Recipe Junkie

Defending Paula Deen

2012-01-18T08:36:00.000-08:00

Big news!!!! Earthshattering in fact....evidently, if you consider the amount coverage that this hasbeen getting. More important than thekudzu of deficits that are swallowing the earth's economies. More devastating than Obama's gun runningscheme. Fast and Furious. Biggerthan....well, you get the gist.

Paula Deen, the queen of butter and Southern Style comfortfood, has diabetes and the food police are doing a happy happy joy dance. AHA!!! That's what she gets for forcing allof her viewers to eat red velvet cake, fried chicken with gravy, macaroni andcheese and other such items that the food Nazi's despise.

Serves her right!! Right? Right?? No. Wrong.

People are attacking Deen because she has diabetes, hascontinued with her show and is now endorsing a diabetes drug. "Anthony Bourdain is .....mocking thebutter-loving chef for poisoning Americans with unhealthy food ... and nowtrying to profit off of their illness."

She is POISONING us!!! OMG!!!!. Run for the hills. Be sure to dodge all those buttermilkbiscuits, hams and sweet potato casseroles while you are making your dash tosafety.

In defense ofPaula Deen. Come on people! itis just a cooking show. Not a dietplan. She is showing you how to preparecertain dishes that are the hallmarks of a certain cooking style. Nowhere and at no time does she say that youshould eat all of these things every day, three times a day.

If you don't have the common sense or self control to eatsensibly...well, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe you shouldn't be allowed outside andyou should let other people make your decisions for you. Oh.....wait.....that is just what the FoodNazi's want to do.

They want to control every aspect of your culinary life byeliminating ingredients. Demonizing certain foods and certain companies thatprovide food. Can we all sayMcDonald's....hmmmm? The want to forcetheir ideas of diet and food upon you.

Now, I don't think you SHOULD eat a pound of butter or stuffyour pie hole with pie until you are fat and diabetic. But, it should be your choice. Go ahead. Eat your life away.

It should also be my/our choice to not have to pay for yourself inflicted health condition. Thisis why I strongly object to Obama Care and Socialized Medicine. But.....that is a rant for another day.

Let me make a disclaimer. The Dumbplumber (my hubby) has Type 2 diabetes. It runs in his family and he was diagnosedabout 10 years ago. So, I know what itis like to change your diet and be aware of what you are eating.

The keys to controlling diabetes are diet and exercise. His condition is controlled by this and aminimal dose of oral medication. Doesthis mean that we will never be able to enjoy a piece of cake or a favoritecomfort food ever again? Never have acocktail or glass of wine? Do we have towear a dietary hair shirt and eat tofu daily?

Of course not.

I post many recipes on this cooking site that are certainlyhigh fat, high sugar and would throw The Dumbplumber into a diabetic spiral ifhe ate them all at one time or more than just occasionally. LeavePaula Deen alone. She not only shows ushow to make good food, she can now serve as an example on how to live a goodlife with diabetes.

We have learned that you CAN have your cake and eat ittoo. Just in moderation.

(I have added a tag for Diabetic to use when posting foods or meal plans that fit into OUR Diabetic lifestyle. Your meal plans and foods should be adjusted for your own individual condition. )

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits.....Revealed. Nailed it!!!!

2011-11-29T09:40:00.001-08:00

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay biscuits are heavenly.   People have been looking for the recipe for a long time and as the Red Lobster web site says......the recipe is a secret.

Sure....they tantalize with some tips "we will share a couple of well-kept secrets for making our much-loved biscuit: do not over knead the dough and make sure you use baking soda as one of the ingredients."

There are a lot of recipes out there that try to emulate the product. Most use Bisquick or some version of that type of biscuit. But.....they are wrong.

Reverse engineering the product, I realized that one of the main ingredients was missing from all of these recipes and that Red Lobster has been lying to us for years. I don't blame them.....the biscuits are to die for.   What is the missing ingredient?   YEAST. The texture of the rolls shows that they are clearly yeast raised, yet they do have the properties of baking soda and baking powder raised rolls.

What type of rolls have these characteristics......Angel Biscuits....So I went back to one of my old cookbooks and brought out a recipe and tweaked. Messing around in the kitchen, doing what I like to do.....cook. I have nailed it.

Here is now revealed the super secret recipe for Cheddar Bay Biscuits from Dust Bunny Queen

ENJOY

Cheddar Bay Biscuits

1 package of yeast or about 2 1/4 tsp

1/2 cup warm water

4 1/2 cups of flour (I use unbleached all purpose)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp table salt

1/2 cup shortening

2 cups buttermilk (bring to room temperature)

1/2 cup coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese

1/4 to 1/3 cup melted butter

garlic powder

parsley flakes

kosher salt.

Mix the yeast into the warm water in a small bowl or glass measuring cup and set aside in a medium warm place while preparing the rest of the recipe. I use yeast from a jar that I keep in the fridge and not packets, so I am guessing that the 2 1/4 tsp is the amount of a package.

Spoon the flour into a measuring cup. Don't just dip or scoop it out because then you will have compacted flour. You want it to be light and fluffy. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and mix with a whisk to combine.

Cut in the shortening until the mixture is crumbly. I just use my fingers to combine and lightly rub the mixture together between my palms. Toss in the cheddar cheese and mix into the dry flour mixture with a spoon. You might want more cheese, but be careful. Too much cheese will make the biscuits heavy in texture.

Stir in the buttermilk and yeast water mixture with a wooden spoon until mixed. The buttermilk is better warm or room temperature than cold from the fridge. You don't want to kill the yeast. Don't beat or over-mix otherwise it will be tough. This must be what they mean by don't over knead. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.

Melt the butter and mix with about 1/4 tsp garlic powder or garlic granules and some parsley flakes and set aside.

Pre heat oven to 450. Grease a cookie sheet or use cooking spray. Drop by 1/3 cup measures onto the greased pan. I just eyeballed it, so I'm guessing that it is about 1/3 cup. I imagine that the cooks at Red Lobster use something like an ice cream scoop so that the biscuits are all the same size.

Brush the tops of the biscuits with the melted butter and lightly sprinkle with kosher salt if you like. ....or not if you don't want the extra salt. Bake for 12 minutes or until nicely golden on top. Brush with more butter while still warm if desired......I do!

Notes:

You may need to experiment with the amount of flour since brands of flour differ in the amount of moisture that they have and you may end up with different textures of dough depending on the brand you are using and the time of year you are cooking. No problems......just eat the mistakes and try again.

Next time I cook this I might use butter instead of shortening or even try lard.

Also I may use fresh garlic sauteed in the butter instead of dried garlic.

Fresh chives may be nice instead of dried parsley flakes.

My husband gets so irritated with me when I insist on tweaking the recipes. I say...
Hey, if I wasn't tweaking the recipes you would have THIS ONE!!....Have another biscuit."

Clam Chowder for a Snowy Day

2011-11-03T16:35:00.000-07:00

As the weather has dramatically changed from a balmy Indian Summer, where the days are still in the mid 70 degrees and the nights dip to a crisp mid 30 degrees, to the normal October/November weather of sub freezing at night, snow and wind during the day......the mind drifts to soups, casseroles and stews. Long slow cooking that keeps the house warm. Long slow cooking that is also frugal and filling.

So today...

New England Style Clam Chowder

My soups are almost always in a free form style based on how much I have on hand and how many servings I want to end up with. Soup, for some reason always ends up making way more than I need. So instead of describing the recipe in, about or approximately measures, I'll try to be a bit more precise.

3 small (6.5 oz)cans of chopped clams (small cans because our store doesn't carry the large restaurant style and you want as many clams as you can in your chowder. Otherwise, you might as well be making potato soup.)
3 to 4 slices of meaty bacon diced
4 to 6 small potatoes cut into 1/2 inch pieces (enough to make about 3 ro 4 cups of diced potatoes. Dang it! I wasn't going to give 'about' instructions)
1 cup of diced onion
1 stalk of diced celery
1 small carrot cut into small diced pieces (less than 1/2 inch. You can leave off the carrots if you like or are a die hard traditionalist. I like them)
Garlic or garlic granules (Oh heck....about 1/2 tsp)
2 cups of milk (or 1 cup milk and 1 cup half and half or better yet whipping cream)
3 tbsp flour
2 tbsp butter

1 tbsp dried parsley
Pepper
Salt to taste

In a large stock pot saute the bacon until moderately crisp. With a slotted spoon remove the bacon and leave the drippings in the stock pot. Put in the onions and celery, salt, pepper and parsley. Saute until soft and limp. Add the flour and butter and stir, creating a roux.

Meanwhile drain the clams reserving the juice. Add more water to equal 3 cups of juice and water. Slowly stir into the onion, celery mixture. Add the potatoes and carrots and let the soup simmer on low for about (darn it, I just can't help myself) 20 minutes or until the potatoes and carrots are just beginning to be tender. You don't want to cook them to mush or else you WILL have cream of potato soup with clams in it.

At this point, you can stop and put the soup in the fridge for later or just plow on. Add the clams and simmer for a few more minutes. Slowly add the milk and bring to a slow simmer stirring frequently for 10 minutes or just until warm and thickened.

If you feel the soup is too thin, you can take some of the hot liquid and mix with another tbsp of flour and then return to the pot to simmer. Be careful, you are making soup. NOT wall paper paste.

Serve with fresh rolls, or garlic bread sticks and a crisp green salad.

Slow Roasted Tomatoes

2011-10-30T11:04:00.000-07:00

It is the end of the growing season and while the days are still lovely, warm and clear.....the nights are bringing freezing temperatures.

My tomato plants are now brown with just a few straggling red globes hanging grimly on.   Since we picked an abundance of cherry and roma tomatoes last week and I am sick to death of canning.....I am going to slow roast the tomatoes.

[insert photo here when I get around to it]

Slow roasting tomatoes is so effortless. Cut the tomatoes in half and lay onto a cookie sheet, cut side up. Drizzle or brush with olive oil until they are all covered and shiny.   Sprinkle with a little kosher salt, garlic granules, pepper and any herbs you may like.   Bake at 225 for several hours.

You want them to be dried and shriveled but still retaining some moisture. In other words not shoe leather quality.

Cool and eat. Or pack in olive oil in the fridge and enjoy.   They should keep for several weeks if completley covered in oil.

Apples and Plums... Oh My. Asian Plum Sauce and Apple Butter.

2011-10-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

While still in the throes of dealing with nature's bountiful gifts this year of apples and plums, I decided to finish off the last 3 1/2 pounds of Italian Prune Plums with a batch of Chinese Plum Sauce.

This many apples will make a batch of apple butter

Apples? Oh YEAH we have apples this year. Previously I made and froze apple pie filling for 12 pies. Now neatly wrapped and stacked in the shop freezer. A friend, who is also up to her eyeballs in apples and pears, gave me a super recipe for crockpot apple butter. Fabulous!. Easy peasy!! No standing and stirring and stirring over a hot pot. Just put the peeled cored and chopped apples in the crockpot with the sugar and spices and go about your merry way.

First: Chinese Plum Sauce. I like the sauce just a bit sweeter and each batch of plums will have its own level of sweetness.....so about half way through the cooking process I stop and taste and add some more sugar if needed. Makes about 6 half pints, plus a little dish extra. I think we will have to have pot stickers tomorrow.

4 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 oz of fresh ginger minced
1 onion minced
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar (or more to taste)
2 cups of water
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil (no substitutes)
1/2 tsp crushed dried chilies
3 or 4 pounds of ripe plums pitted and chopped
3 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp water

Put all of the ingredients, except the cornstarch and water, into a stock pot and bring to a boil. (If you don't have fresh ginger....I used a heaping tsp of ground ginger. ) Reduce to a low simmer and uncovered let gently cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from burning on the bottom. Taste to see if sweet enough if not, add about another 1/8 cup of sugar and cook some more. Remember......Chinese Plum Sauce is not supposed to be sweet like a sweet and sour sauce.

Blend the mixture, either in a blender or using an immersion blender (my preferrence) until smooth. Mix the cornstarch and water together and while stirring constantly add to the sauce. Simmer and stir for several minutes until smooth and thickened.

Ladle into 1/2 pint jars and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water bath.

Next: Apple Butter

Oh man, is this an easy way to make apple butter. Next year I may try it for pear butter.

5 to 6 pounds of apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped.
4 cups white sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt.

Put the apples into a large crock pot. Toss well with the sugar and spices and salt. Cover and cook on high for one hour.

Just starting to cook down.

Reduce to low and cook for 9 to 11 hours. Stir once in a while. The mixture will start reducing and become browner.

Halfway done. Starting to get mooshey and thicker.

At this point it was getting late so I just shut the cooker off and went to bed and started it up again in the morning. Cook until the apples are almost mush. 3 more hours Break out the trusty immersion blender again and being careful not to splatter yourself with the scalding mush, YIKES HOT!!.....blend until desired texture. I like mine with a bit of chunks still in the apple butter.

Done! Thick and tasty.

Ladle into 1/2 pint jars and process in boiling water bath for 10 minutes. This recipe made 7 1/2 pint jars.

TIPS: To make your life easier if you plan to preserve, can or make jams. Have on hand, a canning funnel, a jar lifter, some good metal ladles for scooping out the product into the funnel and several small tongs for lifting jars and lids from boiling water.

Forest Gump of Plums

2011-10-03T10:05:00.000-07:00

I am the Forest Gump of plums.

This year all of our plum trees have gone into overdrive producing. So many plums. So many types. I feel like Forest Gump

Wild plums, Italian plums, Santa Rosa plums.

Plum jam, plum jelly, plum pulp frozen to make more plum jam and jelly, plum bread, plum cookies, plum crisp, plum tortes, plum pies, plum sauce, dried plums, frozen plums, canned plums, fresh plums.

FREE plums. Please take some of these plums. Begging people to come an pick them before our deck is totally spotted with rotten plums dropping off of the tree.

I can't stand to see the fruit go to waste so I spend my time preserving, cooking, freezing and drying.

Here is a recipe that freezes well. The bread is better after sitting and 'aging' for several days, otherwise, it is cakelike, crumbly and doesn't cut well. The Italian plums are a pleasing blend of sweet and tart that doesn't make the bread gooey.

Italian Prune Nut Bread

Yield: 2 loaves

1 cup butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 large eggs
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cream of tartar
1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup sour cream
2 tsp lemon peel, finely grated
3 to 4 cups Italian prune plums - diced 1" pieces
1 cup chopped pecans

1. Pre heat oven to 350. Grease and flour two loaf pans

2. Cream the butter sugar and vanilla until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition

3. Sift together the flour, salt, cream of tartar and baking soda. If you don't have cream of tartar use baking powder ( 2 tsp)

4. Blend together the sour cream and lemon peel. Add the the creamed butter mixture alternately with the dry ingredients.

5. Stir until well blending then fold in the plums and nuts.

6. Pour into the two baking loaf pans and bake at 350 for 55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.

Pork Roast and the Plan - Part ONE

2011-03-05T08:42:00.000-08:00

What do I have on hand?
What use of leftovers can I make?

One of my main strategies in planning for a week is to cook one 'large' item that I can use for several leftover meals during the week. Not only does this save TIME it also can save money. Here is an example from last week.

First: what do I already have on hand? So....delving into the freezer, I see that I still have several pork roasts that I bought about 6 months ago when they were on sale. Pork Blade Shoulder Roasts or also known as Boston Butt. Looking at the label on the packaging it is an 8 pound roast and I see that I paid .97 cents per pound. Woo Hoo!!! SCORE!! The same roasts now are $1.90 to $2.10 per pound now. (Tell me all about how we don't have inflation again?).

