lamb, you may want to take measures to reduce the fat, or you may not!)

Lamb Keema

1/2 tsp cumin seeds
oil
1 onion, sliced into strips
1 lb of ground something
water
salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste (can use grated ginger and minced garlic, or watever you think)
1/4 tsp turmeric powder (or less)
1/2 tsp corriander powder (I prefer grinding this from corriander seeds over buying it in powder form--makes a huge difference in flavor)
1/2 tsp garam masala (I think it's cinnamon, cloves, and star anise--I think it varies. You could probably substitute chinese 5 spice powder, of just use some spices you think would be good with lamb)

Heat 3 tsp of oil over medium heat. Add cumin seeds.
Add onion. Fry till golden.
Add ground (Something) and break it up with your spoon or spatula.
Add a cup of water.
Add cayenne pepper, ginger/garlic, and salt (to taste).
Add turmeric and corriander powder.
Let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, over medium heat.
Add 1/2 tsp garam masala.
Let it cook for another 1o minutes, and it should be ready. (The water should reduce to a gravy.)

Bread recipes requested

2008-06-03T14:46:00.000-05:00

What with Jamie's new food restrictions, and the exhorbitant cost of bread without milk that is also not processed in a facility with nuts or peanuts, I'm begging for simple bread recipes. I think I'll be having to bake my bread this summer (that is, if it's cheaper). I'm trying to find any way I can to cut costs this summer, as we're all broke (I think the whole country can relate to that!)

Also, if anyone has any yummy milkless and nutless dessert recipes, and things a small boy can pack in his lunch to summer daycare, it would be much appreciated if you would share! (Annie-Lou, I'm going to see if Jamie likes your chapatis or not, as that sounds like a good thing for me to put in his lunch this summer).

Thanks!

chapatis

2008-06-03T13:11:00.000-05:00

Okay, now I know how to make chapatis. They may not be the way all Indians make them, but they're the way my in-laws make them, and they're the way I make them, and I really like them and they're super easy. Remember the pages-long post I wrote a few months ago on chapatis? I learn things the hard way. I always make things way too complicated at first. So, here goes.

Ingredients:
chapati flour
oil (I've used olive and canola)
salt
water

Procedure:
scoop out some flour--maybe a cup and a half--into a bowl. Make a hole in the middle. Sprinkle with salt, not a lot. (I sprinkle the top with the shaker. Sometimes I go around twice. I kind of like them saltier, but of course that's not good for you if you eat them often.) Put up to a teaspoon of oil in the hole. Add about 1/8 to 1/4 cup of water (depending on the humidity in the air). Start with less, and add more if you need it. I just stick the bowl under the faucet and fill the hole I made, then mix around with my fingers, then add more water if I can't make a dough. You want to use just enough water--too much will make your dough unmanagably sticky. (You do want the dough to be a just a little sticky when you're first forming it, because it will become more managable after it rests.) Form a ball. (If you can't form a ball, you'll need to add more flour or water!) Let it rest for about 10 minutes. Then knead it again and break off a chunk--a little more than a fistfull for my hands, but I have man hands. Form that into a ball in your hand, and then (still in your hands) stretch into a sort of disk. Then dip it in your flour on both sides and then roll it out on your surface (I think that's way less messy than sprinkling flour on your surface). Roll it into a circle, pretty thin, but not paper thin. Just uniformly thin, about the size of a dinner plate. Then fry it on a heavy flat skillet (mine's anodized, but I've used stainless steel, regular nonstick, and cast iron--all are fine, but I think the anodized is easiest to clean. Ie, I almost never wash it. Gross, huh.) Or, you can do like Daniel's family does, and instead of frying it at this point, instead spread a thin layer of oil on it (a few drops) and fold it into a triangle and roll it out again and then fry it. You can use oil to fry it or not. Your choice. Doesn't that sound easy?

We eat chapatis for breakfast. Daniel dunks them in his tea. (Black tea boiled with sugar and skim milk.) We also sometimes take them for lunch (they're great warmed up in a toaster oven--almost better than fresh), and eat them for dinner pretty often with currys. I like them with meat curries, but they really make some vegetables more palatable. Bell pepper curry, for example, is way better with chapatis than with rice, I think. They're also good for a quick snack. I don't know how long it takes to make--start to finish, maybe 20, excluding the resting time, which can be 5-10 minutes (longer if you cover the dough). You can keep dough for a day or two in the fridge, covered. You can even keep it out of the fridge for a while if it's not too hot--I've kept it overnight quite often and it just becomes softer and more manageable. Toss it if it starts to smell fermented. (Though I've eaten them at that point before and they tasted fine, but I'm not easily grossed out.)

So there ya go. They sell frozen chapatis at indian groceries and they're really good. You may want to try a pack sometime. You'd have to go there anyway to get the flour I think. I"m not sure about that, though.

Make Ahead

2008-05-29T20:38:00.000-05:00

I am going for Montessori Training next month (in two weeks) and am thinking about what I can do to help Daniel eat well while I'm gone. I'll be gone for three weeks, home on the weekends. Do you know any good sources for make-ahead meals? He's a good cook, and will be fine, but I'd like to help out.

Pizza and a tip

2008-05-14T16:18:00.000-05:00

Suze posted a beautiful tutorial on pizza making on her regular blog! Click on her name on the right to go see it. She's got skills and smarts!

I have discovered (well, my husband has) a most wonderful website for Indian cooking. It is called vahrevah.com, and that is its address. It's not the most technically wonderfully user-friendly website I've ever seen, but it does provide lovely video demos of awesome recipes. I know they're awesome, because every one that we've tried has been fabulous. We have tried the dosais, fish byriani, red kidney bean masala, green bell pepper masala, chicken curry, egg cube curry (maybe not fabulous, but I think it had to do with the baking dish I chose to use), egg byriani, upma rava, and chicken byriani. There are many things I love about this website. First, the man is entertaining. In one recipe, he tastes the food and excuses himself to go and cry. Really. I like that you can see on the screen how much of each ingredient he is using. I like that you can see how the food is supposed to look at the end of each stage of cooking. (He may not specify cooking times and amounts of ingredients every time, but at least you can look at the screen and make deductions). He gives a lot of "why's." I can see what type of vessel to use, and sometimes he even tells specifications on what kinds of pots are best, and once even gave a substitution suggestion. Anyway, just go and click on the video demos tab and then pick your picture and watch. It's fun. Then make something yummy. (Oh, be prepared to pause and take notes. Only a few have written recipes, and they're not the same as what he's showing you on the screen--somebody sent them in and he's adapted to suit his taste.)

Secret Project

2008-04-14T15:52:00.001-05:00

My class is doing a secret project for an upcoming holiday. Today the kindergartners all wrote recipes. We had one recipe for cookies, one for chocolate chip muffins, one for a boiled egg, two mac and cheeses, one ice cream, and a recipe for pancakes. Some highlights:

One ingredient in the pancake recipe was "2 tablespoons yellow liquid". Pretty impressive memory there on the quantity, I thought.

Ingredient list for one of the mac and cheese recipes: lots of cheese, lots of noodles, not much water. List of ingredients for the other mac and cheese recipe: 1 bag of cheese, 2 sets of water, 6 noodles, a microwave.

Ingredients for the muffin recipe: 4 chocolate chips, sprinkles, 5 chocolates, 2 bread.

Ingredients for cookies: 1 spoon of flour, 7 sprinkles, icing.

My favorite line from all the recipes: "Put it on the frying pan and then it turns into pancakes."

One of many

2008-02-28T12:40:00.000-06:00

Lately I've been dabbling in freezer cooking (not quite once a month cooking, but similar). I make a big batch of something, freeze 2-3 portions and have meals on hand to use later. I have 4-5 recipes that freeze well and that most of my family eats! Here is one of them:

BBQ Chicken Pizza

2 cups cooked and shredded/cubed chicken
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 small red onion, chopped (I only use about 1/3 and chop up the rest to freeze for next time)
2 green onions (which I buy in a bundle of 4-6ish, chop and freeze for next time)
1 cup shredded Gouda (again, one wheel makes 2 cups shredded. Grate all and freeze half.)
1 cup Mozzerella cheese (comes in a 2 cup package, you can figure out where I'm going here!)
1 prepared pizza crust (Boboli whole wheat is great, but the generics are good, too)

Spread 3/4 cup of bbq on the pizza crust, mix the rest with the chicken to coat. Spread the chicken over the crust.
Top with onions and cheese. Bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes.

You can prepare the pizza and wrap it in plastic wrap and foil to freeze. Just thaw it and bake as directed above. Or, you can make a "kit" of the ingredients in 4 different baggies (bbq sauce, bbq-ed chicken, onions and cheese) throw that in the freezer and assemble on serving day. Usually I make a double batch of pizza "guts", freeze one and serve the other!