How do I know the price and poundage? Whenever I buy meat in bulk to freeze, I write this information on the label, along with the date so that we can use the older stock first. LIFO in accounting terms.

OK. Pork it is. However, an 8 pound pork roast is a lot of meat for two people. We don't want to eat pork ALL week long.......... I know. Let's have company!!

COMPANY MENU
( 4 people..links to other recipes in this blog)

CRISPY SALT CRUSTED PORK ROAST
PINWHEEL GNOCCHI
CAESAR SALAD
RICOTTA PINEAPPLE PIE

CRISPY SALT CRUSTED PORK ROAST

8 pound pork roast (because I already owned it)
8 or more large cloves of garlic
8 tablespoons of Kosher Salt (1 tbsp for each pound of meat)
2 tablespoons coarse ground pepper
6 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
1 tsp each dried oregano, marjoram, thyme

Place the pork, fat-side up, in a roasting pan fitted with a rack insert, and using a sharp knife, score the surface of the meat with small slits Mash the garlic and some of the salt (about 1/3) until it is a paste. I used a mortar and pestle, but you can also use the flat side of a cleaver on your cutting board. Mash in the spices and pepper to make a coarse paste. Place the paste in a bowl and stir in the rest of the salt and the oil and vinegar. You don't want to completely dissolve the salt grains. Rub the garlic paste all over the pork, being sure to get into the incisions so the salt can penetrate the meat and pull out the moisture - this will help form a crust on the outside when cooked. Cover the pork with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours or up to overnight.

Allow the meat to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Roast the pork 45 minutes to the pound, uncovered, until the skin is crispy-brown. Using an instant read meat thermometer the internal temperature should be at least 145 to 160 degrees. Don't let the thermometer touch the bone when testing or you will get a false read.

Let the meat rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before slicing. If longer, just tent loosely with foil and let it sit.

This is the most juicy and tender pork that you will ever eat.

FRUGAL PLANNING POINTS
Ricotta Cheese: The Potato Gnocchi recipe calls for some Ricotta Cheese. In order to make good use of the rest of the cheese, I chose to make the dessert that also uses the Ricotta.

Caesar Salad: Don't buy those packaged salad mixes. They are expensive!! and often the romaine lettuce is not all that fresh. Instead, invest in a salad spinner and buy romaine by the head and either make your own Caesar salad dressing or buy a jar and keep in the refrigerator. Caesar is our favorite salad and we eat it or a variation at least 2 to 4 times in a week and the head of Romaine will last that long.

How to keep it fresh? Breaking the whole leaves apart first (I don't mean tear the leafs up...leave them whole, I put the entire head of lettuce into a big zip lock bag and insert a just damp paper towel. This keeps them fresh and you can pick an assortment of outer and inner leaves for your salad.

Cost of a pre-packaged salad (single use) $4.00

Head of Romaine $2.00
Salad Dressing $3.50

For a little bit more, you get 4 to 6 salads instead of just one!! That's FRUGAL.

Now that we have had a great meal with friends, what am I doing to do with the rest of this pork???

Stay tuned for part TWO.

Frugal Tips: Make a Meal Plan and Stick to it.

2011-02-23T08:14:00.000-08:00

If you want to save money and save yourself a lot of stress make a meal plan for the week and try to stick to it.

I know. Too anal. Too restricting. Too much work. Too Boring!!

But believe me it will work.

This was my routine before making shopping lists and meal plans.

"OMG I'm out of cream and onions for the casserole that I just decided that I want to make tonight." Run to the store and "Oh...look they are having a sale on Cheeze-its, strawberry ice cream and oooooh don't those olives look good. Maybe I should pick up some of these pork chops" So, in addition to spending more money than I needed, I came home with a bunch of stuff that I didn't need and some pork chops for which I have no real plan. This means that I have to go back and get more ingredients later for the surprise pork chop meal. Rinse and repeat.

The result is wasted food. Wasted time. Wasted MONEY. The result of haphazard planning is meals that are boring, meals that are not creative and which are repetitive. It is too easy to go with the good old standards, until you and your family are sick of spaghetti, tacos or whatever your go-to standard is.

For me, part of the joy of cooking, to steal a phrase, is to make new meals. Different dishes. Experiment. Sometimes it works and you have what we call "a keeper". Other times it is a total failure....we won't do that again.

Over many years I have come up with a system that works for me. I ask myself these questions in no particular order.

What do I have on hand?
What is on sale in the store now?
What seasonal foods are available?
How long will these items last in the refrigerator or before they begin to 'turn'?
What does my family really like to eat?
When was the last time we had these particular meals?
What would I like to try to experiment on?
How can I make the best use of my time and money by using leftovers?
Can I combine ingredients to make different and exciting meals and save money by buying in bulk or using things I already own?

Then: I make a rough list of meals for the next week or for at least several days. Thinking of the main dish and side dishes that would go nicely. Also trying to create a variety of meals. After all.....even if chicken IS on sale, we don't want it every freaking night!! While Chinese or Mexican food is great....I don't want it all the time. Mix it up and create variety or your family might rise up in revolt against the same food all the time.

Consider the nutritional value of your meal plan as well. You need, throughout the week, a good mix of protein, fats, vegetables and grains. So, while I love Fettuccini Alfredo, every meal can't be carb loaded pasta. Indulge yourself: make a dessert or some sweet treat for the week.

I also leave myself some flexibility so that if we decide to go out for the evening or we just decide that we are really really not in the mood for Pastisto or Arroz con Pollo or Clam Chowder we can move that meal to another night or just do something else with the ingredients. A meal plan doesn't mean you are stuck, like in a straight jacket, and must adhere to the plan. Be flexible within your plan and realize that YES, you will have to go back to the store for some things, especially those items that you can't buy in bulk or that have short shelf lives......lettuce anyone?

So in this and in the next few posts I will cover a few of my questions at a time and give some examples of meal planning.

Frugal Cooking Tips: Buy in Bulk or On Sale

2011-01-20T11:55:00.001-08:00

There are many ways to cut down on the cost of cooking. Over the course of these next posts I'll try to highlight some of the frugal cooking techniques that I used.

You might find by following a few of these your costs will go down AND the quality of your meals will go up.

BUY IN BULK and WHEN ON SALE: Whenever possible, buy in larger quantities. Of course you have to be able to store the extras. It does you no good to buy mass quantities that then go stale, spoil or have to be thrown out.

My husband is always reminding me that the freezer or the pantry isn't a savings account!!

Our local market had these beef chuck roasts on sale. Buy one get one free!! How can I resist? . I purchased two 3 pound roasts. So...... priced at 5.19 a pound my actual cost per pound is 2.59 per pound. Now THAT'S more like it. Freezing one today and cooking the other as an oven pot roast with separately roasted, carrots, potatoes, onions and home made rolls.

This is an easy peasy recipe and when you are done there will be ample left over meat for another meal, like a beef enchilada casserole, minestrone soup or pot roast sandwiches.

(I need to note here that I am cooking for two adults. If you have more in your family, then you should adjust accordingly. We two adults will be able to get 2 to 3 meals from this recipe.)

BEEF POT ROAST

3 lb beef chuck roast
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup flour
4 tbsp or so of oil
one small onion chopped
2 bay leaves (if you have some otherwise...no big deal)
4 to 5 cloves garlic coarsely chopped
2 stalks celery chopped in 2 inch pieces leaves included

Pre Heat the oven to 325.

Salt and pepper the roast on all sides. Roll the roast in the flour In a dutch oven heat some of the oil and sear the roast on all sides, about 3 minutes to a side. Remove the roast and make a bed of the onion, celery and bay leaf. Put the roast back onto the pan, cover and roast for about 30 minutes. Turn the heat down to 300 and roast for another hour or hour and half.

ROASTED VEGETABLES

5 or 6 medium sized red potatoes cut into eights
3 large carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 red onion peeled and cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks
any other root type vegetable or winter squash that you may have hand cut into similar size pieces
garlic salt
cracked pepper
spices that you may have like parsley, basil, tarragon..whatever
olive oil, about 1/4 cup or less

During the last half hour, on a separate sheet pan or shallow roasting pan, drizzle the vegetables with the olive oil and toss well to coat. Sprinkle with garlic salt, pepper and the spices that you desire. Roast along side the pot roast, stirring the vegetables a couple of times with a spatula.

Remove the pot roast and let set for 10 to 15 minutes. In the meantime if the vegetables are not done or you would like them a bit crisper, crank up the heat and stir them again to ensure even cooking.

If you would like, make some gravy with the drippings in the pot roast pan.

Pot roast can be as simple as you want it to be, like this recipe, or you can jazz it up. The trick is long slow cooking of an inexpensive cut of meat to create a tender and juicy roast.

Hard Times and Cheap Eats: Red Beans and Rice

2011-01-20T08:14:00.000-08:00

Times are hard and get ready people.....it may just get worse.

Food prices are climbing. Our government is encouraging the use of food (corn) as fuel for vehicles. We are burning up our food instead of using it to feed ourselves and the livestock that provides us with meat, eggs, cheese, butter. Everything is going to cost more and more. If the cost isn't going up, the size of the package is getting smaller. We are paying more and getting less.

Energy is getting more expensive due to regulations that make it harder to produce oil and gas. Regulations that put burdens on our ability to use even renewable sources of energy such as hydro, wind or solar. We are being taxed to the nth degree all along the chain for energy.

More people are now unemployed than were out of work during the Great Depression. You know the BIG ONE that your Grandparents or even your Parents may have experienced or remember.

We haven't had real hard times in our fortunate and blessed country since World War II. Sure, we had somewhat of a major self inflicted recession during the Carter years, but all in all, we have been living in a land of plenty. Actually, we STILL are living in a land of plenty, when even our poorest can sport cell phones, flat screen televisions, computers at home and have ample access to food through charity and government food stamp programs.

So while we are going to be experiencing hard times, it is nothing in comparison to the experiences of our ancestors. Our problem now, is that we have forgotten how to cope, how to save, how to make do and we need to relearn all the lessons that our parents taught us or that we just refused to learn.

I'm not going to enumerate the ways that people suffered or the ways that they coped here on this blog. There are many blogs out there that give tips and examples. This blog is about cooking and household tips, so this is what I will focus on when I write about Frugal Food or Cheap Eats.

Many young people have never learned to cook or to master even the most basic of household economics. Why should they, they think, when you can just buy a pre packaged frozen dinner, order a pizza, run to McDonald's. Who needs to learn to cook? Well... guess what. YOU DO!

It is just too much bother to cook and even if you do, leftovers are not left...over.... but often just thrown away. You probably just rolled your eyes at the "There are children starving in India" lecture we all received when we didn't want to eat the spinach or Brussels sprouts. However, everyday throughout this country, we are wasting food. Waste of food that people in other countries would be grateful for, food that might mean the difference between life and death.

SO.....lecture over. Let's move on to how can we eat well, eat cheaply and use recipes that even those who have rudimentary cooking skills can prepare and can be proud to serve.

RED BEANS AND RICE

Red Beans and Rice are a cheap, tasty meal and are a complete protein even without any meat added to the pot.

One cup of dried Red Beans or Red Kidney Beans
3 cups of water
1 cup of chopped onion, approximately one small onion
3/4 cup chopped celery, 2 stalks
5 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
Optional: 3 sausages
Optional: 1/2 tsp liquid smoke

Wash the beans and sort to remove bad ones. Put all of the ingredients except the sausages in a small/medium crockpot and cook on medium for 5 to 6 hours or until the beans are getting tender. Stir occasionally to make sure the beans are getting evenly done.

Slice or cut up the sausages. Stir into the beans and continue to cook for about another half hour or longer.

Serve over white rice.

How easy is this?!?

Note: I used Italian Sausages, because I had them handy. You can use any other kind of sausage like a smoked linguica. You can also use left over pork roast. Anything will do. The recipe also calls for Green Peppers diced and tossed in in the begining. I don't like them and didn't have one.....so....I didn't use it.

Costs:

Onion at .89 a pound. One onion = .25
Red Beans 1.69 for 2 lb. One cup is 1/4 of the package. = .45
Garlic .50 a head. 5 cloves = .15
Sausage 4.99 lb. 3 sausages = 2.50
Water free! (sort of)
Spices. Hard to say, since I already own them and grow my own Thyme, but let's guess at 1.50.
Rice. 1 1/2 cup of dried long grain rice will yield about 3 cups cooked. = .75

Total Cost approx 6.10. Serves 4. Cost per serving about $1.52

How cheap is that!. Come on now. No excuses. Get cooking.

Caraway Leek Potato Latkes

2011-01-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

Leeks and caraway give a really tasty spin to this version of the simple and easy potato latke.

This basic recipe was torn from a Cooking Light magazine and has been stored in a file for several years and resurected when I was looking for something different to accompany some BBQ steaks and use up some ingredients left over from making Potato Leek soup a few days ago.

Naturally, I altered the original recipe to suit what ingredients I have on hand and just because.....that's the way I am.

Had 3 extra large baking potatoes...check
2 leeks.....check
sour cream.....check

OK...let's go.....

CARAWAY LEEK POTATO LATKES

1/4 cup flour
4 cups shredded peeled baking potatoes
2 cups chopped leeks
1 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp coarse ground pepper
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 or two large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 cup chopped fresh parsley

Mix together the sour cream, garlic powder and herbs and let set aside. (When I do this again, I will probably substitute fresh minced garlic for the garlic powder). My sour cream was rather thick so I thinned it with some whipping cream that I had on hand

Grate the potatoes. If you don't have a food processor......get one. It will save you time, protect your knuckles and save your guests from eating parts of your fingers. Toss the potatoes into a medium bowl.

Press some of the potato liquid out of the grated potatoes to keep them from being too wet. I just smoosh the grated potato mass against the side the bowl that I'm using and pour off the liquid. Toss the grated potatoes with the lemon juice. This will keep them from turning orange or rusty brown. Add the chopped leeks.....green tops and all and mix together.

Note: If you have never used leeks before: they are grown in loose sandy soil and will have sand and grit in their layers as they grow. Just a fact of life. Our food is dirty. Be sure to split them in half lengthwise and under running cold water fan out the layers to remove the sandy soil: otherwise you will have grit in your latkes. Cut off the root end. Start slicing thinly crossways from the bottom to the top Coarsly chop. Be sure to use as much of the green tops of the leeks as you can for color and taste. They get tougher at the top end of the leek so I usually discard the top 3 to 5 inches depending on how large the leek is.

Mix in the flour and spices and toss with a fork or fingers. Beat one egg and mix into the potatoes to create a batter. If it seems too dry you can beat the other eggs and add some a little bit at a time. You just want the potatoes to cling together and be bound by the flour but not a wet sloppy mess.

Pre heat oven to 350. Lightly grease or spray with cooking oil a baking sheet and set aside.

Heat up a skillet or griddle with a few tablespoons of oil until it is quite hot. Drop the batter by 1/4 cup amounts or several mounded tablespoons onto the griddle. Level the pancakes/lates out with the back of a spoon if necessary. Cook until golden on one side. Flip and do the same on the other side. Add more oil as necessary.

As the latkes are browned on each side, arrange on the baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for 10 to 15 minutes until crisp and cooked through.

The normal way to cook latkes is to just fry them in oil until done. By using this recipe method, quick browning and baking, you have a lot less grease because the potatoes will absorb the oil like little sponges. Because this is a Cooking Light recipe, they are always trying to cut down on the fat. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. I actually prefer the latkes done this way.

Serve warm with the sour cream.

Leftover latkes are good sauteed in butter and served as a side for eggs over easy for breakfast.