Maybe I'll remember to post some of the other recipes here someday!

Always Remember...

2008-02-20T09:58:00.000-06:00

... To check the expiration date on eggs before you use them. I felt like crud over the weekend, and decided fudge brownies would make me feel better. Rachel's boyfriend Will had made a big breakfast that morning with pancakes, bacon, eggs and biscuits. So, when I looked for eggs in the fridge and saw a carton, I assumed (see that's where I get in trouble) that they were leftover eggs from Will's cooking spree.

Anyhoo, I made the brownies, Jamie and I licked the bowl and beater (which included raw egg product, natch), and then we ate some brownies. The next morning, I didn't feel very good, and my tummy and Jamie's tummy were queasy. Then Will asked me how I made brownies when he used the last of the eggs on breakfast.

"No you didn't," I said. Then he told me he had only bought a six pack of eggs.

Little warning bells started going off in my head. There was one of the eggs left from the carton I had used to make brownies. I checked the expiration date on the carton, then quickly threw the eggs away so no one else would make the same mistake I did...

The expiration date was 12-21-2007.

No wonder Jamie and I were queasy! We had eaten raw, expired eggs. We're lucky we didn't wind up with something worse than some queasiness!

Oh, and BTW, we're fine today, for the most part. So no big deal, other than being grossed out by eating eggs that old.

Jenn's Chicky-Cheese Casserole

2008-02-17T21:32:00.000-06:00

Today, I made a chicken casserole, and it was pretty good. We had a large bag of frozen chicken legs and thighs that needed to be used (I needed more room in the freezer), so I did the following:

Defrosted the chicken for two days in the fridge.
Put the now-thawed chicken in the crock pot with some water, dehydrated onions, garlic powder and Italian seasoning.
Cooked it on high for several hours, until the meat started falling off the bone.

Then, I deboned the chicken and let it sit in a bowl in the fridge overnight.

The next day, I cooked some white rice, then put it in the bottom of a casserole dish.
Preheated oven to 375 degrees.
Spread out cooked chicken on top of the rice. Added some water and a can of cream of chicken soup. Mixed well.

Added a can of drained peas. Ditto for a can of drained carrots.
Put more chicky on top.
Covered in shredded cheddar cheese.

Baked for 45 minutes.

It was very good. Even the pickiest eater in the house loved it!

It's been a while...

2008-02-15T21:35:00.001-06:00

since we've posted anything on this website.

What do you think? I don't make up any recipes on my own. I find them in cookbooks, or on other people's websites. Some, I get from my mother-in-law. So, they're not my recipes, but would you guys still like for me to post some of our favorite recipes on this blog? I mean, some of them I'd be just copying directly from the "Better Homes and Gardens" cookbook. It's not even an obscure cookbook! Sometimes I think about posting things, and then I think, "Everybody probably already owns this cookbook." What do you say?

Super Simple Turkey Recipe

2007-11-08T16:06:00.000-06:00

This recipe is sure to wow all your friends. I anticipate lots of compliments when I serve it this Thanksgiving. When I found this recipe, I thought it was perfect for people like me, who just are not sure how to tell when poultry is thoroughly cooked, but not dried out. Give this a try.

BAKED STUFFED TURKEY

12-15 pound turkey
1 1/2 cups melted butter
4 cups stuffing mix (Pepperidge Farm is good.)
1 cup uncooked popcorn ( ORVILLE REDENBACHER 'S LOW FAT)
Salt/pepper to taste
_____________________________

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Brush turkey well with
melted butter, salt, and pepper. Fill cavity with
stuffing and popcorn. Place in baking pan with the
neck end toward the back of the oven.

Listen for the popping sounds. When the turkey's
ass blows the oven door open and the turkey flies
across the room, it's done.

This recipe serves as many as don't mind ignoring the 5-second rule.

The Blog Looked So Lonely, I Just Had to Post a New Recipe

2007-11-06T10:32:00.001-06:00

Okay, so it's starting to get chilly here (it's "freezing" right now at a mere 63-degrees. LOL!) Anyhoo, the turn to brisk weather with lots of wind lead me to make some homemade bean soup a couple of weekends ago. It wasn't truly "homemade" as I cheated some, but it was still yummy.

Jenn's Bean Soup Cheater Recipe

1 lb. pre-package mixed bean soup beans
1 lb. package of diced ham
1 can or jar of diced tomatoes
spices to taste

Take the beans and sort them in a bowl, removing any stones or debris that may have been left after processing. Rinse beans. Add to a larged, lidded pot with 7-8 cups of cold water. Cover. Let soak 6-8 hours.

Uncover beans. Add your favorite spices. I added several "shakes" of prefab cajun spices, as well as some garlic powder and dehydrated minced onions - I'm not sure how much, I just kept adding until it smelled and looked right to me. Add tomatoes and ham. Place pan on stove over high heat. Heat til water boils. Turn heat down to medium-high and cover with lid. Simmer until beans are at the consistency you desire. Stir occassionally.

I usually ad a little reduced sodium soy sauce and squirt catsup in the soup when I serve it. It helps cool it down and makes it yummy. Rachel added cheese to hers. Jamie noticed that he likes Goldfish crackers in his. Whatever you do to it, it sure makes a warm spot in your belly on a chilly day!

Curried Lentils

2007-08-06T19:48:00.000-05:00

I have been fiddling with curried lentils for a while now. Lentils and rice is an ideal dish for so many reasons: it's cheap (really cheap), it's healthy, it's meatless, and it makes great leftovers. Unfortunately, I haven't found a recipe anywhere that imparts a satisfactory flavor. If food doesn't taste good, it's not worth eating, I say. Instead of giving up on curried lentils, though, I kept messing around until I hit on something really good, and now that I've made this dish successfully more than once, I figure it's worth sharing with the world at large, for those who care. In fact, I made this a few weeks ago for a friend who came over for dinner, and she asked for the recipe; I took that as a good sign.

I've learned a few things about curries from reading Indian cookbooks and old-fashioned experience, and I've learned a few things:

1. Don't overdo the spices, either by using too many different ones, or too much of one kind. They will overwhelm the palette. OMG, did I just use the word "palette"? Yes, yes I did.

2. Don't be afraid of oil. Vegetable oils aren't high in saturated fat, and some, like olive oil, have stuff in there that's good for you. Low-fat diets will get you nowhere anyway.

3. Do not add tomatoes or salt to any dish containing lentils or beans until the very end. There's some kind of enzyme that will prevent the lentils/beans from cooking all the way through and they will be crunchy. I had to learn this the hard way...several times.

4. Toppings and curry mix well. I've listed several in the recipe below.

CURRIED LENTILS
(I don't know if this is authentic to any particular culture...I just think it's good.)

Ingredients:
1 large onion, chopped
4 T. vegetable oil or ghee
2 tsp. chopped garlic
3/4 tsp. each cumin, coriander and cayenne (You can use more cayenne if you like it really hot)
1/2 tsp. turmeric
2 cups dry green lentils, washed and picked over
2 tsp. broth concentrate (I like Better Than Bullion Vegetable broth) or 2 bullion cubes of your choosing (I would use veggie or beef)
1/2 tsp. freshly ground cardamom seed
1 cup chopped potato

1. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan, and sauté the onion until soft, 5-7 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and spices and toast them, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
3. Add the lentils plus 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and let simmer until the lentils are just a little bit crunchy. Check them every 5-10 minutes and add water if necessary. (I always add the water gradually because I never know quite how much water is needed, and I hate watery lentils.)
4. When the lentils are not quite done, add the chopped potato, plus more water if necessary.
5. When the potatoes are cooked through, add the broth concentrate or bullion cubes, plus salt to taste. Sprinkle with the ground cardamom (you can leave this out if you don't like it peppery.)

This is a large recipe. It keeps well for leftovers for a couple days, and is usually better on day two, so if you think ahead enough (and I rarely do), you can make it several hours ahead of time or the night before and just heat it up when you're ready to eat.

Serve with rice of your choosing (I like steamed basmati, myself) and any or all of the following toppings:

Raisins
Dry roasted peanuts
Chopped fresh tomato (if this isn't available and you really like tomato, add a can of diced tomatoes to the lentils when they're done cooking along with the broth and salt)
Plain yogurt
Shredded coconut
Chopped banana
Boiled eggs, chopped
Chutney

Summer Salads

2007-07-01T16:39:00.000-05:00

Summer in Madison is hard to beat, not the least because of the great farmers' markets. The one on the Capitol Square is the largest of its kind in the world, and there are several other smaller markets throughout the metro area. Produce abounds: vegetables, berries, plants, flowers, and later in the season, squash, apples, melons...it's easy to buy more than you can eat. So just in time for the 4th of July, I'm sharing some of my favorite summer salad recipes. I usually don't measure ingredients, so amounts aren't too precise, but it's all to taste anyway. These are all very simple, and most delicious when made with vegetables fresh from the garden or farmers' market.

Potato Salad
Mix:
Approx. 2 lbs yellow, red or purple potatoes (or a combination), chopped.
2-3 eggs boiled for exactly 11 minutes.
1-2 T. chopped parsley (more if you really like parsley)
2 tsp. yellow mustard
1/3-1/2 cup mayonaise (you can sub part yogurt if you wish)
1/2 tsp. paprika
salt and pepper to taste

Tomato-Cuke Salad
This one hardly needs instructions! Chop or slice equal amounts fresh cucumber and tomato and mix with a little sugar, a little salt, a little pepper, and a splash of cider vinegar.

German-style green beans
This is the vegetarian version. I think the original German recipe calls for bacon.
Cut 1 lb. fresh green beans into 2" lengths and boil briefly, just until crisp-tender, in salted water.
Sauté 2 T. chopped red onion in 2 T. olive oil until soft.
Add the beans, along with 1 T. cider vinegar, and some salt and pepper to taste.
Stir just until the beans are coated, then remove from heat.
Serve warm or room temperature.

Easy, no?

Because I couldn't let May go by without a post

2007-05-31T09:54:00.000-05:00

I thought I would put on here my recipe for microwave-steamed squash, zuccini, tomatoes and onions.

Put sliced veggies of the above (or any other) variety in microwave-safe bowl.

Put a little water in the bottom.

Add a splash of olive oil and whatever spices you want.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap.

Nuke on high for about 2 minutes, check for doneness, then keep nuking until the veggies are steamed to your liking.

Eat and enjoy.

Chili a la Bambi

2007-04-20T15:01:00.000-05:00

I've made this twice now, and the kids have raved and raved about how much they love it, how it's different from my usual chili, etc. Well, folks, the secret ingredient is Bambi. Obviously, I didn't tell them that. One of the partners at work is a big hunter, and had some venison that would go to waste if he didn't get rid of it soon, so he brought it to work. So, I got some free meat (cool!)

I've eaten venison some while growing up, and my mom always told me to mix it half-and-half with hamburger meat so it doesn't taste stringy or tough. So that's what I did here.

Chili a la Bambi

1 lb ground extra lean hamburger
1 lb ground Bambi - I mean venison
2 cans dark red kidney beans
2 cans generic diced tomatoes with sweet onion
Diced onions (to taste)
Buttload of ground chili powder (to taste)
Buttload of ground cumin (to taste)
garlic powder (to taste)
dash salt
dash pepper

Brown the meat together in a large skillet. Add onion and brown some more. Add canned stuff. Mix well. Keep adding spices and tasting it every so often until it tastes the way you want it to. If you need to stretch it to feed a bunch of people, you can make some white rice on the side and mix when serving. However, if you do this, be aware that you'll need to add a buttload more spices as the rice will make it more bland. Serve. And if you have kids, don't tell them Bambi's in it. Mine still doesn't know.

KISS cooking (or, 'Fun with Pie Crusts')

2007-03-30T19:54:00.000-05:00

I'm a practioner of sorts of the KISS theory (keep it simple, stupid). Sometimes, I like doing the artsy stuff in the kitchen. Most times, however, I am short on time, patience, energy, and money. Thus, keeping things simple can keep me sane.

I got this idea from a lady at work. It isn't terribly orginal, but it is simple, cheap, and you can customize it a gazillion different ways.

Pizza Pie

2 frozen pie crusts (see? no pan to wash! :) ), baked
1 jar pizza sauce
1/2 corsely chopped green pepper
1/2 cup corsely chopped onion
1 package Brown and Serve links, sliced
1 bag sliced Hormel pepperoni
1 can or 1 cup fresh mushrooms
2 packages shredded cheese (I used both sharp cheddar and a pizza cheese mix)

Put the pepper and onion in the microwave for 3 minutes. This softens the veggies enough so they aren't too crunchy because you're not baking it long enough to really soften the veggies.

Arrange half the meat in one crust, and half in the other, followed by half the veggies in one, etc.. Add about 1/3 of a jar of pizza sauce on top of meat and veggies to each pie. Top with enough cheese to completely cover the other ingredients. Bake at 400 until the cheese is bubbly and begins to brown. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

I like this idea. It would be SO easy to make spinach alfredo pizza this way, or shrimp pizza or...well, you get the idea!

Beans, Rice and Sausage

2007-03-27T10:24:00.000-05:00

Suze's recipe for beans and rice a couple posts ago reminded me of my own thrown-together recipe involving beans and rice. I was desperate for something quick to fix for dinner a while back. We had some Polska Kielbasa that I wanted to make, but I didn't want to have to do a lot of work with other stuff (veggies, etc.) to make a relatively balanced, filling meal. So here's what I came up with:

Jenn's Psuedo-Cajun Beans, Rice and Sausage
1 pkg. Polska Kielbasa (we use the lean variety)
2 C cooked rice
1 can dark red kidney beans
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
dash of Worcestershire sauce (optional)
Chili powder, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and cayenne pepper to taste (I made mine relatively mild)

Cut up sausage into bite-sized chunks. Pour olive oil into large skillet, warm oil over med-high heat. Add sausage. After sausage is starting to brown on the edges, and juices are flowing, add rice, add can of beans, and add the worcestershire sauce, if wanted. Stir well and often to keep rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. You can add a splash of V8 or tomato juice if you need more liquid to keep it from sticking. Add spices to taste.

Jamie and Destiny both loved it, and I quite enjoyed it myself. We ate it with spinach on the side and applesauce for dessert.

Madtown Mama's Homemade Mac 'n Cheese

2007-03-08T18:47:00.000-06:00

I'm all about the recipes lately, huh?

Ingredients:
1/2 lb of your favorite pasta, like fusilli or elbow macaroni
1 onion, chopped
1 buttload of garlic, chopped
2-3 T. oil or butter
2 T. flour
1 t. concentrated broth or 1 bullion cube (I use vegetarian, but chicken's probably OK)
2 c. milk
1 t. or more chili powder
1 can Mexican-style chopped tomatoes
1 c. shredded cheese, like Jack, colby, cheddar, or a combination
a couple handfuls bread crumbs (not necessary)

Instructions:
1. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. It's better if it's slightly under-done rather than over-done.

2. Sauté the onions in the oil or butter for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and sauté for another minute.

3. Add the flour to the onion mixture and stir, then add the milk, broth or bullion cube, and chili powder, plus a little salt, and let it come to a boil.

4. Grease a 2L casserole dish (9x13). Mix the noodles with the tomatoes and cheese, then pour the milk sauce over all of it and stir a little. Spread bread crumbs over top and bake at 350 until it looks done, maybe half an hour.

5. Serve with broccoli or green salad to counter-act the guilt you may feel (though you should not!) over all the milk and cheese and butter .....mmmm butter..... in the pasta dish.

Beans'n Rice

2007-03-07T22:32:00.000-06:00

I posted this on my own blog a little while ago, and thought I'd share it here.

Ingredients:
3 T. canola or olive oil
1 med. onion, chopped
1 green or red bell pepper, chopped
as much garlic as you can handle, chopped (I like 3 or 4 cloves myself)
2 cups raw butternut or other winter squash, peeled and chopped into 1/2" cubes
2 cans or 3.5 cups cooked black beans
1 can or 2 cups chopped tomatoes
1 t. salt
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. coriander
1 t. dried oregano (fresh is better if it's summer time)
1 T. brown sugar
generous dose of hot chili powder - I use up to 2 T. but that's too much for some folks
water, as needed
cooked basmati or brown rice, to serve
shredded cheese, to serve...Jack, White Cheddar, Cotija are all good options

1. Sauté the onions and peppers in the oil for several minutes, until they're soft.
2. Add the garlic and spices and cook for about a minute; don't let the garlic burn.
3. Add the chopped squash and about 1/2 c. of water, just enough to let it simmer without scorching the bottom.
4. When the squash is about half-cooked, add the beans, tomatoes, salt and oregano and sugar and let the whole thing simmer for 15 minutes or so.
5. Serve over rice with shredded cheese. Be sure to compliment the cook.

Banana

2007-02-21T17:35:00.000-06:00

Here's a bad banana joke I made last night. Daniel didn't get it, then it fell on the floor when I tried to explain it.