When Life Gives You Lemons

2010-12-31T11:32:00.000-08:00

The possibilities are endless.

A few days before Christmas, the Dumbplumber and I were driving around the 'big city' that is closest to us in the Sacramento Valley below our home in our Mountainous Valley Paradise. We were there to do our last minute shopping. Because of the difference in elevation (3400 ft where we are and about 400 ft in the valley) it always feels like we have migrated into another climate, spring like instead of snow and ice....even in December.

On the AM radio, there is a Swap and Sell channel. Very cool. People can call in and describe items they want to buy, items they want to sell, stuff they are giving away for free. One guy was giving away a piano because he was moving. Suddenly, my ears prick up. A quavery little old lady voice says she has fresh lemons from her tree at 50 cents a dozen. 50 CENTS A DOZEN. Just come by her place and take some, put money in the tip jar.

"Did you hear THAT!!" I say. "Do you know where Shady Lane is? OMG we have to get some lemons!!"

"Why can't you buy lemons in the store?" replies The Dumbplumber grumpily, because he is on a man's Christmas shopping mission. Get the stuff and get the hell out of town.

"Yes. BUT...at 50 cents EACH. Not 50 cents a dozen." Says I.

Soooooo....we go get lemons. I was now on a mission too. And surprise surprise, they are Meyer Lemons. You would think that I had found gold nuggets.

So....when life gives you lemons and not just any old lemons.....COOK....make

Buttery Lemon Squares, Lemon Curd, Lemon Creme Brulee Tart, Candied Lemon Zests.

BUTTERY LEMON SQUARES

1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 1/3 cups flour
1/8 tsp salt
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 tsp grated lemon zest
6 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp baking powder

Make Crust: Cream butter and powdered sugar. Add in 2 cups of flour (reserve the other 1/3 xup) and beat until blended. A food processor works well for this. Pulse on and off to process. Spread and pat firmly into a greased 9 x 13 metal pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until starting to brown at the edges. You are basically making a shortbread crust.

Filling: Meanwhile beat eggs until light. Gradually add the sugar. Beat until thick. Add zest, juice, remaining 1/3 cup flour and baking powder and blend. Pour over baked crust. Cook at 350 for 20 minutes until golden on top.

Sprinkle with powdered sugar and let cool completely before cutting into squares.

Should equal about 20 squares.

Snow Day: Time to Bake Yeast Raised Corn Bread

2010-12-04T09:20:00.000-08:00

I love snow days!! They present the excuse to do things in the house, to cocoon, to relax and in the spirit of this recipe blog.....to bake something.

Having been a recipe junkie for years, I have clipped and hoarded recipes. Consequently there is a huge pile of recipies that have have put into the "it might be good, I think I'll try it someday" category. There is a great software program Living Cookbook, that I use to organize and sort recipies and to turn them from scraps of paper into electronic files. This helps to to keep my office from looking like something on the Hoarders television show. If I didn't keep myself organized, my husband says they will someday find my withered body covered in old cook book magazines,craft magazines and clippings....along with a collection of art deco pottery, fiestaware and kitchen wares.

So.....snow day. Time to test out a new recipe on my ever lovin' patient hubby. Who knows how it will turn out, but you won't know until you try. If it is good, the recipe moves from the "it might be good" file into the "my favories" category.

We are using the last of the Thanksgiving ham, bones and meat that was frozen to make bean soup which is usually accompanied by cornbread. Today, something different.

Yeast Raised Corn Bread

2 cups warm water
1 tbsp sugar
1 pkg yeast
4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp salt
1 cup forzen corn kernels thawed

1. Mix 2 cups warm water, sugar and yeast in large bowl of heavy duty electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Let stand until foamy, about 10 minutes

2. Add 2 1/2 cups of flour to yeast mixture an beat on low speed until well blended, about 5 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic and clean kitchen towel. Let rise in warm area until doubled in volume. Mixture will be very spongy. About 45 minutes

3. Stir down yeast and flour mixture. Stir in 1 1/4 cups flour and 1 cup cornmeal and salt. Turn dough out onto generously floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding more flour if dough is sticky about 5 minutes. Knead in corn. Lightly oil large bowl. Add dough to bowl and turn to coat in the oil. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

4. Punch down dough. Turn onto floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Divide dough in half. Roll each piece between palms and work surface into 10 to 11 inch long by 2 1/2 inch wide log.

5. Sprinkle large baking sheet with some cornmeal. Transfer loaves to baking sheet. Using small sharp knife, cut 4 diagonal slashes about 1/2 inch apart. Cover and let rise until almost doubled about 45 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 350. Bake until crust is very crisp and loaves sound hollow when tapped on bottom. About 50 minutes. Cool on racks.

Source: Bon Appetite February 1997

See....told you I was hoarding recipies. 13 year old recipe and today is the first time I'm trying it!! About time, doncha think?

If this works out, I might try to put some cheese in the mix. Romano or Parmesan sounds good.

Sweet and Sour Pork

2010-10-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

I love a good sweet and sour pork dish. Sweet and sour chicken or even shrimp. Unfortunately, often restaurants will smother the ingredients of the stir fry in a super sweet, sticky, bright red food colored sauce. All you can taste is the sauce which oozes all over the place and covers anything else on your plate with sweet and sour sauce.

The sauce in this recipe is sweet and sour without being gloppy. You don't want to drown the ingredients: just lightly coating them in the sauce is best.

This is a recipe that was given to me about 25 years ago by my Aunt Rachel. Her huband was a Colonel in the Air Force and they spent quite some time stationed in the Orient. Japan, Guam, Phillipines. As the wife of an officer, she had quite some time to be a dillitante. The other bored out of their minds women would take classes to while away the time and to learn new and exciting skills, like silk flower making and arranging (seriously......they did). She also, to my great benefit, spent some time in each location learning the local cuisine. Consequently, I have some awesome and authentic recipies.

Stir frying is not hard as long as you realize that preparation is key.

Slicing the ingredients and sorting into piles according to cooking times. (See below in the instructions)

The meat and sauce are prepared ahead of time.

The final cooking takes place in a very few short minutes in a spectacular fashion when you begin tossing into the sizzling wok the ingredients. Tossing and turning with abandon. This is a great meal for a party because it can almost all be prepared in advance and your cooking technique will impress your guests.

SWEET AND SOUR STIR FRY PORK

Batter1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 Tbs beaten egg
1/2 cup water

Sweet and Sour Sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup pineapple juice
4 Tbs catsup
4 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp sesame oil

1/2 lb pork, cubed
1 small red pepper, cut in 1" cubes
1 small onion, cut into 1" cubes
1 large carrot, sliced
1 cup pineapple chunks (completely drained if using canned)

1. BATTER for pork: Mix the dry ingredients together and gradually add the water and beaten egg until it reaches the desired thickness. It should be thicker than pancake batter but not as thick as a dough batter. Set aside until ready to fry the pork.

2. SWEET AND SOUR: Add all ingredients together in a small sauce pan and stir constantly over medium heat until the sauce is clear and thick should take approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Keep stirring and be patient the sauce will suddenly become translucent. Set aside in the pan. If you are making the sauce a day ahead: cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate and bring back to a warm temperature before using. You don't want to put cold sauce into your HOT wok.

3. VEGETABLES: Have pre prepared various vegetables cut into approximately equal sizes. This is a very free form type of cooking. You can use many different types of vegetables, but the most common are listed in the ingredients above. You can also use mushrooms halved. Bok Choy, Red Pepper, Green Pepper, Carrots or what ever you would like. The sizes should be the same to ensure even cooking. Segregate the vegetables into piles according to hardness or how quickly they will cook. For instance the mushrooms and the tops of Bok Choy will cook quickly the bottoms of the Bok Choy, onion, etc will take a longer time to stir fry.

4. Heat oil to a depth of 1 inch in a fry pan or wok (preferred). Dip the pork cubes into the batter and deep fry in small batches for 3 to 5 minutes or until the pork is cooked through and the batter is crispy. Turn the cubes over with chopsticks or a fork to make sure they get crispy on all sides. Drain on paper towels. In the same wok, drain most of the oil. Begin stir frying the vegetables beginning with the hardest or longest cooking. When the vegetables are crisp/tender add back the fried pork cubes. Stir fry until they are warm. Add the pineapple and toss briefly. Add the sauce and stir fry and toss until heated through. This should only take a minute or so.

Served with a side of steamed rice. Serves 6 people.

Notes: I don't care for green peppers so I will substitute red peppers. Pretty much any firm types of vegetables you like can be used. Do not use summer squash, they will turn to mush. If you do want to experiment with mushrooms just add them at the very last, with the meat and before adding the sauce. The catsup isn't exactly a traditional Chinese ingredient, but it works well in this sauce.

Finally Fall: Bean Soup

2010-10-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

The weather has finally turned from hot to a more normal fall. Crisp cool mornings and evenings with still some lingering warm afternoons. We even had some rain early this morning so I decided to make a meal that my husband has been craving.

Frugal, filling, satisfying and ever so easy. Ham hocks and bean soup with cornbread.

Ham Hocks and Bean Soup

2 cups Great Northern Beans
3 large meaty ham hocks
one large onion
3 stalks of celery (with leaves)
3 stalks of celery
2 carrots
1/2 scant tsp pepper
1/8 tsp or less red pepper flakes
kosher salt

Rinse sort and soak the beans either overnight or quick method. I generally use the quick method. Put the beans in cold water, bring to a boil. Then turn off the heat and let the beans sit for several hours.

Add the ham hocks and add enough water to cover. Cut the onion into large chunks, about 1 inch and toss into the pot. Toss in the whole stalks of celery with leaves. If they are too big to fit into the pot, cut them in half. The celery with leaves can even be old and wilted. They are just to give flavor to the broth and you will remove them later. Crush the garlic cloves and toss into the pot. Season with pepper. Don't salt at this time. The ham hocks may be salty enough.

Bring the soup to a low simmer and cook covered for several hours, adding more water if needed. Check the beans occaisonally for tenderness. You don't want to cook them until they are mush, but you also don't want hard undercooked beans. Remove from the heat. Remove the ham hocks and let cool enough so that you can handle them. Remove the celery stalks.

Separate the meat from the bones and put the meat back into the pot. I often also add back the bones from the hocks to continue to give flavor to the broth.

If you want a more spicy soup, you can add a small amount of hot pepper flakes. Be sparing with this as the longer you cook it the hotter they will get. Simmer until the beans are tender. Keep checking the water level. If it seems that the bean soup is getting dry.....add more water. Taste and if needed add salt. Peel and chop carrots into a rough dice about 1/2 inch. Cut the remaining celery into 1/2 inch chunks. Toss the carrots and celery into the pot. Add some parsely if you feel like it. Simmer until the vegetables are tender.

As you can see....I'm not very precise with my recipes. I tend to wing it with this soup. If I have a left over meaty ham bone I will use that. I like my bean soup a bit more on the soupy side and not cooked to a paste. I also like the vegetables to be on the more crisp side, rather than cooked to a pulp.

Bean soup is a great pantry or survivalist meal, meaning almost all the ingredients can come from your pantry. Dried beans. Dried onions. Canned carrots. Canned ham or spam. Celery salt if you can't get fresh celery.

I'm Jammin'....Hope You Like Jammin' Too.

2010-09-12T13:33:00.000-07:00

You can feel Fall in the air. The mornings are crisp, cool and clear. Some of the trees have even begun to turn color. The fruit trees are loaded and people who have gardens are desperate to unload their excess onto anyone who will take squash, zucchini or anything else.

After our war with the robins and race to see who would get the cherries from the sour cherry tree....we won by the way.... we have been inundated with wild plums and peaches. Hating to see this bounty go to waste, I've been canning and jammin' (Bob Marley reference here)

Wild plums are something that you have to experience and are hard to explain just how fablulous they are.

Slightly smaller than ping pong balls, they are sour. Pucker your face sour. However, once made into a jam or jelly. They turn from reddish yellow sour balls into the best sweet and tart reddish orange jam. Some years we have a lot. Some years, not so much. It even varies from tree to tree. One tree will bloom and bear fruit, while the tree right next to it will be just a week behind or ahead on the blossom schedule and be barren. Timing is everything.

This year I made two batches of wild plum jam. We gave most of last years batch away as gifts and ate it all up before winter was over.

Peaches Galore

My husband oversees some properties that are owned by absentee landlords. This year one of the peach trees was loaded, almost to the breaking point, with small peaches. Since no one is going to be coming up to use the fruit, we get to harvest it when we can. From the peaches I made Peach Jam, Sour Cherry Peach Jam and Peach Barbeque Sauce. There were so many peaches we gave over half of them away to other ladies (gluttons for punishment) who also like to cook and can.

These are just a few of the jars of the different jams. All in all about 4 dozen jars.

I love the jewel tones they have when the light shines through. Almost like a stained glass window in a church. The miracle of being able to preserve the bounty of summer and fall and enjoy throughout the cold winters.

In the freezer are still more peaches and sour cherries.

As if this all wasn't enough. I have a friend who's husband made a huge and I mean huge over an acre garden. She has loaded me up with green beans. So.....spicy garlic dilled beans.

The recipies for jams are easily made from the pectin package recipies. For the peach and sour cherry jam, I just substituted 2 cups of chopped cherries for two cups of chopped peaches.

Quest for Grandma's Chili Powder

2010-06-29T08:37:00.000-07:00

Going through my spices it dawned on me that I was getting low on Grandma's Chili Powder. When we had the deli business we would buy this by the case and to keep it fresh shrink wrapped and froze the extras. It is the best chili powder ever with a wonderful smokey and slightly sweet flavor. Nothing compares.

So.....I toodle off to the store to buy some and find out to my absolute HORROR that they don't make the product any more. OMG!! Now what!!! This is what I get for not buying a replacement supply sooner.

After searching on line I find that Grandma's now deceased chili powder has other fans and desperate foodies looking for a substitute. Lawmama did the heavy lifting and found out what happened to Grandma.

Fortunately she also obtained a recipe that may replicate the spice. Forthwith...I'm sharing as well. I haven't made it yet and hope that it is as good as Grandma's. It looks like fun and I'm looking forward to experimenting with the formula. Time will tell.

Shamelessly copied directly from Texas Cooking

For mildness and flavor:
•4 Ancho chiles (dried poblanos) [see Chile Primer]
•3 Dried New Mexico chiles
For heat:
•3 to 5 Dried Chiles de Arbol or Cayenne
For flavor:
•2 tablespoons cumin seeds, toasted
•2 tablespoons garlic powder
•2 teaspoons ground oregano (Mexican oregano, if you can get it)

1 Preheat your oven to 300F.

2 Remove stems and seeds from all the chiles. Cut each chile in half with scissors and flatten the pieces. Incidentally, good dried chiles will still have some moisture in them and be fairly pliable. Don't use dried chiles that are so dry and fragile that they shatter when touched. Chile ristras and wreaths are wonderful decorative accents, but the chiles dry out and lose their flavor.

3 Put the chiles in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 4 or 5 minutes. Remove the pan and check the chiles (they cool almost immediately). The smaller chiles will be toasted first, so remove them and set aside. Bake the larger pieces another 4 minutes and check again. The poblanos will be done last, but as portions of them toast, break them off and set aside returning the pan to the oven if necessary.

4 When all chiles are toasted and crispy, break each piece into two or three pieces and place in a blender. Pulse briefly until you have powder.

5 Toast the cumin seeds by placing them in a dry skillet over medium heat. Stir the seeds constantly being very careful not to let them scorch. When they are a few shades darker than the untoasted seeds, they are ready. Grind the toasted seeds with a mortar and pestle or with a rolling pin between two sheets of waxed paper.