I was eating a banana, and he walked in and said, "Did you eat all my bananas?"

(teasing--we had two bunches!)

me: "Yep, every single one. All the married ones were taken."

ba dum dump

Coconut

2007-02-03T16:45:00.000-06:00

Here is a random and pointless post about coconut. Enjoy.

I just made some fancy stuff with coconut. We buy shredded coconut in a resealable bag in the refrigerated section of the Indian grocery. A bag lasts us a long time. Today, I used the coconut three ways. (We're having Tom over for supper. He's a guy from church, formerly of "tom and kate.") Daniel's making Chicken Curry (imagine that), and we're also having couscous and carrot cake. Hey, all start with C. Just noticed that. Anyway, so here's the fun with coconut: I made the spice paste for his curry. It called for cumin seeds (my favorite), coriander seeds, cinnamon stick* , cardamom seeds, poppy seeds, fennel seeds, dried red chillies, and coconut. So I measured them all out and roasted them in a bit of oil, and it was so beautiful and smelled so awesome that I thought "If I had a camera phone or a digital camera, I'd post pictures of this. I'm gonna blog about it anyway." Then I transferred it to a plate and put 1/2 at a time into the coffee grinder. It was just so awesome and fragrant, that I had to tell you about that. I don't know if the recipe's worth posting or not, but I'll let you know tonight (or sometime.)

So we got a cake mix carrot cake, and I spiced it up by chopping up some peanuts and grating a carrot and substituting pineapple juice for the water and adding an extra egg. My dad had told me a long time ago to always add an extra egg to cake mixes and to use pineapple juice instead of water, but this was the first time I'd done the pineapple juice, I think. Anyway, there was a little recipe on the bottom that called for the additional egg and the pineapple juice, and some coconut, chopped nuts, and raisins. But I used carrot instead of raisins, cause we don't have raisins. I'm excited about that cake.

And the third use was a snack for Daniel. I love Daniel so much, and we're getting along better and better as we get to know each other, but I just have to tell ya, the guy's a picky eater. It's hard to find quick and simple snack options for him that are also cheap, and today the coconut did the trick.

* Lots of times Indian recipes will tell me to grind a cinnamon stick, but I've tried it in the coffee grinder and the food processor, and it was very defiant and strong-willed in both. I gave in and started using powder, which is so not the same. Today, though, I found a way to beat that cinnamon stick. I stuck it in a zip lock bag and took it outside and beat it with a hammer. Worked fine in the coffee grinder after that.

Christopher's Spice Cake

2007-01-02T16:58:00.000-06:00

I promised this for Jenn some time ago after mentioning it on my blog; finally, I've gotten my lazy butt up to bring the cookbook to the computer and post the recipe. This is the cake I've made for CJ's past two birthdays, and may make again for Tom for his birthday this weekend. This recipe is from my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook from 2000--Mom gave it to me as a Christmas gift that year. It's my go-to book for ideas; I frequently tweak the recipes to our tastes, but I get the basic structures here. I'll also post the recipe for Cream Cheese Frosting, which is what I use for this cake. I make a basic 13x9 cake and leave it in the pan.

Spice Cake
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground ginger
1/4 c butter, softened
1/4 c shortening
1 1/2 c sugar
1/2 t vanilla
2 eggs
1 1/4 c buttermilk*

Grease a 13x9 baking pan and set aside. Preheat oven for 350 degrees.
Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla, beat until well combined (should have a light, creamy, but somewhat crumbly texture). Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each. Add dry mixture and buttermilk alternately to beaten mixture, and beat at low speed after each addition just till combined. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes till done (or wooden toothpick comes out clean). Cool and frost; makes 12 servings.

*If you don't have buttermilk, pour 1 1/4 T of lemon juice or vinegar in a measuring cup, then enough regular milk (preferably whole, but 2% will work) to make 1 1/4 cups of liquid and stir. Let it sit for 5 minutes to sour, then use. General rule of thumb is 1T of lemon juice or vinegar for each 1c of buttermilk needed. I usually take this approach since I rarely remember to buy buttermilk, and never use a whole quart of it before it expires.

Cream Cheese Frosting*
6 oz. cream cheese, softened.
1/2 c butter
2 t vanilla
2-4 3/4 c powdered sugar, sifted

Beat cream cheese, butter, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually add 2 cups of powdered sugar, beating well. Once mixture is combined, gradually beat in another 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups of powdered sugar to reach desired spreading consistency. Makes enough for top and sides of two 8 or 9 inch layers.

*Personal note--I rarely use more than 2 1/2 c of powdered sugar total for this recipe, and have plenty to frost the top of a 13x9 cake. Using less sugar makes the frosting more tangy, which we personally like. Another personal note--the cream cheese and butter MUST be softened if you're using a hand mixer, or else it will just cling to the beaters and getting any powdered sugar into will be a challenge. If you're lucky enough to have a stand mixer with some power, you can throw in the butter and cream cheese straight from the fridge and you're good to go.

And for those who may have a problem with butter, you can substitute margarine in the same amounts. There is no substitute for the shortening. Personally, I prefer butter over margarine in general and especially in baking--I can never get a consistent result with margarine in cakes and frostings tend to break and run at room temperature.

Christmas Food

2006-12-26T11:07:00.000-06:00

Wow! Has it really been over a month since anyone has posted to the food blog? It's hard to believe time is rushing by this fast.

I don't have any recipes to put on here immediately. As soon as I locate it again, I'll post the recipe for my grandmother's scrumptious homemade jam cake with caramel icing. Yummmm Yummmm yummy! I just haven't had time.

Yesterday, Jamie and I had Christmas dinner with Rachel's family. They are nice people! We had ham, turkey, green bean casserole, homemade stuffing (yum!), homemade dinner rolls (double yum!), five or six different kinds of pie. I think I ate enough for three people just at their house. I was so full, I didn't eat anything else for the rest of the day! But it sure was good.

Hope you all had a wonderful, food-y Christmas full of laughter and love. Hugs to you all!

How Are You Spending Thanksgiving?

2006-11-22T22:07:00.000-06:00

Tom and I are cooking a full spread tomorrow--turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, green beans, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. We're going to try our hand at a real stuffing, but I have a box of Stove Top standing by, just in case. I'm also going to try a new appetizer recipe I just learned--crostini with a fig-proscuitto tapanade. Our friends Jay and Erik are coming over for dinner, since her mom does Thanksgiving dinner closer to lunchtime, and we have ours ready later in the day. After we roll away from the table, we lie around and watch Survivor. It's like our little tradition. In previous years, our friend Candi came by for dinner, but since she moved to Ohio that won't be happening this year. We'll be sure to call her in between the cooking and the football and the eating.

Last year, CJ was just getting into table food, so I can't wait to watch him dig into everything this year.

So, what are your Thanksgiving traditions, and how are you spending the holiday?

We Eat Ham on Turkey Day

2006-11-20T14:53:00.000-06:00

Maybe it's because we usually eat Turkey breast year round, but don't eat much ham, but we don't eat turkey on Turkey Day. So, I swiped this recipe from the official Coca-Cola website, 'cause this is similar to how we always cooked our Thanksgiving ham.

5-6 pound ham
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups Coca-Cola
1 cup crushed pineapple (optional)

Wash ham thoroughly. Rub fat side with brown sugar. Pour Coke over ham, carefully trying not to dislodge too much of the sugar. Pour crushed pineapple all over ham. Bake at 450 degrees for 3 hours. Makes 6 servings.

(or if you've got cash to spare you can always go to The Honeybaked Ham company and get one of those yummy hams)

For more recipes using Coca-Cola (including one for Cherry Coke ham - not too sure if I'll try that this year) go to the official Coca-Cola recipes web site.

Beans and Rice

2006-11-09T09:41:00.000-06:00

This is pretty basic, but I like it.
1 cup rice
1 11 or 15.5 oz. can corn
1 15.5 oz. can chili beans
2 servings pepperoni or beef bites (I used Bridgford this time but like Old Wisconsin better, whatever floats your boat)

Combine 1 cup rice, 2 cups water, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and (optionally) copious amounts of Cayenne pepper and curry powder in a suitably sized sauce pan. Bring to a boil then cover and simmer of low heat for 15 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes after you've turned off the heat

Drain corn, sprinkle with cinnamon, and cook on high in microwave for 3 min..

Combine beans and meat bits in saucepan and cook over low heat until hot.

Once everything's done cooking mix it all together. Probably serves 6 since I usually get three meals out of it.

I also like to add shredded Monterey Jack cheese when I've got it.

Slow Food Festival in Italy

2006-10-26T10:49:00.000-05:00

Food for Peace? Sounds like a good idea to me! Read all about it here.