6 Add the ground cumin, garlic powder and oregano to the ground chiles in the blender. Pulse a few more times to thoroughly mix the powder, and youre through. You should have about 1 cup of chili powder, depending upon the size of your chiles.

7 You have created your own custom blend of chili powder. If you compare what you have just made with the store-bought variety, you will find it to be much darker in color with a deeper, richer aroma and taste. Naturally, you will want to test your creation, and an excellent recipe for doing so is the Brazos River Chili in Grandmas Cookbook, or any good recipe that relies heavily on chili powder.

8 This recipe makes very good chili powder, but is by no means written in stone. The chiles and other ingredients can be varied according to your taste. To add the smoky heat of chipoltes (smoked jalapeos), for instance, substitute a chipolte for one of the chiles de arbol. Or better yet, toast some chipoltes and make a pure chipolte powder from them. A teaspoon of chipolte powder is the rough equivalent of one chipolte chile.

9 Store your chili powder in a small, airtight container like a glass jar with a lid that can be tightened. If you make more chili powder than you will be using in the immediate future, triple bag it in plastic bags and put it in the freezer.

10 With this knowledge, you are limited only by your imagination and your taste.

Procrastination

2010-06-29T08:28:00.000-07:00

Wow. I haven't blogged on my food blog for so long.

Poor neglected blog. Well, I also haven't put much on my other blog either.

What kind of excuses can I make? Lots!!! I'm good at excuses and procrastination.

I've been busy with work. No really I have.
I've been wasting time on line reading blogs and playing on line games. Yes. Really.
I've been spending a lot of frustrating time being involved as a Board member on a Community Services District. Don't ever do it. Thankless and frustrating job.
My computer crashed and it took a week to get all of my valuable stuff off of the dead computer to the new computer. Talk about panic. I thought I lost my cookbook program and all of the recipies that I had typed in and have procrastinated about printing out. Told you I was good at that.

So while I am attempting to get my act together, I'll try to put some more recipies on the blog and quit fooling around.

Apple Butter

2009-11-15T16:17:00.000-08:00

More apples. We are down to two ice chests full. One consists of the smaller and more tart apples from one tree and the other is STILL full of the Red Delicious. We can only stomach so many cakes. I made two more cakes today and froze one of them.

In a desperate attempt to use these apples before they go bad, I decided to make chunky apple butter. So simple and a great thing to do with fruit that is not perfect.

APPLE BUTTER

4 or more pounds of apples
1 cup cider vinegar
2 cups sugar
dash of salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp allspice
juice and zest of one lemon.

Peel, core and coarsley chop up the apples. Cut out the bad or brown spots first. The best way I've found to do this is to use a potato peeler to take off the skins. Then just set the apple bottom down on the cutting board and make a cut vertically down one side of the apple close to the core. Turn the apple, make another cut......repeat until you have left the core of the apple. It will look like a square or pentagon, depending on how big your apple is. Don't worry if there is some skin still left on the apple, because you are going to cook it into a mush and the skins contain pectin.

Put the apple chunks in a large stew pan with the 1 cup of cider vinegar. Stew over low heat until they are soft. Mash with a potato masher or put through the sieve of a food mill if you want a smoother apple butter.

Add the sugar, lemon, salt and spices. Simmer and stir frequently until it is very thick or until when you put a glop of apple butter on a saucer there is no liquid leaking out around the edges.

Spoon into sterilized half pint jars and put on the sterilized lids and screw bands. Put into a water bath and process at boiling for 10 minutes.

If you have never canned before, there are some good sites on the net that will give you a basic tutorial. I highly recommend getting the book "Putting Food By". It will walk you through the process. This has been my canning Bible for years and years.

Chunky Apple Cake

2009-11-12T17:30:00.000-08:00

Its fall and the crops from the raised bed garden are long gone. We picked the last of the tomatoes and peppers a month ago. Yellow tomatoes, Romas, Beefsteak and sweet Italian.

Now, it is apple time. We picked the apples from our 5 trees. At least 50 pounds, mostly Red Delicious and Yellow Delicious, stored in open ice chests in the pump house for preservation over winter.

When we bought this property 8 years ago, most of the trees were already mature and needed pruning and now really have begun producing. Depending on what kind of spring: whether we get an early frost that kills the blossoms before they set or if we have a lingeringly warm spring where the bees and the blossoms make sweet harmony, we will have some apples or lots of apples. We had the latter spring this season.

Once again, we didn't spray the trees. It wasn't for any greenie organic reasons that did we not spray. As Steve Martin says...."I forgot". Ah well. Give me spots on my apples and leave me the birds and the bees. As a result we have 50 pounds of apples that taste great......look bad. What to do? What to do?

I know!!! Make Chunky Apple Cake. You're going to peel and chop the apples anyway....so who is to know that you also cut off a few brown or icky spots. It isn't like you need neat perfect slices like you would for an open face tort. Chop
away!

This is a wonderful, EASY, dense and flavorful cake. You just can't miss. Served warm with some whipped cream or dusted with powdered sugar and served at room temperature.

Chunky Apple Cake

6 large apples
1 tbsp cinnamon
5 tbsp sugar
2 3/4 cups flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
2 1/2 tsp vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a tube pan. Peel and core and chop the apples into chunks a little less than one inch. Toss the apple with the 5 tbsp sugar and 2 tbsp cinnamon and set aside.

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, 1 tsp cinnamon and salt in a large mixing bowl. (I use the bowl of my Kitchen Aid mixer so I can add the next step)

In a separate bowl mix the sugar, oil, juice and vanilla. It will look totally disgusting. Don't worry about it. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ones. Then add the eggs one at a time. Scrape down the side of the bowl. Don't lick the spatula.....OK....go ahead lick the spatula.

Pour half of the batter into the tube pan. Top with half of the apples and some of the nuts. Cover with the rest of batter and top with the rest of the apples and nuts.

Bake for about 1 1/2 hours or until wooden skewer comes out clean.

I have to give away half of this cake or else eat it ourselves. Believe me, my hubby and I do NOT need to eat an entire cake.

This month we took generous slices to some of our older friends and our clients, most of whom are in their 80's and one is a Pearl Harbor survivor and who don't cook so much for themselves anymore. It is like stepping back into a gentler and kinder age. We have a cocktail...or two.... and as was usual in the cocktail era of the 40's and 50's our friends insist on making a production. Frosty cocktail glasses from the freezer, a full bar, hors d'ourves, salted nuts, napkins, coasters the works. We sip and gossip about locals, about politics, their children, my children, movies and anything else. We listen to stories from their past, and I marvel at what fine good people we will lose as a Country when this generation is gone. Sometimes it makes me very sad......have another piece of cake ......please.

Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta

2009-10-05T08:18:00.001-07:00

Roasted Butternut Squash Pasta

1 peeled and cubed butternut squash
2 tbsp Olive oil
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cracked Pepper
1 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary

On a baking sheet toss the squash and seasonings together. Bake at 300 for about 1/2 hour or until the squash is tender, stirring it up once or twice with a spatula.

While the squash is cooking, saute slowly 1 large onion, sliced, in olive oil (or butter) until it becomes soft and translucent. Then add the mushrooms and sautee at a little bit higher heat until done and slightly browned. Salt and pepper and set aside. If the squash is done, throw it into the sautee pan and cover or put back into the oven that has been turned off. Just to keep the veggies warm

Boil the pasta in well salted water. If you can get whole wheat bow ties even better. Drain and add to the sautee pan. Toss until well blended and top with toasted pine nuts and fresh parsley.

Add some grated Parmesan or Romano cheese if you like at this point and serve with crusty french bread, fresh green salad and white wine.

Fava Beans Redux

2009-07-26T07:59:00.000-07:00

Having used up the last of the fava beans on a delicious and pretty Shrimp and Fava Sautee over Couscous, I am definietly going to grow some more of them next year.

Growing a garden is a learning experience and here are the things I learned about Fava Beans.

They are really TALL. So don't plant them in front of other plants. My poor pepper plants that were behing the wall of favas didn't get the sun they needed so as a result, I am nursing two Italian Sweet Pepper plants that have a total of 3 peppers.
They are really TALL. You'd better plan on staking them up before they get too and flop over because
The bean pods are HUGE.

Everything I read talked about the tedious process of shelling and preparing the beans. Really? It wasn't that bad. Sure, it takes some time, but then again so does anything worthwhile. And believe me they are definitely worthwhile.

Fava Beans and Shrimp over Couscous

Poached Shrimp
2 Cups Prepared Favas
Roma Tomatoes Chopped
French Shallots Chopped
Garlic Cloves Minced
Fresh Tarragon Minced
Romano or Parmesan Cheese
Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

You might notice, there are not any actual ingredient measurements? Wing it!

Prepare the couscous according to package directions. This will take hardly any time and while the pasta is sitting covered you can whip up the following.

Sautee the garlic and shallots over low heat in a bit of olive oil until they become limp and translucent. Turn up the heat at bit and toss in the favas and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle on the minced tarragon and add the tomatoes. Continue to stir and toss in the sautee pan until the tomatoes begin to become slightly limp. Add the shrimp and continue just until they become warm. Do not over cook.

Top the dish with some shaved slivers of cheese and add more salt and pepper to taste.

Fava Beans Sautee

2009-07-16T08:04:00.001-07:00

Fava Beans are a success. See my posting below:

It is so satisfying to be able to create a meal or side dish with fresh ingredients that you have grown yourself. With the exception of the tomatoes, which are not yet ripe and the olive oil which I conveniently buy at Costo and didn't press myself or the Asiago Romano Cheese from Costco (the best I have ever found), the ingredients come from my own garden.

/pats self on the back

FAVA BEAN SAUTEE

3 cups of prepared fava beans (I tell you how below)
1 whole large french shallot, chopped (not minced)
3 coarsely chopped roma tomatoes
1 tbsp fresh minced tarragon
2 cloves minced elephant garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper
shaved slivers of Asiago/Romano cheese

To prepare the beans: Plan on this taking some time. First pour yourself a glass of wine to sip on while shelling the bean pods. A nice Chianti? Or in my case a chilled Gewürztraminer. Split the bean pods apart and place the beans in a large bowl. This is actually kind of neat. The insides of the bean pods are fuzzy and white, almost like the beans have been lovingly encased in soft cotton.

Meanwhile start a pot of water, liberally salted with Kosher salt to boil. Once you have shell the beans put them into the boiling water and simmer at a low boil for about 4 to 5 minutes. Scoop the beans out of the boiling water and dump them into a large bowl full of ice water. This will shock the beans and stop the cooking. Let the beans cool.

Fava beans have a very tough skin covering the delicate green bean inside. To shell them, just pinch off a section of the tough sking and gently squeeze the inside bean into a bowl. They should just slip right out. If you moosh a bean or two. No problem......eat them while you are shelling the rest.

At this point, you can freeze the beans like Lima Beans are done in the grocery store or set aside covered in plastic wrap for maybe a day in the fridge. But the best way is to cook them immediately.

Preparing the dish: This part goes really fast. Coat a small sautee pan with a tbsp or so of olive oil and over medium low heat slowly cook the shallots and garlic until it is soft and slightly caramelized. Turn the heat up a bit and toss in the beans and tarragon. Toss them around in the pan. Maybe do a few Emeril Lagasse flips of the pan and contents to show off. Season with Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Throw in the chopped tomatoes and stir/flip the contents of the pan over medium heat until the tomatoes start to wilt.

Serve with some shaved slivers of cheese on top of the warm beans.

Very pretty with the red and green coloring. Tasty. I served these as a side dish to some sauteed Red Snapper with a fresh green salad and warm french bread.

Growing Fava Beans

2009-07-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

This year we really got cracking on our vegetable garden. The Dumbplumber, at my constant urging or nagging as he would say, put in some great raised beds. 6 beds that are 4 feet by 8 feet by 24 inches high and spaced just wide enough to run the wheel barrow through. We lined them with chicken wire on the bottoms and up the sides and then installed 1 inch PVC pipe at intervals along the sides before filling with dirt. This was so that I could use smaller size PVC and make hoops over the beds.

Because it is cold here in the spring time due to the elevation, it is very hard to plant early. With the hoops running the length of the bed and covered with plastic it creates a tunnel/greenhouse to get an early start on planting. The other advantage is that to discourage the birds and deer, we covered the hoops with deer netting to keep the critters from gobbling up all of the young shoots.

There is no point in planting things that you can easily and cheaply get at the local grocery store. So, I try to plant things that are unusual or that are good trading stock with other local gardeners. This year I had a great crop of French Shallots (which are very expensive) and Elephant garlic. I'm trading with a friend who has a lot of Torpedo and Sweet Walla Walla onions. Yum Yum.

This was the first year that I had grown Fava Beans, so I didn't plant to many, as I wasn't sure if we were even going to like them. Picking the last of the crop today at lunch, we are planning to have them with dinner tonight.

Probably something with Garlic, Shallots, Lemon, Thyme (which I also grew) and shaved Assiago Cheese. If they are a success, next year I'll plant a LOT more as they were probably the easiest thing I have ever grown in the garden.

Next year I will be urging (nagging) my husband to put ground cloth and gravel between the planting beds to keep the mud and weeds down. I'm sure he is really looking forward to it. :-D

Peach BBQ Sauce

2009-06-17T07:54:00.000-07:00

Have too many peaches? Peaches that are on the too ripe side and starting to get gooshey? Never fear. Peach Barbeque Sauce is here. This is a delicious sauce and is especially good on pork. It seems to last forever in the refrigerator and freezes well.

PEACH BBQ SAUCE

1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3 cups chopped peaches
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp salt
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups beer
1 cup catsup
1 cup mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 tbs cider vinegar
2 tbs worchestershire sauce
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp hot pepper sauce
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the peaches, pepper, salt and garlic. Cook for a minute stirring frequently. Add the beer and the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Drink the rest of the beer while stirring as it comes to a boil....oh heck...drink another one too. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes

Cool the mixture until it is just warm. Place half of the sauce in a blender. Remove the center piece of the blender lid so the steam can get out. You don't want your sauce and blender to explode. *Puree until smooth. Repeat with the rest of the sauce. Refrigerate for up to 10 days or freeze.

Notes:

*I use a hand held immersion blender , as long as it is just a single recipe. If our peach trees are especially generous, I will make a double batch for the freezer.

Leave the skin on the peaches. Don't waste your time trying to peel them. You are just going to puree them anyway.

Generally, I despise "Ball Park" type mustard and substitute Dijon whenever possible, but in this case you should use the inexpensive French's or other yellow mustard. You really want that harsher mustard flavor and will be wasting your money if you use Dijon. I haven't tried it yet, but adding whole mustard seeds to the mix or using a grainy brown mustard might be good here if a bit more expensive.

For a BBQ pork butt, roast or chops, I will marinate my meat in this sauce for a few hours before cooking. Discard the marinade and use fresh sauce for basting during the last part of the cooking process.

How to Organize a Zillion Recipies Without Going Nuts

2009-06-17T07:06:00.000-07:00

Being an admitted Recipe Junkie and not about to reform or repent, the other option is to try to get organized.

You know what I mean.... don't you, you other Recipe Junkies. First we start out with a few cook books, some clippings and a couple of recipes that Grandma or Mom was good enough to let go of, written on 3 x 5 cards. A nice little index box with some tabs. A shelf on the book shelf or maybe even a spot in the kitchen for those few books.

Soon, we are browsing magazines for more good sounding recipes that we will certainly make in the near future. (uh huh...sure) Garage sales have lots of great old recipe books that are well used, cheap and absolutely must be saved. Goodwill, Salvation Army, Antique Stores: all treasure troves of fabulous recipes, cooking history, memorabilia and books. The really bad news is when your inner Recipe Junkie merges with your book collecting mania.

Now, instead of a few books and small recipe box, you have a whole book CASE devoted to cook books, Bon Appetite, Gourmet and a lateral file cabinet full of files containing recipes optimistically torn out of magazines.......even magazines while waiting in the doctor's office. /Embarrassed

So, smartie, how are you going to actually find a recipe that you want to try or that you really would like to make again in this clutter? You have some peaches and you remember (vaguely) that there is a recipe you read (somewhere) for a peach flavored barbeque sauce. Where IS IT and I want to find it before I am completely out of the mood and just eat the damned peaches.

Here is what I have done and I now use the world's best cook book software. Living Cook Book by Radium Technologies. If anyone else has other ideas, I'm all ears.

Clippings: I read the magazine first. Put pencil checks or dog-ear the page where the recipes sound good. THEN....put....the ....magazine.....down. Come back later read again and see if it still sounds interesting. Often a recipe that sounds good at first glance isn't so great or I realize, I already have several just like it. If I still think the recipe (or decorating or gardening idea) is interesting, tear it out of the magazine and throw the magazine away, and get rid of the clutter. Then it either goes into the files that are categorized by type or directly into my software program.

Books: First I read and browse the new or new/old cook book from cover to cover and use post its to mark the most interesting places for later data entry.

Living Cook Book is the best program that I have ever used!!! You can sort and print and more importantly FIND what you want. It can copy from the internet. So many great features. Check it out.

I have several virtual cookbooks

My Favorites: recipes that I have made, will make again and really like. Those are printed out on 4 x 6 cards and kept in a file or can be printed out in cookbook form and put into a binder

Untested #1: those that sounded good from the clippings or books and that I might want to make soon.

Untested #2: sound interesting, might be a bit complicated or unusual but worth consideration if I have some time to really experiment

Once I make an 'untested' it either goes into the virtual trash can or into My Favorites and printed on the card.

SO .....when I want to find my Peach BBQ Sauce recipe, I merely search for the ingredients and ta dah: PEACH BBQ SAUCE

Pasta Puttanesca

2009-06-16T07:03:00.000-07:00

Wow. Where does the time go? I haven't posted here in months. I can make the excuse that I've been busy. Busy with non fun things like work. Preparing for an office audit that is required by the SEC once a year. Non fun things like being in the middle of a power struggle on the Water District Board of which I am a member. I won, by the way. We have a new board and fired the manager, but man was that stressful and scary. I even began packing at work and my husband acted as body guard a few times at meetings. We are still in the middle of a LOT of work reconstituting the District and trying to save it from bankruptcy.....but that is a story for my other blog.

Busy with fun things. My hubby made some wonderful raised garden beds for me out in the orchard area. Since he did such a great job, I had better grow something. Soon I will be harvesting French Shallots and Elephant Garlic. There is no point in growing things you can get in the grocery store, so I also planted Fava beans and Endame and some interesting varieties of tomatoes.

Busy entertaining/distracting myself on the Blogs arguing with the trolls on one particular blog and realizing that is a colossal waste of time. Also realizing that there are much more entertaining and friendly places to visit like Trooper York's blog. where they talk about among other things FOOD.

Trooper has requested a pasta recipe and so...in line with my burgeoning tomato crop that I expect to have soon. Here is an easy easy, cheap, fast and fool proof pasta dish.

PASTA PUTTANESCA

2 or 3 large tomatoes *seeded and coarsly chopped
2 tbsp capers crushed
1/2 tsp crushed red chili flakes
1/4 cup chopped fresh italian parsley
1/2 cup chopped calamata olives
1 small tin of anchovies in oil
1 tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
1/2 pound linguini
fresh parmesan or asiago cheese

In a medium sauce pan over low heat saute the garlic anchovies in the olive oil. Don't over cook, just smoosh the ancovies and garlic and oil around to make a paste and to release all the yummy flavors. Add the chopped tomatoes, capers, chili flakes, olives and simmer on low for about 10 to 15 minutes, stiring occaisonally.

Meanwhile. Cook the linguini to al dente in a large pan that has been salted with about 1 tbsp kosher salt.

Drain the pasta. Pour the sauce over the pasta and toss in the Italian Parsley (bet you thought I forgot about it, didn't you?). Mix the linguini with the sauce and parsley.

Top each serving with a bit of shaved Parmesan or Asiago cheese.

Serve with a green salad, fruit (cantelopes are really good right now), crusty french bread .....oh and of course a good wine.

My husband hated the Kalamata Olives. He thought they were too salty with the anchovies so you might substitute milder ripe olives. For those of you who don't like hot/spicy dishes you can also lighten up on the chili flakes (weenies). I also like this sauce over Farfalle pasta. Soon, I plan to try it with a mixture of yellow and red tomatoes from my garden.

* to seed tomatoes: cut the tomato in half crossways and simply squeeze the seeds and juices into a bowl. You want as much of the juice removed from the tomatoes or else your sauce will be watery and you will have to cook it much longer which will ruin the delicate flavor of the capers.

Lazy Day Oatmeal Cake

2009-03-14T12:41:00.000-07:00

I've had this recipe for at least 30 years and have no idea where it came from but I can tell you it is easy easy to make. Always turns out great and is a bit hit at pot lucks.

Lazy Day Oatmeal Cake

1 cup rolled oats (NOT quick cooking oats)
1 1/4 cups water
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda

TOPPING:
6 Tbs butter
2 Tbs milk
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup shredded coconut meat
1 cup chopped walnuts

Bring water to a boil and add oats. Let stand for 20 minutes. Meanwhile cream eggs, butter and sugar. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixtures. Stir in the oats. Bake in a greased sheet cake pan at 350 for 35 minutes. Let the cake cool just a bit before putting on the topping.

Topping: Mix the 6 tbsp butter and 2 tbsp milk in a sauce pan. Heat until warm. Add the brown sugar and heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Add the chopped nuts and coconut. Spread on the still warm cake.

Roasted Corned Beef with Mustard Brown Sugar Glaze

2009-03-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

Saint Patricks day is coming up and the corned beef is on sale. Buy one and get one free!!! I bought four. Going to cook one and plan to freeze the others. After all, why should we only have corned beef just once a year?

I used to cook the meat the way my Irish Mother learned it from her mother and so on. Boil the crap out of the meat, skim some fat and add the potatoes and cabbage. It is always good with a creamy horseradish and lots of leftovers for sandwiches and corned beef hash. However, I have found that I much prefer my corned beef done in the following manner. It also has the stamp of approval by my husband.

This recipe is rather free form as is most of my cooking.

Oven Roasted Corned Beef with Mustard Brown Sugar Glaze

5 pound piece of corned beef.
One head of cabbage, cored and cut into quarters and then the quarters cut into halves
8 to 12 small to medium sized red new potatoes
4 to 5 carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch sections
One onion cut into eights
Dijon mustard
Brown sugar
Fresh bread crumbs

FIRST: Bring to a boil and then simmer on low heat the corned beef for a couple of hours until it is fork tender but not falling apart. Be sure to pour the corned beef juices and spices into the water to get all those good flavors.

Remove the corned beef and put into a foil lined shallow roasting pan or oven proof casserole, fat side up. Cover with foil and refrigerate until you are ready to proceed. You can even do this part early in the day or the day before.

Let the broth cool and skim off any foam and excess fat. Don't take ALL the fat out. The cabbage is best when it has a light coating of the fat. Yummy flavor.

SECOND: Make a paste of mustard, brown sugar. If you don't have Dijon use a nice stone ground brown mustard. Please... please! do NOT use that ballpark yellow mustard crap. Save that for your hot dogs. Notice the vague instructions? I don't know.....Depending on how large your piece of meat is about half and half of each to equal about 1/3 to 1/2 cup. You want it to be pretty thick so start with the brown sugar and add the mustard gradually until you get a thick paste. Too thin and it will just run off of the meat. Set this aside.

NEXT: Preheat the oven to a low temp. About 275 to 300. Roast the meat covered for about an hour or hour and half. Again. Vague and imprecise.

THEN: Raise the temperature to about 375, uncover and spread the mustard/brown sugar paste on the top surface of the meat. Sprinkle on the bread crumbs and cook uncovered for about 20 minutes or less. Check the meat to make sure it isn't drying out. You can always take it out of the oven and cover until the crisping process.

MEANWHILE: Put the whole potatoes in the broth along with the onion and bring to a boil. When the potatoes are about half way done about 10 minutes or so (firm but not hard as rocks when a fork is stuck into them) toss in the carrots and let them cook for about 10 minutes. Then at the last toss in the cabbage and cover the pot if you can. Shove those puppies down into the broth and cook for only 5 minutes. Shut off the heat and leave covered while you are crisping the corned beef.

CRISP THE MEAT: If it isn't already looking a bit brown and crispy on the crumbs, turn the heat up to 450 or better for about 5 to 8 minutes. Take out of the oven and let set for a bit while you are scooping the vegetables out of the broth.

Be careful though...Don't crisp for too long...you don't want dried out corned beef. That is why we par boiled and cooked it, covered at a very low temperature. On the other hand....what the heck, we're going to slather it in a creamy horseradish sauce and drown the potatoes in butter.

How I serve this: Cut the meat into slices and layer like shingles down the middle of a platter. Lift the potatoes and other veggies from the broth and arrange on each side of the meat slices. Horseradish in little cups for each person. Lots of butter for the carrots, potatoes and cabbage.

Good dessert for this is the Lazy Day Oatmeal Cake.

Comfort Food: Macaroni and Cheese

2009-02-20T18:18:00.001-08:00

Ultimate comfort food? The winner is........macaroni and cheese. So creamy, salty, slightly sweet, inexpensive and yummy. Anyone who makes macaroni and cheese from a box (other than a starving college student) should be ashamed. It isn't hard to make. It is inexpensive. And the best part is that you can customize your recipe to suit your mood. Got leftover ham? Extra broccoli? Half of a red pepper? Odds and ends of cheese? All can go into a great Mac and Cheese casserole

Here is a simple version. The extra touches that I like to add at the end. Hint.....smoked Gouda cheese.

Basic cooking techniques used: making a roux, chopping, boiling water

Macaroni and Cheese

2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni

1/4 cup butter
2 Tbs flour
2 cups milk
1/2 tsp salt

8 oz cheddar cheese cut into dice sized cubes (see below for cheese substitutions)
1/2 cup dried bread crumbs
1 Tbs butter

1 Tbs chopped parsley

First: heat the oven to 350. Cook the macaroni according to package directions slightly under cooking the pasta. If you cook the pasta all the way done it will be mushy in the final casserole. Al dente is your friend here. Pour the pasta into a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking and also to keep it from becoming a big stuck together glob of pasta.

Now the roux and basic cream sauce Meanwhile, melt 1/4 cup butter in 3 quart saucepan until sizzling, stir in flour. Cook the flour butter mixture over medium/low heat, stirring occasionally, until smooth and bubbly ( I minute) Add milk and salt. Continue cooking stirring frequently until the sauce is thickened about 3 to 4 minutes. Drink a glass of wine and stir occasionally..you will be standing there for several minutes, might as well make good use of your time. You don't want the sauce to burn on the bottom and you do want the flour to be completly cooked. Take your time. Who knows....maybe another glass of wine?

When the cream sauce is done, stir in the chopped cheese(s) until completely melted and smooth.

Next, stir in cooked and cooled macaroni (and any additions suggested below). Spoon the entire glop into an ungreased 2 quart casserole.

(At this point, you can refrigerate the casserole for a bit if you are preparing for company or just want to get a jump on dinner. )

Toss the bread crumbs, with 1 tbsp butter and the parsley. Sprinkle this over the casserole.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until heated through and golden brown crispy on top

This is the basic recipe and makes a creamy and satisfying mac and cheese.

Oh....and a green salad and wine goes well. Fruit salad for dessert.

Now let's ratchet it up a bit.

Instead of just plain old Cheddar, substitute one third of a good high fat Smoked Gouda Cheese. (Come on ....are we counting calories here??? It's comfort food people!) If you don't have Gouda add some cream cheese and liquid smoke.

If you have old/stale french bread make some crumbs with that in a food processor instead of using that pasty pre-packaged crumb stuff that comes in a can. (Sorry Contidina). Panko crumbs work really well too, for a really crunchy topping.

Additions

Chop up some red peppers and sautee them in butter along with some green onions and add to the mac and cheese glop.

or

Have some broccoli?...chop it up and sautee with butter (can't have enough butter and fat in your comfort food you know) Left over ham? Absolutely! Throw it in with the broccoli.

Use your imagination. Use your leftovers.

What would I NOT put in this casserole? Mushrooms. They have too much water. Peas...yuck. Serve those on the side as a fresh vegetable.

Ricotta Spinach Gnocchi

2008-12-20T08:37:00.000-08:00

These tasty little dumplings are a great side dish with roasted chicken or any other roasted meat. We are having prime rib for Christmas dinner and in addition to the traditional baked potatoes I plan to have these on the side. For those who are watching their carbohydrates, these are a nice substitute because they are high in protein due to the cheeses.

When cooked and served in a broth and topped with a bit more grated cheese they make a great and satisfying soup. Easy to make and yummy to eat.

Ricotta Spinach Gnocchi

1 Tbs minced onion
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs finely
chopped ham
1 package frozen chopped spinach thawed
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
2/3 cup flour
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 egg yolks
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp pepper

Saute onion in butter until translucent. Add ham. Squeeze water from spinach and add to onions. Saute 5 minutes or until very dry. Place in large bowl.

Add the flour and ricotta. With a wooden spoon blend. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. It will be like cookie dough.

Shape into balls the size of walnuts. Dust with flour. Bring a large amount of water to boil. Drop the gnocchi into the water and simmer at a low boil for 4 minutes or until the gnocchi float. Drain

Serve with melted butter and fresh grated Parmesan. Or....place the cooked gnocchi's in a shallow casserole, dot with butter and parmesan and bake in the oven until warmed through and bubbly.....OR use the dumplings in a soup made with browned beef bones and onions.

Armageddon Pantry Part 2

2008-12-07T14:24:00.000-08:00

A while back I posted about the stockpiles of food and other items that I have been putting into our pump house. It really isn't that I think the end of the world is coming, but hey... why not be prepared. We go to Costco and purchase in bulk. It cost much less to purchase in bulk, by the case lot.

Because we live in a rural area and often in the winter there is snow, it is so handy to go out to the well house and pull some staple or even a luxury like liquor or wine off the shelf.

When I use something from the pump house, we replace it so the stock is always the same. The pump house stays basically the same temperature year round because it is a block building that is well insulated and sided. In the winter the temp is about 40 -45 degrees. In the hot summers the cool water from the well keeps the temp in th 50 degree range. Our well water is very very cold, even in the summer.

Freezer storage is in another building along with most of the non food items. I'm ready.

No Knead Yeast Rolls

2008-11-27T08:21:00.000-08:00

I've loved baking ever since I was a small child and used to make cookies and yeast bread for my family. Here I am in our 1950's kitchen checking on the latest experiment I was already infliciting on people. ...bread, I think, in this photo.

The following recipe is one that I've had for years, probably since the 70', so I have no clue where it came from. It has been a holiday staple because it is so easy to make. As it says, no kneading, simply shaping the dough into balls and plopping into prepared pans. We have enough to do on Thanksgiving, so let's take it easy with the rolls.