Sgooooood

2006-10-18T22:21:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted a recipe lately, and here's why. Every day for lunch, Dan and I eat curry. We cook one night, and eat lunch for two days. Every night for supper, we eat soup. We cook one night, and eat for two. It all works out quite nicely, cause I cook the curry and the soup on the same night, and have the next night off. Since Daniel cooks on weekends, I cook two nights a week, and he cooks probably twice on the weekend (and the other weekend meals vary from week to week, what with leftovers and functions, and also we sometimes cook together then.) So, anyway, the curry recipes are either recipes I've posted before, or recipes I figure you might not like (like ground lamb...I'm almost certain nobody buys that). And as for the soups, almost every single soup we eat comes from the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook. Actually, I think they all do. So there you go. So we've got the pink cookbook for curry, and the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook for soup. Come to think of it, that one's pink, too, because the one we're using is a special breast cancer edition.

Fart Ammo

2006-10-16T16:57:00.000-05:00

Otherwise known as soup beans! I made up a big ol' batch yesterday when I was feeling down. Nothing cheers you up like the giggles brought on by a serious case of the farts!

So, here's how I made soup beans yesterday:

2 lbs pinto beans
large pot
water
salt
chili powder
diced dehydrated onion
garlic powder
cumin
can of cut cooked carrots
catsup

sort out any bad beans or pebbles missed at the factory. Put beans in pot. Cover with cold water. I was always told to remove the beans that immediately float, because they're bad, too. So I did. Add some salt to the water. Bring to boil over medium-high heat. Allow to boil for two minutes. Turn off heat and allow to soak in water for one hour.

Dump out water and rinse beans. Recover beans with water and put back on stove over medium heat. Add however much garlic, onions, chili powder, cumin and whatever other spices as you think will be yummy. Once it starts to boil, cut back to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about three hours, or until the beans are slightly mushy. At some point, add a can of cooked carrots, or diced tomatoes, or whatever else you think might be yummy on that particular day (sensing a theme here?).

Once beans are cooked, dish into bowl, squirt in however much catsup you think might be yummy (I told you there was a theme) and stir up. Eat and enjoy. In about an hour, let the farting fun begin!!!! Woo hooo!

If you like cornbread, the Jiffy premixed is always yummy and easy to fix to go with this.

"Tis the Season...

2006-10-12T11:16:00.000-05:00

...for mulled wine, apparently. Actually, a random conversation last night with one of my favorite people sparked my curiosity about mulled wine. Never had it, heard it's good. So I surfed the 'net to find a recipe.

A Modern yet Traditional Mulled Wine Recipe:

2 lemons
2 oranges
1 - 750 ml bottle of medium, to full, bodied red wine Nutmeg (to taste)
Cloves (to taste)
1 oz brandy or Cognac (or to taste)
1 cup (250 ml) granulated sugar (optional)
Herbal or citrus influenced tea (optional but excellent)
Water (optional softener instead of tea)
4 large cinnamon sticks
4 candy canes

Instructions for making four large portions
-Cut lemons and oranges into slices.
-Pour the red wine into saucepan and gradually heat.
-Add fruit slices, nutmeg, cloves and brandy.
-Keep an eye on the mixture and wait until it becomes hot to the touch.
-At this point you could blend in sugar or water (if desired).
-Pour into glasses/mugs and add tea (to taste).
-Garnish with cinnamon stick and candy cane.

Serve

I found this recipe at http://www.thewineman.com/mulled_ns.htm. There are all sorts of neat suggestions, such as to NOT boil the wine, and instructions on pre-mixing this and heating it by the glass in the microwave. Once it actually gets cold enough here to have some, I'll try this recipe. Oh, wait, it NEVER gets cold here! I almost forgot!!!!!

Cold Weather Favorite

2006-09-27T11:52:00.000-05:00

This recipe is so easy, anyone can make it (are you listening, Everett? J/K)!

This is my absolute favorite thing in the whole world to eat when the weather is yucky and/or I'm feeling pretty icky myself.

Open one can of condensed tomato soup, fix according to directions on can

Get out two pieces of favorite bread (I like whole wheat)
grab a skillet, two pieces of 2% milk cheese singles, and some butter

Spray some non-stick spray in the skillet
heat skillet over medium heat
add butter
add bread, careful to flip bread over so both sides get buttery
once the bread is starting to get toasty, add the cheese slices to one and put one slice of previously toasted bread on top to form sandwich
flip over sandwich to get both sides evenly browned and crispy

You now have a wonderfully balanced meal of tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Sometimes I do a variation used chicken noodle soup instead. Jamie doesn't like tomato soup (but loves tomatoes and catsup. Go figure)

Now, maybe this will stimulate some of you other people to put some recipes on here again!

Curry In A Hurry for Tara

2006-09-18T22:20:00.000-05:00

Here is one of the best and easiest chicken curry recipes ever, and it's not in my own words, which makes it even better. It's a Rachael Ray recipe. I think it was the first thing I cooked for Daniel when we got married, and he was very impressed. He couldn't believe an "American" had written the recipe. Have fun! Then have chicken curry!

Roasted vegetables

2006-09-16T17:37:00.000-05:00

This is a great way to prepare late fall root vegetables that people might otherwise find unappealing (rutabaga, anyone?).

Step 1: Preheat oven to 425.

Step 2: Cut an assortment of vegetables into 3/4-1" cubes. Tonight we dine on butternut squash and blue potatoes, but other possibilites might include red beets, golden beets, rutabaga, parsnips, carrots, turnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, winter squash, onion.

Step 3: Toss vegetables with a generous amount of olive oil, kosher salt, chili powder and dried rubbed sage. How much you use depends on personal taste and how many vegetables you've got in the first place.

Step 4: Spread on a large, shallow baking pan and roast in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until a fork goes easily into the vegetables. Be sure to stir them up about every 10 minutes so that they roast evenly.

Step 5: Enjoy with fresh bread and a robust red wine. If you like wine, that is (which I do!)

This works with summer vegetables, too, like zuccini, bell pepper and tomatoes, but they don't take as long to roast.

There's a Rumor that Fall is Here

2006-09-12T21:03:00.000-05:00

There's a rumor that there are fall-like temperatures somewhere in the U.S. Fall always made me think of my mother's yummy, rich AWESOME pumpkin bread. So, as promised, here's the recipe so that those of you who are actually starting to get your winter clothes out of the attic (Tara) can enjoy some homemade goodies on a crisp fall day.

NOTE: C=cup, T=tablespoon, t=teaspoon. It's very important that you not get your T and t confused!

Shirley's Legendary Squash/Pumpkin Bread (We prefer the pumpkin!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together:
2 C squash or 1 one-pound can of pumpkin
4 eggs
1 C Wesson oil
1/4 C water
3 1/2 C flour
3 C sugar (in my house, we use Splenda and can't taste the difference)
2 T cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
2 t baking soda
1 1/2 t salt

Bake in loaf pan for 1 hr and 10 minutes. You can also make pumpkin bread muffins with this recipe, you'll just have to keep an eye on them so they don't burn (I don't remember how long I baked the cupcakes last time, but I should have kept a better eye on them!)

When it gets closer to Christmas, I'll post my grandmother's jam cake and homemade caramel icing recipe!!!!

Monkey Mama's Macaroni Salad

2006-09-08T10:16:00.000-05:00

Ingredients

1lb. macaroni (prefer rotini or shells)
4oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese (prefer Kraft)
2 carrots, grated (or roughly 1-2 cups of shredded carrots)
4-6 hard boiled eggs, sliced
Miracle Whip dressing
Cataline dressing

Cook the macaroni and drain. Put the macaroni in a really big bowl--you'll need the room. Mix in the next three ingredients. I have no idea how much of the miracle whip or Catalina to use, just what looks good to you. If I had to make an estimate, I would say 1/4-1/2 cup of MW--the Catalina is up to you. I just squirt in enough so that it shows up pretty good but doesn't pool in the bottom of the bowl. This is good warm and cold. It could serve anywhere from 2-12, depending on appetite and what else you were eating. We like this as a main course.

End-of-summer harvest salad

2006-09-07T15:12:00.000-05:00

We had this for dinner last night, and it hardly warrants a recipe. Here in the upper midwest, the beginning of September brings with it a chill in the air, early sunsets, and that wistful feeling that another summer has gone by. The first frost is still a few weeks away, but the vegetables in your garden or farmers' market are fewer and thinner, and they've lost their mid-summer sweetness, a warning that winter is not so far off. Just what do you do with a handful of beans? A couple of leftover potatoes? The last few succulent pear tomatoes?

Well,

Instructions:

Find a large plate or shallow bowl and line the bottom with lettuce. Pile all kinds of things on top, like steamed green beans, fresh tomatoes, avocado slices, green onion, boiled wax potatoes, chopped parsley, chickpeas, boiled egg, bell pepper and croutons made from slightly stale bread tossed with olive oil and garlic salt and baked in a hot oven for about 10 minutes. (It really doesn't matter what you put in there, as long as it's fresh.) Mix up a dressing using olive oil, crushed garlic, red wine vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, and a dash of kosher salt. Toss the dressing in the mélange at the last minute.

Eat with A Spoon

2006-09-01T05:30:00.000-05:00

Moving beyond PB&J

2006-08-31T18:06:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! I have to make lunches for Evan this year; hot lunch is not an option at his school. I'm doing pbj and he's happy with it for now, but what else can you suggest that is easily portable? Thanks!

Past-a Dessert

2006-08-21T20:44:00.000-05:00

(Daniel pronounces "pasta" like "past a".)

My husband will not eat past-a. He thinks it's "weird." I guess he had some overcooked spaghetti somewhere, or something, and now thinks all past-a stinks. Saturday night Michael and I discussed eating at The Old Spaghetti Factory downtown, and Daniel seemed mildly interested, so we might be making some leeway. Maybe all this is because Daniel is used to eating past-a as a dessert! I made some today, and it jumped up my list of favorite past-a recipes (if you could call it a past-a recipe.)

Vermicelli Dessert
the thinnest vermicelli you can find
milk
sugar
evaporated milk (optional)
cardamom (optional)

Heat some oil in a heavy bottomed pan with tall sides, on medium low heat. I used a three quart sauce pan (I think). Add some broken-up vermicelli (a few handfulls). Quickly stir. It'll burn in jless than three seconds if the heat is too high or you turn your back. (I did that twice today.) Fry it until it just begins to turn light brown, constantly stirring so that most of it is the same color. Pour in enough milk to cover it. Hike the heat up to medium. Add lots of sugar (I added 8 tsps today). Put in some evaporated milk, if you want. Stir once in a while so your milk doesn't scorch and your sugar doesn't caramalize on the bottom of your pan. Bring it to a boil; then it's done.

Really, this should be more like a milky soup with vermicelli floating in it than like a pasta with sugary milk sauce.

Sorry, I'm sure there are lots of good recipes for this on the web, but I just eyeballed everything today. It was good, though. It's a pretty fast after-work snack.

Note to you guys

2006-08-21T20:43:00.000-05:00

I have been working on putting a Chicken Byriani recipe on here, but read a little further down to see what came of that. (The post is called "Chicken Byriani.")

YUMMM

2006-08-15T13:12:00.000-05:00

I kept talking about all the "extras" I wanted to put on Suze's pizza. So, here's one (before I baked it) that uses Alfredo sauce for the pizza sauce, spinach, grilled red and yellow peppers, mushrooms, onions, artichoke hearts, black olives, feta cheese and mozzarella cheese. I can assure you it was totally delish!

I'm thinking of adding grilled eggplant slices to the next pizza. Dad asked me if I had enough pepperoni on it. I said "I have the perfect amount for this type of pizza." When I gave it to him, he took a bite and said it was great. Then he frowned and asked "Didn't you have enough pepperoni?" I said, "I told you I had the perfect amount for this type of pizza. The perfect amount was none."

Cheez-it Burgers

2006-08-11T09:51:00.000-05:00

I love cheeseburgers. So much so that one time when I was making burgers using a meatloaf recipe and discovered I was out of croutons and breadcrumbs, I reached for something else in my pantry--Cheez-its. A little odd, I know, but trust me--this is a frequent request from Tom and even my friend Jay. My friend Candi loves them too, but since she moved to Ohio, I doubt I'll be making them for her anymore. Tom went to the grocery store last night before I got home, and I came home to a box of Cheez-its and a bag of burger buns sitting on the counter--luckily, I can occasionally take a hint.

One note--As much as Rachael Ray annoys me greatly (does she have to be so spastic? Can't she control her hands at all?!?), I am like her in the respect that I only measure when baking. Most measures are approximate--feel free to add, subtract, or substitute to your taste.

1 egg
1 to 1.5 lbs. Ground Beef
1/2 c cheese crackers, crushed (use your food processor or throw it a Ziploc bag and grab a hammer)
1t dehydrated minced onion
1t garlic powder
1/2 t dry mustard
1/2 t cumin
dash of cinnamon (I know, sounds crazy, but try it. Really. Just a little bit)
pinch of salt
pinch of black pepper, ground

In a large bowl, combine onions, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, dry mustard, salt, pepper, and crushed crackers. Add meat and beaten egg, and combine with hands, being careful not to squeeze the dickens out of the meat. When all is combined, prepare 4oz burgers by rolling and gently patting. Place burgers on a broiling pan and broil, 2-3 inches from the heat, for 3 minutes on each side for medium well burgers. If you like cheese on your burgers, put the cheese on and place under the broiler again for about 30 seconds, checking to avoid burning. Makes 4-6 burgers.

For meatloaf, combine all the ingredients as noted above and transfer to loaf pan, gently shaping to size. Cover top of meatloaf with barbecue sauce and top with a layer of mushrooms. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour.

For the meatloaf, you can add chopped onions, diced green peppers, whatever you like to add. Very adaptable.

A great summer treat

2006-08-07T08:08:00.000-05:00

Okay, time for a new recipe! This is my mom's recipe for Hot Fudge Sauce. Delicious! Use a stick blender if you have one to blend the things together to get a smoother sauce.

Hot Fudge Sauce

1/2 c Hershey's cocoa
3/4 c sugar
2/3 c evaporated milk
1/3 c light corn syrup
1/3 c butter
1 t vanilla

Mix cocoa, sugar, milk, and corn syrup with a wire whisk (or hand held blender). Cook and stir for at least 1 minute. Cooking a little longer will make a thicker sauce. Stir in 1/3 cup butter and 1 t vanilla. Refrigerate leftover sauce. Makes 2 cups.

Read the minnesotamamma.blogspot to see an absolutely adorable picture of Toby!

Mexican chicken and pasta

2006-08-02T19:56:00.000-05:00

I've come up with some of my best stuff when faced with the nearly empty cupboard (not to worry-I've just not been to the grocery yet). None of us are big fans of rice, but we all like pasta, so tonight, I created this.

3 cups cooked chicken (I boiled 3 leg quarters and then de-boned them, but you could use canned chicken chunks, too)

Half of a regular-sized bag of egg noodles

One whole onion, coursely chopped

One medium green (a ripe red would work, too) tomato, diced

One can of corn, drained well

One package of taco seasoning mix

1/2 cup water

Heat the water for noodles, and put the onion and tomato in the water. When the onion looks opaque, add the noodles and cook as directed. Drain. Add the water, chicken, corn, and taco seasoning mix, stir, and simmer for a few minutes and serve.

Grilled green tomatoes

2006-08-02T19:43:00.000-05:00

My bf planted 8 tomato plants along a fence row in my back yard, and they are prolific. I adore tomatoes, especially fried green ones. I've been dieting (9 lbs. so far-prolly all sweat from the heat of the last few days), and was looking for a way to cook green tomatoes without the fat of frying. I came up with this recipe. Alex even likes it and he's not a green mater fan.

One medium green tomato per person, sliced 1/4" thick

One onion sliced and seperated into rings

Grated parmesan cheese

Garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste (I used Tony Chacheres cajun seasoning blend and LOVED it)

Generously spray a cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Place sliced tomatoes in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle cheese on top, enough to almost cover tomato slices, followed with the seasonings. Place onion slices on top of tomato. Spray everything on top again with the cooking spray. Place under a broiler (I used the 2nd rack level from the top) until cheese begins to bubble. Serve hot.

Margarine, or butter?

2006-08-01T18:12:00.000-05:00

I just read an article that answers the question, Which is better for my heart: margarine or butter? That topic has come up here before, so I thought you all might be interested. My dad says butter is better; we have an indian friend who swears margarine is better. Mom and daddy did a comparison once between an olive oil spread, and two other spreads (maybe butter and margarine? do you remember mom?) and the olive oil spread was better in every category, I think (cholesterol, salt, flavor, fat,....I think those were the categories). One thing this article says is that generally, margarine is better, but that some margarines are worse than butter. It says that the stiffer the margarine (like, the stick kind), the worse it is for you. So maybe the stuff in the tubs is best.

Two Pasta "Recipes"

2006-08-01T12:55:00.000-05:00

I believe the first of these is the one Ann was urging me to post.