No Knead Yeast Rolls

1 package yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1/4 cup shortening
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbs sugar
1 cup boiling water
1 large egg, beaten
4 1/2 cups flour, sifted

Sprinkle yeast over the 1/4 cup water and set aside in a warm place. Combine shortening, salt and sugar in boiling water. Stir and cool to 105 to 115 degrees. See Notes Add shortening mixture to the yeast then beat in the egg.

Mix in the flour about 1 cup at a time to make a soft dough. Place in a warm place in a greased bowl and let rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Punch down and let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half. Divide each half into 12 equal portions. Shape gently into rounds (like golf ball sized) and place into 2 cake pans. 12 rolls in each pan. Let rise again for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes

Makes 24 rolls.

NOTES: Be sure the mixture is cooled to at least that temperature or you will kill the yeast and have dough balls instead of fluffy rolls. Believe me, I've learned this from experience and by being impatient. If you don't have an instant read thermometer, test it like you would a baby formula. Opps!! I guess I just dated myself since people probably don't boil their baby's formula anymore. LOL

In the olden days, I would use a big wooden spoon and beat the dough until my arms were sore. Probably good excercise, but now, I just use my trusty Kitchen Aid mixer. My husband bought one for me for Christmas several years ago and I couldn't live without it. Love love love it. Everyone who is a serious cook should have one. I use it with the paddle attachement to mix the dough which basically is the substitute for the actual kneading process.

Thanksgiving Part One

2008-11-26T15:38:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is a big cooking holiday and it is always good to get as much of the preparation out of the way in the days leading up to the big event. Planning will keep you from going insane and trying to cook everything last minute. Plus if most things are done ahead, I can relax with a glass of wine or a cocktail.

Day before Thanksgiving: I made the marinade for the Brined Turkey, used the last (thank God) of the Asian Apple Pears for a Gingered Pear Pie and made seasoned broth from the turkey neck and giblets to be used as a base for gravy.

The turkey is happily marinating in a small ice chest and sitting on the back deck where the temperature is just as good as any refrigerator in the evening.

Tomorrow- Thanksgiving: In the morning start the No Knead Yeast rolls that are a favorite every year. Very easy to make and as it says. No kneading. Those take about 4 hours from start to finish. It doesn't hurt if they are done early, just wrap in foil and keep warm on the back of the stove.

Mid day. Assemble the stuffing casserole. Assemble the green bean casserole. Sometime around 2pm put the turkey in the oven. Have a glass of wine. Make the glaze and let it sit on the stove. About half way through the turkey....pop in the casseroles. Three quarters of the way through the turkey, cut up the carrots and par boil, set aside and mix up the orange glaze ingredients for the carrots. Hmmmm ....maybe a glass of wine would be in order here to reward me for my hard work.

Sometime during the day, set and decorate the table.

While the turkey is resting, cover the casseroles in foil. Finish off the carrots. Have another glass of wine. Whip up some gravy. I don't want it but if we don't have gravy it just isn't Thanksgiving for my hubby. I refuse to have cranberry sauce this year.

Carve the turkey in the kitchen. Mound the stuffing in the middle of the platter and arrange the turkey around the stuffing. Carrots in a decorative serving bowl and bring out the gravy boat. Schlepp it all over to the table... MORE WINE for everyone.

Dinner is served.

Whew.....now....who is going to do all these dishes and clean up this mess????

Smoked Brined Turkey

2008-11-25T08:19:00.000-08:00

Brining your turkey will keep it moist and full of flavor. As I mentioned in my post about our smoked deli operation, we would brine the chicken and turkey before smoking, deep frying or baking by using a commercial vacuum brining machine.This is a recipe that I think came from a Sunset magazine. But who knows, I clip and keep so many recipes I can't remember. I just know it is very good.

It must be prepared early in the day before you plan to cook because the bird should brine overnight at least. I use a small clean ice chest. Since it's pretty cold at night here (20 degrees this morning), I can just put the bird the the ice chest,fill with the cooled brine and set outside on the deck.

Smoked Brined Turkey

6 quarts water
2 large onions quartered
1 cup coarse salt (non-iodized)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped fresh ginger
4 bay leaves
4 star anise
12 whole peppercorns

1 whole turkey (10 -12-lbs)
2 oranges quartered

1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbs sesame oil

4 cups hickory chips soaked in water

3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup white wine
1/3 cup dijon mustard
3 tbs butter

BRINE: Bring to a simmer in a very large pot ,the water and all ingredients up to the turkey in the list. Simmer until sugar and salt are completely disolved. Cool brine COMPLETELY. Do a day ahead if needed. Completely thaw turkey. Rinse and pat dry. Submerge in brine and chill. Marinate overnight or longer. Turn turkey twice.

Before smoking, place oranges inside bird. Brush with oils. Smoke at a low temperature according to your smoker or BBQ directions, (about 220) breast side up unitl reaches 160 degrees. Approx 3 hours. Brush with glaze and cook until temp reaches 180 in the thigh areas, about 1 to 2 hours or longer...be patient. Cover any parts of turkey that are getting too dark with foil

GLAZE: Mix syrup, wine, mustard and butter and simmer, stiriing in a small pan until thickened. Brush over the bird for the last half hour or so.

If your bbq has a temperature gauge, check occaisonally to make sure the temperature doesn't rise over 22o and use an instant read meat thermometer after an hour or so. Depending on the size of your turkey it could take several hours to cook to the desired temperature. I use a Polder temperature gauge like this one.

Pot Luck Worry? Ricotta Pineapple Pie. No Problem

2008-11-23T08:02:00.000-08:00

It's a pot luck for the holiday and YOU have been asked to bring a dessert. Panic!!!

Don't like to bake? Can't make pie crust. Don't have much time? No problem. Here is a dessert that is a snap to make and is impressive. No need to tell everyone how easy it is......just bask in the praise that will be heaped upon you.

After watching the Soprano's on television for a while and watching them shovel food into their faces after they had committed some horrible crime or two.... I discovered that there was an actual cookbook The Soprano's Family Cookbook. Carmella Soprano's solution to everything was food: either some nice manicotti or a ricotta pie.

Ricotta Pineapple Pie

1 tbsp butter softened
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
15 oz ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp vanilla

20 oz crushed pineapple
1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350. Spread the butter on the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie pan or springform pan. Add the crumbs, turning the pan to coat the bottom and sides. (note: I usually use 1 to 2 tbsp butter. Spread it thick and pat in lightly the graham craker crumbs)

In a large bowl stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Ad the ricotta, eggs, cream, lemon zest and vanilla and beat until smooth.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until the pie is set around the edges but the center is stll slightly soft. Cool on a wire rack to room temperture.

TOPPING: Drain the pineapple, reserving 1/2 cup of the juice. In a medium saucepan, stor together the sugar and cornsatrch. Stir in the 1/2 cup of pineaple juice and lemon juice. Cook, stiring constantly, until thickened... about 1 min. Add the pineapple. Remove from the heat and let cool until just warm. Spread the topping over the pie. Cover and chill for at least one hour before serving.

TIPS: Use whole milk ricottoa cheese that has been aged a bit in the refrigerator. I let it age until after the experation date, which is usually just a suggestion anyway. The skim type of cheese will make a pie with a grainy texture. If you have a diabetic in the family, you can use Splenda in place of sugar in this recipe and it won't have any affect on the pie.

The texture of this pie is even better if refrigerated overnight, without the topping if you can. I found that the ripened pie is smoother and the topping tends to 'weep' a bit if you refrigerate for too long.

A few thinly sliced strawberries strategically placed on the pie as decoration makes a lovely presentation.

Our Adventures in Smoking

2008-11-22T09:00:00.000-08:00

Smoking meat, fowl and fish that is.

For several years, we owned and operated a deli that specialized in smoked foods. Our specialty was a hot smoked trout and the name of our little establishment was Rainbow's End. Every other week we would go directly to the hatchery, about 20 minutes away, and obtain hundreds of pounds of trout that were all about 1 1/2 pounds. The hatchery could sort them by size with a screen. The fish were then transported alive in tanks of water to the "fish shop". You can't get product any fresher than that!!

My poor husband was the "gut and cut" part of the operation and processed the fish by gutting and filleting the fish. We figured he was the best man for that operation since he is a plumber and used to ick. LOL. Guts and fish remainders were sold to a local ranch that used them as a fertilizer source. The next step was to season the fillets with our own secret special recipe and marinate them in our cold room until ready for the smokers that we had designed specially for the fish. They were cooled and vacuum sealed in packages of one to two fillets.

Everyone loved the fish and we actually won first prize in Seattle for the hot smoked category. We sold many to a local restaurant who also loved the fish because they could reheat them and serve as an entree. The fish could be served as appetizers or processed into a tasty trout pate. Andronico's in the Bay Area carried our products.

We then branched out into hickory smoked hot wings (very very popular with the resorts in our area for their bar snack menu), brine smoked turkey, deep fried turkey, smoked whole and half chickens. Commercial vacuum tumblers and commercial smokers were used for the meat and chickens to get the brine and marinades deep into the meat to create a juicy and flavorful product.

Hooking up with a local buffalo rancher, we soon started serving smoked buffalo tri tip type roasts, barbequed buffalo burgers, and smoked pork ribs in sauce every Friday. The staff would prepare various side dishes (corn bread, cole slaw, potato salad, beans) and a dessert (giant cookies, sheet cake cut into individual serving squares) People would order ahead and pick up an entire meal to take home Friday after work or just stop in and have an early dinner.

We sold the business after 5 years. Why did we stop?? Oh my God, were we ever tired!!! Not only were we doing the deli, I was operating a full time financial planning office and my husband was still operating his plumbing/pump/water system business. Operating a restaurant, overseeing employees, marketing product is a full time occupation and anyone who plans to go into business needs to be able to devote their full attention to it and be prepared to NOT make any money for the first couple of years.

Every now and then I miss the business, and then come to my senses. I do miss the product. Loved the hickory smoked wings and occaisonally we make a small batch for ourselves. This year for Thanksgiving, I'm making a smoked and brined turkey that was very popular in our brief deli career.

Anchovy Bell Pepper Spread

2008-11-22T08:24:00.000-08:00

If you are going to host an early afternoon cocktail or wine event, it is a wise idea to include finger food, nibbles, appetizers to accompany the alcohol. We keep the event rather small and have only 6 to 8 guests. I like to have a cheese and cracker plate with wedges of Brie, Smoked Gouda and various types of spreadable or sliced cheeses. Sliced fruit: like pears or apples to go with the cheese. Perhaps some salami or prosciutto. Bowls of olives of different types, garlic stuffed are very popular, pimento, blue cheese, Kalamata and your basic black olives. Pickled asparagus spears. All available from your local grocer and require nothing more than slicing and arranging on serving plates.

Small tartlets of mushrooms or mini quiches baked in those tiny muffin pans can be prepared early in the day and reheated in the oven.

Dips and spreads are nice to have for dipping fresh crunchy veggies and spreading onto sliced baguettes. Here is a tasty spread that is one of my favorites.
Anchovy Bell Pepper Spread

2 large red bell peppers
2 oz can of anchovies with olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
2 tbsp red wine vinegar

Char the bell peppers over a gas flame or on the barbeque turning until blackened on all sides. Place in a paper bag and let stand for about 10 minutes. Peel and seed the peppers and coarsely chop.

Place peppers, anchovies and oil ,onion , parsley and vinegar in a food processor and process until the onion is finely chopped. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in small serving bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight to allow flavors to mellow.

Serve with baguette slices and/or cucumber rounds.

TIP: If you don't have the time or access to fresh red bell peppers, you can also buy roasted red bell peppers in jars. Just be sure to drain well and blott off as much of the oil as you can or esle your spread will be less spreadable and more like a thick soup. I highly recommend doing the bell peppers yourself. While I'm taking the time to roast a mere two peppers, I go ahead and make more roasted peppers than I need for just this recipe and slice or chop the remainder, place them in olive oil and refrigerate for a few days to use in other recipes during the week.

Tis the Season to Cook

2008-11-22T08:08:00.000-08:00

For a person who likes to cook, this is the best time of the year. The Holiday Season!!! Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years. The season for entertaining and having friends over for cocktail and hors d'oeurves (also known as appetizer) parties. A chance to create interesting and tasty morsels like Anchovy-Bell Pepper Spread on Baguettes, and try them out on your tipsy friends. Tiny savory tartletts of sherried mushrooms and cheese.

Giving gifts of food, cookies, candies, jams. Dry mixes for soup or quick breads in decorative containers, gaily wrapped up with the recipe card attached. Wonderful gifts that don't cost much money and are a thoughtful gift of time and love.

The weather is cool and baking not only warms the soul, it also warms the home. Cakes, pies, cookies, cheesecake, bread. Baking a turkey, ham, leg of lamb or even that most wonderful cut of meat....a prime rib of beef.

In the next few months, I'll be posting some of my favorite holiday recipes and sharing what we are cooking for the season.

Gingered Pear Pie

2008-10-30T07:26:00.000-07:00

On my other blog I wrote about these unique and delicious Asian Apple Pears that we have an abundance of this year. We have had them sliced and added to salads tossed with a balsamic vinegarette dressing. On a cheese and cracker plate. They are especially good with brie cheese. Pies, like the one I made last night. And now that they are getting a bit past their prime, tommow will be chopped up and made into Walnut, Pear Muffins and frozen for breakfast treats.

This recipe is from an old Bon-Appetite magazine, November 1991. I know......who keeps these magazines around for 17 years? A recipke junkie, that's who! I am, however, in the middle of a huge project to divest myself of this clutter and still keep the recipies. Using the Living Cookbook program which I highly recommend, I am systematically going through the magazines and copying the recipes that appeal to me and don't seem to be duplicates. Scanning some of the photos and then .....sadly waving goodbye to my old friend the magazine is gone.

Gingered Pear Pie

One recipe of lard pie pastry (see previous apple pie recipe)

3/4 cup golden raisins

1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger

3 pounds pears, peeled and thinly sliced

1/2 cup sugar

3 tbsp melted butter

2 tbsp quick cooking tapioca

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Egg Wash (one egg mixed with a tbsp of water or milk)

Make the pie crust according to the directions in the previous recipe. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate while preparing the filling.

Place raisins and ginger in a small saucepan and just barely cover with water. Simmer for about 5 minutes on a very low setting. Set aside and let raisins plump while preparing the filling and crust. The raisins can be done several days ahead. Just cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
Pre heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Peel and slice the pears. I put them in a water bath that has had a bit of lemon juice added to it to keep them from turning brown. When al l pears have been sliced, drain and toss the pears with the remaining ingredients. Set aside while rolling out the crusts.

Mound the fruit in the bottom crust leaving an overhang of about 1/2 inch. I have a handy pair of kitchen scissors that I use. Roll out the top crust and place on the pie and trim to equal the bottom crust for overhang. Roll the two crusts under and flute. Save the scraps and cut out some decorative shapes. Brush the crust with the egg wash and place the decorations. Brush again with egg wash and cut a few slits for steam vents.

Place on a baking sheet, to keep spills from occuring, and bake at 400 for 1 hour or until golden brown. If the edges begin to get too brown, protect them with a strip of foil.

Beef Lemon Shiskebab

2008-10-28T07:52:00.000-07:00

The last gasp of Indian Summer is upon us in California. Crisp mornings and warm afternoons in the high 70 to low 80 degrees. Perfect time to use up that last bag of charcoal briquettes and have friends over for an early afternoon barbeque.

This recipe takes a not so tender cut of beef and turns it into a tasty and festive meal that really stretches the food budget. I've cooked this since the Carter years, which it seems we are doomed to repeat. SO .....here goes an inexpensive meal that will easily feed 6 to 8 adults.