Cheesey Elbow Pasta :)

Ingredients: maccaroni, water, cheese powder, butter, milk

Bring about a quart and a half of water to a boil and add about 7.25 oz of maccaroni.
Boil for about 7 minutes or until it's as tender as you like it, stirring occasionally.
Once it's soft enough for you, drain it.
Put 4 Tbsp of butter in the pot while you drain the pasta.
Put pasta back in the pot.
Add 1/4 cup milk and as much cheese powder as you want (this is often packaged in a handy amount and sold with the maccaroni).
Stir it up until the butter is melted and the cheese evenly distributed.
Serves 2 if they eat like me and there is no accompanying dish.

Naked Spaghetti ala Ed

This is how my friend Ed made his spaghetti. I found I like it this way too.

Bring about a quart and a half of water to a boil.
Add 1/2 lb. spaghetti broken in half
Boil the spaghetti until it's as tender as you like it.
Drain.
Add olive oil, parmesan cheese, oregano, seasoned salt, crushed red pepper, and garlic powder in whatever amount you like.
Enjoy.
Again, serves 1 with my appetite and no accompaniment other than a random can of veggies.

Including Ann's tuna cassarole recipe this covers 60% of my regular recipes.

Leftover Lotto

2006-07-31T15:14:00.000-05:00

When we have a fridge full of leftovers, it is time for Leftover Lotto at our house! I have a set of plastic spoons numbered 1-4. I hold the spoons with the numbers hidden and everyone picks a spoon. The number you get is the order you get to pick out your dinner! I set the dishes that need heating on one counter, condiments and cold sides on the other. You pick out your hot dishes, nuke them, then add your cold. The great thing is that if there is one slice of pizza left, and you've drawn number 1, you can have it even though you know the pesron behind you wants it too! (Of course, you can be a big person and share, but you don't have to.) Big 'uns help the little 'uns. Guess what we're having for dinner tonight??? :)

Grilled Shrimp with Feta Cheese and Tomatoes

2006-07-31T14:18:00.000-05:00

I stole this recipe off Parade.com. I saw it in the paper yesterday, and thought it looked yummy!

Grilled Shrimp With Feta and Tomatoes

Grill the shrimp no more than two minutes per side, or they’ll be tough. You also can cook them in a skillet or grill pan.

For the vinaigrette:
2 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 pounds large shrimp (peeled and deveined), rinsed and patted dry
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 head radicchio (or 2 heads, if small), outer leaves discarded, inner leaves separated, rinsed and dried
2 pounds ripe plum tomatoes, cut into 8 pieces each
8 ounces fresh feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup whole mint leaves, coarsely chopped

1. Prepare the vinaigrette: Whisk the vinegar, mustard, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in the oil until thickened. Set aside. (Makes 1/3 cup.)
2. Toss together the shrimp, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Let rest for 15 minutes, tossing once.
3. Prepare the grill with hot coals. Thread the shrimp on 12 metal skewers or grill in batches. Grill the shrimp over high heat for no more than 2 minutes per side, turning carefully. Remove the shrimp to a large bowl.
4. Trim the tough white bottom section off each radicchio leaf, then add the leaves to the shrimp along with the tomatoes, cheese and mint.
Toss with the reserved vinaigrette.
Serve in a large, decorative bowl.
Serves 8.
Per serving: 270 calories, 8g carbohydrate, 33g protein, 11g fat, 275mg cholesterol.

Chicken day yesterday

2006-07-31T14:15:00.000-05:00

I abused one of the recipes posted earlier to such an extent that I guess I created another recipe! I did two different crock pot chicken recipes yesterday. Here they are:

Chicken Alfredo (a VERY precise recipe! :) )
3 (ish) frozen boneless skinless chicken breasts
enough water to cover the bottom of your small crock pot
a sprinkling of garlic powder

Crock the chicken, water and garlic on high while you're at church. When you get home, microwave 1 jar of alfredo sauce for a minute then mix the sauce with the chicken in the crock pot. The chicken will likely shread as you stir in the sauce. Add 1/2 chopped tomato (or whatever you have in the fridge) and add a dash of Italian seasoning. Serve over egg noodles

(hint: COVER the jar with a paper towel when you microwave the sauce, I still have to clean out my microwave!). Very yummy and kid approved!

BBQ Chicken Sandwiches (this was inspired by the earlier BBQ beef recipe)
1 frozen chicken (about 3ish lbs)
1ish cup BBQ sauce
1 can root beer (hey, it was what I had!)
1/2 finely chopped onion (to hide it from fussy eaters who think they don't like onion)

Put all ingredients in the crock pot. Cook on low about 10ish hours. Drain off most of the juice, but save it. Shred the chicken, adding some of the liquid so the chicken is the consistancy you want it to be. Serve on nice soft buns (with cheese and pickles if you so desire!)

There we go! My first contribution to the ROUS collection. Recipes are fussy husband and kid tested, mother approved! :)

Welcome, Tara!

2006-07-31T14:05:00.000-05:00

Just thought I would point out that Tara has joined our recipe blog. Welcome, Tara! And of course welcome to Her Eminence (Julie) who joined us a couple of weeks ago. And welcome to all of us who are here!

Hey, Suze, you ought to see if your mom has any special yummy recipes she would like to post on here while she's there!

More Tips for Indian Cooking

2006-07-31T07:56:00.000-05:00

Before we cook, we change our clothes and close all the doors in the apartment and turn on the exhaust fan! Onions, garlic, curry leaves, etc, etc, etc!!

Chicken Biryani

2006-07-31T07:54:00.000-05:00

Sorry, I am not allowed to share this recipe. It's one of those "secret recipe" things, like "Grandma's Apple Pie" sort of things, or "The Secret Sauce." Plus, I always get tired of it after the first two hours, and I don't know how the recipe ends (like many movies I've partially seen). Maybe one day.

Chicken Curry

2006-07-31T07:37:00.000-05:00

Daniel made this Saturday, and it was awesome! I hope you like it. Chicken Curry is a staple in our house. (There are so many good recipes for chicken curry, so don't worry if you don't have these exact ingredients. We make substitutions all the time, sometimes for the better.)

Ingredients:

chicken (a pound or two), chopped into small pieces (3/4 inch?)--we used breast tenders this time, and it was easy and so good, but thigh pieces are also very good in this. I've only used boneless, but it's good with bones.
2 onions, finely chopped
curry leaves (five or six leaves, washed)
1 tsp red chili powder
1 pinch turmeric
2 chopped tomatos (we used roma/plum)
2 tsp lemon juice
2 T oil
2 cups water (can be extracted from your faucet)
2 tsp salt
garnish: chopped corriander

For the Paste (curry paste):

2 tsp poppy seeds
4 dried red chillis (use your best judgement)
6 T grated coconut (optional)
1 tsp coriander seeds (or powder)
1 tsp cumin seeds (or powder)
1 tsp fennel seeds
1" cinnamon stick (I think we used a tsp of powder)
2 whole cloves
2 green cardamoms (we used black powder)
2 tsp chopped ginger
2 tsp chopped garlic
oil

Preparation:

Prepare the paste. We put the seeds in the coffee grinder, but I think you could just skip that step! But then fry all the "paste" ingredients in some oil, until it's all fragrant (turn on the exhaust fan). Spoon it out and set it aside.
Heat about 2 T of oil and fry the onions until golden brown.
Add curry leaves, chilly powder, turmeric powder, and "paste." Saute well.
Add chopped tomatos and fry till oil separates.
Add chicken pieces and saute. Add lemon juice, water, and salt. Cover and cook on medium low until chicken is fully cooked. (Daniel put the whole shabang in the pressure cooker after a couple of minutes in the skillet, and cooked it for "five whistles" on medium heat. I think that mkaes it really good.)
Garnish with chopped corriander leaves, if you so desire.
Serve with rice or chapatis.

If you're gonna reheat it the next day, we think it's better in the oven than the microwave. (Pyrex'll go in both.)

Cabbage Fry (kid tested, mother approved)

2006-07-31T07:11:00.000-05:00

This is one of our favorite recipes, and it's really easy. There are probably only a couple of ingredients you might not have, but they're cheap and can be found in an indian grocery store, and maybe even Kroger.

Ingredients:

popu ingredients, 1 tsp each: cumin seeds, mustard seeds, minced garlic, and curry leaves+ (strip one stem and wash)
2 tablespoons or so of your preferred cooking oil
1 onion, diced (I used a white onion.)
1 green chili, seeded and finely chopped*
1/4 cup of chana dal, washed twice in cold running water and drained#
1 head of cabbage: cut into thin long strips. Remember, cabbage reduces in volume by 60 or 70% when cooked.
2 tsp unsweetened grated coconut+
2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp turmeric (Turmeric is a good ingredient to have, because you'll use it in almost every indian recipe, and you'll probably only have to buy it once, because usually you'll only need a pinch.)