LEMON SHISKEBAB

Marinade
1/2 cup fresh parsley
2 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion
1 cup olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp granualed beef broth
1/2 tsp pepper

Blend all the marinade ingredients in a food processor until a fine puree.

SHISKEBAB

4 pounds of thick cut sirloin steak or london broil
32 large mushroom caps
3 large lemons
3 large red and green peppers

Optional: Zuchinni, yellow squash, eggplant

Cut the meat into 32 squares about 1 1/2 inches. Pour the marinade in a large ziplock bag or bowl and toss in the meat squares. Marinate overnight for optimal tenderness.

A few hours before cooking:

Cut up the pepper into 1 1/2 squares.

If using the optional zuchinni or other squash. Slice into 1/2 thick pieces.

Eggplant cut into 1 1/2 inch squares. Peeling the eggplant is optional. I like the peel because it keeps the eggplant chunks whole.

Thinly slice the lemons.

Bring the meat mixture out and toss in all the ingredients except the lemon. Marinate and bring to room temperature for several hours. Room temperature is important otherwise your skewers will be uncooked and cold in the center.

Place meat on skewers alternating the other ingredients. Broil or grill until meat is desired doneness. Basting with marinade if needed. The meat in the middle of the skewers will be less done than the ends for those (me me me!!) who like their meat on the rare side.

Serve with:
Mixed greens salad and lemon rice or orzo pilaf.
Dessert: pineapple lemon sorbet. If you think you are already overloaded on lemon/citrus then you can't go wrong with plain old vanilla ice-cream and some fresh chopped macerated fruit.

Caramel Apple Pie

2008-10-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

Apple pie time!!!. The days are getting short and cooler and baking is in the air.

Here is an unusual apple pie with a caramel sauce poured over the lattice crust. I use lard in my pie crusts to give the most tender and flaky crust.

Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup lard (Yes I said lard!!)
6 tbs cold water or more if needed

In food processor or with knives cut in the flour, lard and salt until resembles coarse meal
Remove to a bowl and toss lightly with a fork while sprinkling in the water. Toss until it forms a ball that can be held together when pressed lightly. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes.

1/2 cup unsalted butter
3 Tbs all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup water

8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced thinly

Melt butter in a sauce pan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add white sugar, brown sugar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Be sure the sauce is thick.

Meanwhile, cut the pie dough in two and roll out a crust with one half. Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work crust. The lattice work crust is non negotiable. You must be able to pour the caramel over and through the crust.Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off. Take a pastry brush and spread the caramel over all the pie crust. The crust will become crispy and shiny when cooked.

Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes.

Let the pie cool before cutting or else the caramel will come running out.

Sourdough Part 2:

2008-06-08T10:02:00.001-07:00

Sourdough Pumpkin Roll

Photo scanned from the 1977 clipping of a delicious sourdough pumpkin roll stuffed with sweetened cream cheese and pecans. Notice all the wrinkles and folds. :-)

Adventures in Sourdough

2008-06-08T09:17:00.000-07:00

I love sourdough bread and going through my vintage recipe clippings, in the hopes that I could pare them down and put them on my computer cookbook program, I rediscovered some sourdough recipes from 1977. OK......I know..... too anal to hold on to clippings for over 30 years. However, as I recall, these were really good and turned out great most of the time. Of course....actually reading the recipe thoroughly is sort of important (more on that later)

Here is the starter

SOURDOUGH STARTER

2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
1 envelope dry yeast
2 cups warm water

Combine flour, salt, sugar and yeast in a larger mixing bowl. Gradually stir in very warm water until mixture resembles a smooth paste. Cover with a clean towel or several layers of cheese cloth and let stand in a warm place (85 degrees) stirring several times a day. If temperature is lower than 85 or you prefer a more pronounced sour flavor, let the mixture stand 3 to 5 days. If mixture is allowed to sour longer than 3 days and it does not seem bubbly, stir in 2 tbsp of four and 2 tbsp lukewarm water. At the end of the bubbling and souring period, pour into a large jar or plastic container, partially covered to allow gasses to escape and store in refrigerator.

To prepare basic starter for sourdough recipes: Measure 1 cup of the mixture into large bowl (return jar with remainder to refrigerator) Stir in 1 cup warm water and 1 cup flour with wooden spoon until fairly smooth. Cover bowl with a clean towel and set for 5 to 6 hours or overnight. This is the Basic Sourdough Starter you will use in the recipes that follow. Return any unused starter (at least 1/2 cup) to the starter stored in the refrigerator.

If you are not baking every week and the starter is not replenished this way, every week, add 1/2 cup warm water and 1/2 cup flour to container of sour dough. Stir with wooden spoon until mixed. Leave out covered with a clean towel or plastic wrap overnight. Next day return to refrigerator until needed

The key to the sourdough recipes that I have been using is give yourself plenty of time. This is a weekend project for me. Once you have the initial starter done, it takes overnight or at least 5 hours to 're-proof' the starter that you will be using in the following recipe. This is a step I skipped in my first recreation .... READ first. As a result my loaves were flat and somewhat tasteless.

SOURDOUGH BREAD SAN FRANCISCO STYLE

1 envelope dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 cup basic sourdough starter (the re-proofed starter from paragraph 2!)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda

Sprinkle yeast over warm water in large bowl. Stir until yeast is dissolved, add basic sourdough starter, sugar salt, and 3 cups of the flour. Beat vigorously with a wooden spoon 2 to 3 minutes. Cover bowl with a towel. Let rise in a warm place away from drafts 1 1/2 to 2 hours or until doubled in volume

Stir down down. Mix baking soda with 1 cup of remaining flour; Stir into dough. Gradually beat in remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn out onto lightly flour surface. Knead until smooth and elastic 5 to 10 minutes using only enough additional flour to keep from sticking.

Shape into 2 long loaves or one large round loaf. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Cover with a cloth. Let rise in a warm place 1 to 1/12 hours or until doubled in volume. Brush loves with water. Make diagonal slashes across top with a thin bladed sharp knife or a razor blade.

Bake in a hot oven 400 for 45 minute or until crust is brown and loaves sound hollow when tapped. Remove from cookie sheet or pan. Cool on racks.

Here is a wonderful website for basic baking and loaf shaping for anyone who hasn't much experience in baking.

Ham and Spinach Picnic Pie

2008-05-20T19:10:00.000-07:00

This is a super recipe to use leftover ham. Once again, I have no idea where this came from but I have made it for ove 25 years. It is a hit for picnics and camping because the pie is in fact best served at room temperature. Pretty to look at with its flakey golden crust and delicious to eat.

HAM AND SPINACH PIE

2 packages frozen chopped spinach
1 1/2 cups chopped ham
1 whole onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups cooked rice (Calrose not long grain)
1/2 cup swiss cheese, grated
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp basil
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3 whole eggs, beaten
2 Tbs butter
Butter Pastry (see below)
1 whole egg, beaten with 1 tbsp water

Roll out and line 9 or 10 inch spring form pan with over 1/2 of the butter pastry. Save the scraps as you trim. Chill the remaining pastry, and the pastry lined pan while finishing the pie filling.

Squeeze the liquid from the thawed spinach. Saute briefly in a dry pan to remove most of liquid. Set aside. Saute the ham for a few minutes to render any fat. Set aside with the spinach. Melt the butter in a large skillet and saute the onion until tender. Add the spinach, ham, rice, cheese and spices. Stir and heat through if your rice is leftover cold rice, otherwise just toss together. Remove from heat and stir in the eggs.. Chill the pie mixture. You don't want to add a hot mixture to the cold pie crust as it will melt it and reduce the flaky texture.

Turn the pie filling into the prepared pan. Roll the remaining dough to make a top crust. Flute the edges and re-roll the scraps. Cut into decorative leaf shapes or flower shapes. Brush the crust with the beaten egg and water mixture to make a nice glaze. Attach the decorations and brush again. Cut a few steam vents.

Bake at 400 for 40 minutes. Serve warm or cold.

BUTTER PASTRY

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
2 Tbs shortening (yes you need to use shortening or lard)
1 whole egg
3 Tbs cold water

Combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening and butter. Make a well in the center. Beat together the egg and water. Add to the well and toss with a fork. Work with fingers until dough forms a ball. Knead on a floured surface 3 to 4 times. Refrigerate in plastic wrap until used.

Great pastry for tarts or savory pies.

Serve with a fresh fruit salad and green salad. Slightly sweet white wine.

Blood Puddings Irish Style

2008-05-20T18:26:00.000-07:00

This recipe requested by a fellow poster on Ann Althouse:

Blood Puddings Irish Style

4 pints blood (don't ask)
8 oz oatmeal
8 oz breadcrumbs
2 tbs finely chopped onions
4 oz minced fresh pork
Pinch of herbs (savory is what I used about 1/4 tsp dried.)
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt (maybe not so much depending on who....um...I mean where you got the blood)

Wash the intestines thoroughly, leaving each piece about 15 inches long. Steep in salted water over night (Or just buy some already prepared from your butcher. Try to use some that are rather larger than you would use for italian sausages. About 3 inches in diameter). Stir the blood until cold to prevent lumps. Next day mix the ingredients together with blood until it is stiff. Wash intestines again and tie one end. Put the mixture into the intestine and then tie the other end. Put into a pot and cook slowly for 2 ½ hours in the water. Cut each pudding into about 8 pieces, flour the cut ends, and fry in butter.

Recipe word for word from250 Irish Recipies (Mount Salus Press, Dublin) A cookbook I bought when I was visiting in Ireland in1969- 1970. I know…I’m a food geek. Cookbook souvenirs.

I used instant oatmeal for a finer texture and made my own bread crumbs from regular firm stale white bread, not the canned Contidina crap.. Also added a bit more pork fat because I like that texture. The mixture is kind of like a very soft cookie dough. They said next day after stirring the blood, but I just let it sit in an cooled ice chest. .. no ice.(not the fridge....too cold) until it was completely at room temperature. Be sure to not boil the puddings and be sure that they are cooked all the way through. They should be just barely at a simmer. You don’t want them to break and ooze into the water… believe me.

I haven't made this in years and years because my husband won't have it anywhere near the house. This and chicken livers.

Fish With Browned Butter Caper Sauce- No More Tarter Sauce

2008-05-03T09:26:00.001-07:00

As a person who loves to cook, I try to bring creative blends of spices and tastes into every recipe. Presentation is also important to me. The food needs to be beautiful to look at as well as bring subtle flavorings to the palate that makes the dish memorable and enjoyable. One of my peeves is to see all that effort smothered under big blobs of tarter sauce, catsup or mindless additions of salt and pepper. People learned to eat with these condiments as a standard addition to food. Meatloaf? Smother it in catsup. Fish? Smother it in tarter sauce. Turkey? Stlather some canned cranberry jelly on it. Lamb? Mint sauce.

When my husband and I began dating I would have him over for gourmet dinners. You know......the way to a man's heart and all. I think it worked since we have been married for 15 years now. I was horrified and offended to see him grab the salt or ask for catsup on the dish without even tasting it first. "Ahem.....I spent some time on this....at least you could taste it the way the cook (I) intended it before you start adding salt or catsup! " Tarter sauce on fish was a bone of contention. He insisted that he must have it on all fish. Now there is nothing wrong with a good homemade tarter sauce as a condiment on some fish dishes but to my mind especially eating a delicately flavored fish like sole or tilapa or even red snapper, the fish is overwhelmed by what is basically flavored mayonnaise.

Here is a technique for fish and it is now my husband's favorite way to eat fish and without tarter sauce. There are no exact measurements. A free form recipe that I make on the fly depending on how much fish I have on hand.

Butter Sauce Ingredients:
4 to 8 tbsp room temperature butter
2 to 3 tbsp capers drained and smooshed (technical term)
1/4 to 1/3 cup lemon juice

Cooking the fish:

Rinse off the fillets and damp dry. Flour and set aside to let the flour cling. Re-flour again just before cooking.

Put a thin layer of peanut oil in a skillet and get it VERY hot before adding the fish. Place the fillets in the pan and cook briefly until crusty and golden brown on one side. Carefully flip over (using two spatulas when cooking sole so it doesn't break apart) and cook until brown on the other side. Thin fillets like sole will only take a few minutes to cook. Thicker fish like snapper as much as 5 to 6 minutes. DO NOT OVER COOK THE FISH. Nothing worse than dried out over cooked fish......this is probably why the tarter sauce conundrum came about. Your fish should be flaky but still moist inside. Barely translucent. Place the fillets on a warm platter.

Make the sauce:
There should be barely any peanut oil in the pan. If there is then drain it but leave the browned bits of flour. Remember you are not deep frying the fish and the hot hot hot oil should be just enough to keep it from sticking to the pan.
In the hot skillet over a fairly high heat add the butter and swirl it around until it begins to sizzle. Add the capers and smoosh them a bit in the butter to release more of their flavors. Cook until the butter starts to turn a golden brown (not black). Be careful it won't take more than 10 seconds to go from brown to black. Remove from the heat and pour in the lemon juice. It will sizzle and pop. Immediately pour the sauce over the fillets.

Enjoy with a fresh Ceasar salad, steamed asparagus, couscous or other pasta and of course a crisp white wine.

For you sportsmen who catch Blue Gill or Croppie or Bass, this also an excellent way to cook those fishes.

Homemade Newtons (Fig or Apricot)

2008-05-03T08:45:00.000-07:00

Fresh soft and wholesome cookies for adults and children. These take just a bit more time than a standard drop cookie but so worth it. You can use figs as the recipe indicates, but I prefer an apricot or even strawberry rhubarb filling.

Home Made Newtons

1/3 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp orange or lemon zest
1/8 tsp or less salt
Optional: finely chopped walnuts about 1/2 cup

Fig Filling

2 cups dried figs, finely chopped (or dried apricots)
1 1/3 cup water (or substitute some more lemon juice if you like a tarter filling)
3 Tbs lemon juice or orange juice
1/3 cup sugar

Cream the butter and brown sugar very well. Add the eggs and beat until light. Add the vanilla. Mix together the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture one third at a time and beat well. Briefly knead the dough. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for a couple of hours,.

Meanwhile: make the filling. Combine the chopped dried fruit and rest of filling ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for about 10 to 15 minutes until thickened. Cool.

Roll out the dough into about a 14 inch square. Cut into three strips. Mound 1/3 of the filling down the center of each strip. Using an offset spatula flip the long sides over to slightly overlap. Press gently to seal and carefully transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Leave 3 inches space between the strips. Cut crossways into seven or so equal 1 inch pieces but do not separate.

Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 13 to 15 minutes or until the cookies are puffy and firm to the touch. Everyone's oven cooks at a slightly different pace. You want the cookies done but not hard. Cool for about 15 minutes and then separate the pieces and place on a wire rack to completely cool.

I prefer the tarter "California Style" dried apricots that have been treated with sulphur to retain their bright orange colour, over the more readily available "Turkish Style". If you use the Turkish apricots you might want to reduce the sugar just a bit. A nice touch is to add a bit of Grand Marinier in the filling with either the figs or apricots.

Chinese Steamed Buns

2008-04-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

Char Sui Bao. I pronounce it bow as in put a bow in your hair. These are great little portable morsels of meat and bread. Normally they are part of a dim-sum luncheon. Mmmmmm. If you have never had a dim-sum experience, I highly recommend it. When I left San Francisco, the main thing that I missed was the eclectic selection of restaurants. You could eat at any time of the day or night in any type of restaurant. Russian, Chinese, Japanese, Soul Food, Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese.... you name it. It is a foodie's heaven. I learned to cook many of these ethnic dishes out of self defense when I moved to an area that had basically the blue plate special type of restaurant. Nothing wrong with diner fare, in fact I have some great comfort food recipies that I wil post at a later date. However, variety is the spice of life.