*The recipe called for 5 green chilis. We used one sarrano pepper, and left the seeds in. I think two would have been okay. But if you are sensitive to heat, use one and seed it.
# chana dal is dry split chickpeas. Try to get it if you can; it makes the recipe. It's good to soak this stuff for about 30 minutes, but not essential. Don't soak it in a tiny container, cause it will be hard to get it out! I "accidentally" soaked mine in a plastic cup yesterday, and when I went to use it, it was all jammed in there. It grows! I haven't tried this recipe with canned chickpeas.
+ We don't use coconut anymore in this, but you could. Also, yesterday, we were out of curry leaves, and we didn't miss them.

Preparation:

Do the popu (not 'the hustle'). Just heat some oil in your skillet, on medium heat, and fry the popu until the seeds start to pop (you might want to keep your lid handy).
add onions, chili(es), and chana dal. (I like to put my chopped onion in the microwave for 4 minutes first. Saves a lot of cooking time.) I put in my chilis until I could smell them (about 30 seconds), then the chana dal until it became aromatic, and then added the onions. Fry these until the onions are soft. You could sprinkle some salt on them, to bring out their flavor.
Add cabbage, salt, and turmeric (and coconut, if you're using it). You'll probably have to add the cabbage a little at a time. I added mine one quarter at a time, until it was reduced down enough. Stir toward the middle of your skillet, trying to mix the onion mixture into the cabbage, and to spread out your salt and turmeric. (The turmeric adds an interesting color!) Just keep stirring and adding cabbage until you have it all in there.
Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and simmer until the cabbage is very wilted, not crunchy. I think it takes about 20 minutes.

Serve hot with rice or chapatis. (You could probably use pita bread.)

Broccoli Slaw (Or how to get Daniel to eat vegetables)

2006-07-30T20:23:00.000-05:00

Ann asked for this recipe--I'm sorry it's taken so long to get it on here! There are several variations of broccoli slaw. Mine is very simple--4 ingredients.

Ingredients

1 pkg broccoli slaw (or rainbow salad)
1/4 to 1/2 cup of raisins
1/4 to 1/2 cup of slivered almonds
About one cup of Marzetti refrigerated slaw dressing, either original or light--I've never measured this, but I think I use about 1/3 of a jar.

Directions

Mix all of above in a large bowl. Refrigerate for a couple of hours before serving.

Like I said, there are a bunch of variations. We Meadors generally like this one, but when Jamie is here, we leave out the almonds. Love to all, and God bless.

crock pot bbq

2006-07-27T15:09:00.000-05:00

ok most of the meadors got to try this recently, but it was less than my best, so i'll post here so you can try it for yourself.

1 chuck roast( 2.5lbs - 3lbs)look for one with lots of marbling; those streaks of fat otherwise known as cow cellulite, it makes the roast more tender.
1 yellow onion
1-2 cups of bbq sauce (i use kc masterpiece)
1 can of dr. pepper

chop your onions and put in the bottom of the crock pot. I chop mine fine usually, but roughly chopped works well too.

Place your chuck roast on top of the onions and cover with the bbq sauce. use your best judgement. i used 1 cup the first time and wanted more the next time.

gently pour the dr pepper over the roast.

cook on low for 9 hours. your supposed to be able to cook it on high for 5 hrs, but i didn't have great luck with it.

after the 9 hrs pull the roast from the liquid that has accumulated in the crockpot( save the liquid it comes in real handy later)

with two forks shred roast. i usually take a little of the juice in the crockpot and a little more bbq sauce and mix it all up good.

serve on buns

My Mommy's Meatloaf

2006-07-27T14:56:00.000-05:00

I played around with my mom's meatloaf recipe until I came up with this one that I like a lot. In fact, we had it for dinner last night. And it's really easy, so there's no reason why a non-cooking type person (you know who you are) couldn't make it, too!

My Mommy's Meatloaf

2 lbs ultra-lean ground beef (or chicken, or turkey)
1 can cream of something soup (I used mushroom last night)
1 cup rolled (non-instant) oats
1/4 cup dehydrated onions
2 large eggs
garlic powder to taste
italian seasoning to taste
dash black pepper

Normally I would also include a dash of salt, but the cream of whatever soup has lots of sodium in it to begin with!

Preheat over to 350 degrees. Put onions in small custard bowl and add just enough hot water to remoisten. Set aside.

Keep plenty of paper towels on hand for this one! (There's lots of mixing by hand!)

In large mixing bowl, combine meat, soup, eggs. Squish together with your bare hands until all items are well mixed. Dump in the oats, squish with hands some more until well mixed. Add in onions, squish with hands more until well-mixed. Add your spices and - you guessed it - squish with hands until well mixed.

For a large loaf, shape ingredients into large loaf pan (approximately 9 x 5 x 3 inches - glass or metal works). Some people like to make a pretty pattern on the top of the loaf with ketchup. I chose not to . Cook for about 1 1/4 hours.

Or, if you want to divide into two smaller loaves, you can use two smaller loaf dishes and cook for only about 45-60 minutes.

Just to be safe, though, cut through the middle and check done-ness before serving. You don't want the meatloaf to "moo" at you!

P.S. Left-over meatloaf makes YUMMY cold-meatloaf sandwiches the next day!!!

I'm Really Sleepy, But it's Too Hot for Coffee!

2006-07-27T14:35:00.000-05:00

What do you get when you combine a desperate need for megadoses of caffeine with outside temperatures too hot for regular coffee, and mix in the fact that Frappaccinos are too expensive? An easy iced coffee mix!

Brew a pot of your favorite coffee blend, but make it stronger than you would normally. (I usually use one heaping teaspoon of coffee grounds for each cup of coffee I intend to make. I generally use two different types of coffee grounds though - half regular coffee grounds and half French Vanilla coffee grounds. But for this recipe, I make it stronger, so I add an additional two heaping teaspoons of the French Vanilla grounds)

In a large-ish pitcher, combine milk (or non-dairy creamer) to taste, Splenda (or sugar) to taste, and ice cubes. Pour hot coffee over top. Stir (or shake with lid on) well. Add water (or more milk) to fill up pitcher.

Drink and enjoy!

Some of you may think this is gross, but my need for caffeine has driven me to it!

Cape Cod Salad with Tomato-Cucumber Relish-type Stuff

2006-07-25T21:37:00.000-05:00

My mother-in-law, God bless her, is thoroughly English in every way--13 traceable generations so. While we were visiting, she made a tuna salad that was rather tasty, but also devoid of any color whatsoever.

I like color in my food (must be the Food Network junkie in me), so I played with the recipe tonight to hit a combination Tom and I loved. Even CJ ate most of his plate! So, in honor of my MIL and her inspiration, I call this Cape Cod Salad. Very nice, light, summer-type dish, and it reminds me of eating out on the deck during sunset with a nice breeze.

Salad:
1/2 lg onion, diced.
1 celery stalk, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and shredded (when working with just one carrot, I like to use my peeler in short strokes to shred rather than dig out my grater)
2 6oz. cans solid white albacore tuna, drained
1 12oz can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 c mayonnaise
1/4 c (approx) Italian dressing (whatever kind you like).
Salad greens of your choice.

Combine onion, celery, and carrot in large bowl. Add drained tuna and beans. Add mayonnaise and dressing, toss with spatula to combine. Serve on bed of greens or in individual lettuce leaves. Goes great with crackers; serves 4-6.

Tomato-Cucumber Relish-type Stuff:
1/4 - 1/3 cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
2-3 ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and cut into bite size wedges
1t salt
1/2 c water
black pepper
olive oil
vinegar (red wine or balsamic recommended)
garlic powder (optional)

Dissolve salt into cold water with fingers until completely dissolved; add cucumber slices and place bowl in fridge to chill. Note: My MIL says this will eliminate any burping from eating the cucumbers. I wasn't certain until I ate cucumbers without doing this once and had horrible hiccup-like burping shortly after.

Place tomatoes in another bowl and add a pinch of salt, a few grinds of black pepper, and garlic powder. Add about 1 - 2t of olive oil (enough to coat tomatoes) and a splash of vinegar. Cover bowl and shake to emulsify oil and vinegar. Drain cucumber slices and add to tomatoes; shake or stir to combine.

Serve tomato-cucumber mixture on top of salad or on the side.

Well, that was easy.

2006-07-24T15:43:00.000-05:00

I just edited the Whack A Mole Chapati recipe. It's much easier now. Check it out.