I've made this recipe for years based on a cookbook that my Aunt Rachel brought back from the Philippines where she and her Air Force Colonel husband were stationed. The wives of the officers were pretty much bored with lots of time on their hands. They spent their time taking classes and of course shopping. In addition to learning how to cook oriental food, she could also make and arrange silk flowers Japanese style. She was quite the elegant lady and a world traveler.

Often I will make Bao ahead of time and either reheat them for a snack or just put into a lunchbox to take to work. They are also good camping fare because they can be put into a backpack without harm and eaten cold.

Bao

1/2 tsp yeast
2/3 cup warm water
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp sugar
3 Tbs sugar

1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp ginger
2 tsp sugar
1 1/2 lbs pork, cubed small (march chopped)
1 Tbs sherry (or sake)
2 tsp sugar
2 Tbs soy sauce

DOUGH: Dissolve yeast in water. Add flour, salt and sugar. Knead well. Cover with a wet cloth and let rise until the dough doubles. Prepare filling while the dough rises. Roll out dough slightly and cut into 12 pieces. Roll or form with fingers into 3 inch rounds about 1/4 inch thick. Place 2 tbsp of prepared filling in the center and bring up sides to the top. Pinch closed. Place seam side down and let rise. for 20 minutes.

FILLING: In a small dish combine the 1 tbsp sherry, 2 tsp sugar and 2 tbsp soy sauce and 1/4 cup of water. Stir and set aside. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan add the pork and cook stirring 5 minutes. Add the onion and cook two more minutes. Stir in the cornstarch mixture and cook 30 seconds more. Cool mixture before adding to the dough rounds.

To cook the dumplings. Use a bamboo steamer or other rack. Spray rack with cooking spray or use a layer of lettuce leaves. Cover and steam for 20 minutes.

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If you like a sweet dessert roll, instead of savory, use fermented sweetened bean paste as the filling instead of meat.

March Chopping. Technique. Using a chinese cleaver or good sharp chopping knife you rock the knife back and forth through the meat. More or less marching it through the meat. Take the cleaver and flip the meat over and continue marching and chopping and flipping, until the meat is fairly finely chopped. For this recipe I chop the pork into pieces about the size of peas.

A Jello Salad and Some History

2008-04-19T15:52:00.000-07:00

Ever wonder where Jell-o came from? What makes it actually "jell"? Knox Gelatine was invented before Jell-o by Charles Briggs Knox in the late 1800's when he saw how much work it was for his wife Rose to make aspic for jelled dishes. He established the Knox Gelatin company to make flavorless granulated gelatine, which is still a staple in pantries today.

The discomfiting reality is that gelatine is derived from the connective tissue and bones of animals. You know, that jelly like substance that pools under a roasted chicken when it cools? That's gelatine. Up until his invention women toiled for hours boiling calves feet to make jelly or aspic. Here is a recipe in case anyone is tempted to make the original. Veal was a very common cut of meat in those days so calves feet were not to rare. Where we get calves feet today.....dunno. I'm just has happy to buy a box of Knox. After his death Rose went on to become one of the most successful business women in New York.

In our modern convenience culture we are so divorced from where our food comes from and how it gets to the grocery store, that we never give it a passing thought. Knox and Jello are just there. Just like steaks and chicken drumsticks magically appear in shrink wrapped Styrofoam trays. Not so in this 1933 book of Knox Dainties. They gave homage to the source, calves... in charming drawings on their packaging. They also seem to give some credit to a couple of cherubic black and white children cooks.

Jell-o, the concept of flavored and sweetened gelatine was invented by Mary Wait and her husband who sold it to another person and so on. Eventually the company became a part of General Foods in the interesting history linked here There were some flavors that they experimented with that thankfully went away. Chocolate Jello?

The salad that I am presenting here is always a hit at BBQs and pot lucks. I often get requests for the recipe. It is not sweet and is often mistaken for a dessert which it is not. The first time I had it was at a special dinner hosted by my employer in the early 1970's. Mary Vorhees was the owner of the only local answering service in Paradise, California and I was one of the operators. We used the old style PBX machines like this one where you would plug in the wires and connect the two parties weaving the connections back and forth.

I felt like I was in a 1930's movie.....very retro. Mary was also a retro lady being about 60 years old (at least) in 1970. Her dinner parties were relics of a finer gentler age with all the niceties and formality that we hardly ever see today. She even had a maid to serve for these occasions. Crystal glasses for water and wine. Fine linens, candles and flowers. Translucent porcelain dishes and coffee cups for after dinner.

This salad was the first course followed by soup, then the entrees and dessert and coffee. Each person had an individual dainty moulded green salad on a leaf of butter lettuce. The moulded salads were decorated with beautiful vines and flowers of pastel tinted cream cheese piped around the bases and at the peaks of each mound of jelled salad. They were so lovely that we felt guilty eating them. I'm glad I did and immediately asked (what nerve!!) for the recipe and have had it ever since....almost 40 years.

Springtime Salad

2 packages Jello lime gelatin 3 0z packages
2 cups very hot water
1 large can crushed pineapple (not drained)
2 tsp grated horseradish
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1 cup heavy cream, whipped stiff

Dissolve the lime Jello in hot water stirring well. Cool in the refrigerator and check periodically for it to begin to jell. This can take about 15 to 3o minutes. Stir it a bit occasionally to check and when it has the consistency of egg whites it is ready to add the other ingredients. Watch it carefully as it will start to jell almost all at once and if you wait too long your salad will be chunks of green jello instead of a beautiful creamy fluffy green concoction.

Meanwhile, while waiting patiently (or not so patiently) for it to jell, incorporate the horseradish into the mayonnaise with a small whip or fork. Even if you are tempted to, DO NOT LEAVE OUT THE HORSERADISH. You could cut it down to 1 1/2 tsp (you wimp), but if you leave it out the salad tastes boring and awful. When ready stir in the mayonnaise, the pineapple with juice and the walnuts.

Fold in the whipped cream with a spatula and pour the salad into a 2 quart mould or individual moulds for the fancy presentation. Chill until firm or overnight.

Or ....you can do like I do and pour it into any 2 quart bowl that you have handy and scoop it out when ready. Plop. Obviously, I'm not quite up to the presentation that Mary had created, but it still tastes great.

Swedish Tongue

2008-04-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

Get your mind out of the gutter! This is a method of preparing beef tongue Swedish style that even people who swear they hate beef tongue will love.

When I was younger, beef tongue was a very cheap cut of meat, which probably explains why my Mother would make it frequently. No offense Mom, but I never much cared for the presentation. A big grey naked cow's tongue on a plate. Even when cut into slices, still a big rubbery tongue. Instead, this presentation is crisp breaded and sauteed slices that will leave people guessing what the meat is and asking for more.

Now that tongue is no longer a cheap piece of meat in the grocery store, in fact I can rarely find it, I have to pre-order these from a local cattle rancher. When he slaughters several cattle for his own freezer he is more than happy to give me the tongues and tails. Probably wonders why I would want such things. Well, here's why.

Swedish Style Tongue

3 lb (about) beef tongue
1 onion peeled and quartered
2 carrots peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 tsp salt
1 tsp rosemary
1 bay leaf
1 or 2 beaten eggs
flour
bread crumbs

Cook the tongue: Scrub the tongue well under running water. Cut off some of the fat and saliva glands at the root of the tongue. (I know, you are right now going ick ick ick......get over it! Just imagine how commercial sausage is made and what is actually in it, if you want to gross out.)

Place the tongue in a large kettle and just cover with water. Add to the water the carrots, onions and spices. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered for 3 to 3 1/2 hours until it is able to be pierced easily with a fork. Peek now and then to add more water to keep the meat covered. Cool completly in the broth.

When cooled, reserve the broth by pouring through a sieve to remove impurities and toss away the veggies. Peel the tongue and cut away any fatty parts. Refrigerate until ready to use. You can prepare this a day or so before, just keep wrapped up in plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.

Swedish Style Tongue:
Cut the tongue into 3/8 slices, starting from the back end, not the tip of the tongue. Thin slices. Dip in egg and then in flour, back into the egg and then into crispy bread crumbs. Panko didn't exist in the stores when I obtained this recipe (about 1972 from Sunset Magazine I think) so I would make my own by using stale french bread and whirling it in the food processor or blender. Do NOT use the pre made kind that comes in the store, like Contadina. It will just make a heavy doughy covering instead of an airy crispness.

Saute each slice in butter, or a combination of butter and peanut oil, until crispy and golden brown. It won't take long. The slices are already cooked fork tender and are very thin. Keep warm on a plate in a low oven until all the slices are done.
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Serve with a mild sour cream horseradish sauce on the side. Vegetables poached in the reserved broth as vegetable side dish (asparagus, carrots, potatoes). You can freeze and later use the reserved broth as a base for a beef soup.

Truly. No one will know you are serving them the dreaded and gross out beef tongue unless you tell them........ after they have eaten it. Be sure if you do this, your friends are the forgiving types.

Pinwheel Gnocchi

2008-04-16T15:49:00.000-07:00

This is a recipe that I've had for years and years..... at least 20. I don't remember where I got it from (maybe Sunset? or Bon Appetite) who knows. I have never seen anything quite like it since. Basically a potato gnocchi in a jelly roll format with a spinach cheese filing baked in the oven. Some people hoard recipes as if they were State secrets. My opinion is that recipes are to be shared for everyone to enjoy. Spread the wealth....and the calories.

Pinwheel Gnocchi

1 pkg frozen chopped spinach thawed
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 lbs Idaho baking potatoes
2 eggs beaten
3 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp melted butter

Make the filling: squeeze the moisture from the thawed spinach. Combine with the ricotta and 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Mix in the spices and set aside. You can refrigerate until ready to use, but do bring to room temperature for easy spreading.

Dough: Peel the potatoes and leave them whole. Boil the potatoes until they are fork tender or a skewer can be inserted, but NOT falling apart. Drain and toss the potatoes around back in the hot pan until the surface is dry. (This is how you should always treat potatoes that you are going to mash otherwise you will have watery potatoes). Let the potatoes cool just until you can handle them. Cut up if necessary and rice or mash very well. Builds up those biceps and reminds me of the "we must, we must we must improve our bust" exercises we did in school.

Add the beaten eggs to the slightly warm riced potatoes. (too warm and your eggs will scramble so be careful) Quickly, blend in 2 and 3/4 cups of the flour and mix to form a soft dough. The flour will bring down the temperature of the potatoes.

Knead, adding just enough of the rest of the flour to keep the dough from sticking. Roll out into a 15 inch square. Spread with the filling. Roll up jelly roll fashion and wrap the roll in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour to let it firm up.

Butter a large shallow casserole dish. Cut the gnocchi into 1 inch thick pieces. Lay in the pan overlapping slightly...like shingles. It may take several rows depending on the size of your pan. Brush the tops with the melted butter and sprinkle with the reserved 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 400 for 25 minutes until the tops are just turning a light golden brown.

Some tips. Don't handle the dough any more than you must or it will get tough. Add the potatoes while still warm. I use a potato ricer to 'mash' the potatoes. A very handy tool that I highly recommend. Every kitchen should have one. Because the potatoes will vary in size it's best to start will a smaller amount of flour than to add all of it at once and end up with dry floury dough. The delicate sweet flavor of the potatoes is what you want to come through. No salt in the dough......resist the impulse.

To cut the dough roll, use a serrated knife and clean off between cuts if the dough is sticking to the blade.

If you like (and I do because you just can't have enough ricotta and Parmesan cheese) you can make the filling recipe a bit larger., even doubled. Finely minced ham or prosciutto is also good in the filling. A little extra butter on top of each slice doesn't hurt either when serving.

These are a nice side dish for an Italian style roasted chicken. I also like the pinwheels fried in butter in the morning with eggs for breakfast.

Heart Attack on a Plate: Italian Sausage Shrimp Pan Roast over Pasta

2008-04-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

Enough with the frugal food. Lets do something lavish. Full of calories. Full of taste. Heart attack on a plate. Damn the torpedoes. Full flavor ahead.

I made this recipe up after eating at John Asquaga's Nugget. The Oyster Bar serves a most delicious pan roast that has been their signature item since the 1950's. My favorite is the oyster pan roast. My husband who hates oysters prefers the shrimp and crab combo. Pan Roast is basically a smooth soup made from cream, wine, cocktail sauce and other secret spices and containing sea food. Sweet and slightly spicy (is that paprika?) with a faint tomatoey undertone. It's a real treat to sit at the Oyster Bar counter and watch them make the pan roast in steam heated bowls. Wham bam boodle, the cook moves like a practiced ballet dancer adding the ingredients, opening the hot steam vents, wooosh. Tossing the ingredients, whipping out bottles that contain the magic ingredients squirting just the perfect amount into the hot steaming metal bowl.

A short story to illustrate just what an iconic item the Pan Roast is and how seriously the Nugget takes this: Last summer we went to Reno (Sparks actually) and ordered our old standby favorite that we have to have each time that we have gone there for the last 17 years. It was completely inedible!!! Some one had tampered with the recipe and it was so freaking spicy you couldn't taste the seafood or anything else other than the hot spices. Our tongues were on fire. WATER!!! Upon leaving the restaurant, we complained to the hostess and she said that they had received a lot of complaints. Surely they haven't changed the recipe? Say it ain't so.

I sent an email to the Nugget expressing our disappointment and requesting that if they want to have a spicy version, please let us have the option of ordering the original. Within a day, I received a call at my office from the manager of all the restaurants in the Nugget . The big cheese was calling me! and wanted to know the time and date that we ate there. No they had NOT changed the recipe and he wanted to find out which of the cooks had taken it upon himself to spice things up. Turns out that they have hired several new Mexican cooks who persistently and secretly spiced up many of the recipes. The Nugget had received a lot of complaints and WOULD be taking care of this. Now, I don't especially want someone to lose their job..... but don't mess with my pan roast. The Nugget took this issue seriously and I was very impressed at the top down customer service.

Because this flavor is something we really like and we only get to taste it once or twice a year, why not use the basic sauce and mix it up a bit at home? I asked myself. I added Italian Sausage, which I had on hand at the time and use frozen shrimp (thawed out) both of which I buy from Costco in quantity and freeze for later use. Bow tie pasta which I always have in my pantry.

Italian Sausage Shrimp Pan Roast Over Pasta

1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion sliced
3 garlic cloves minced
3 or 4 Italian sausages casings removed
1/2 lb medium to large size shrimp
2/3 cup white wine
1 14 1/2 oz can of diced tomatoes with juice
dash or two of Louisiana hot sauce
1 cup whipping cream
6 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
Paprika

16 oz cooked pasta (penne or farfalle)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Melt the butter and olive oil in a large skillet. Saute the onion and garlic until tender about 5 minutes. Break up the sausage with your fingers into bite sized chunks and add to the pan and saute for 7 minutes until done. Break up any larger pieces with a spoon. Drain off excess fat.

Add the wine and cook at a low boil until most of the liquid evaporates. About 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and juice and a couple dashes of hot sauce. More if you like a kickier flavore (But be aware: too much and you can't taste the delicate flavor of the shrimp and many Italian sausages contain spices already.) Simmer for 3 minutes. Add the whipping cream and simmer until thickened stirring frequently. About 5 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until opaque (not completely done as the shrimp will be tough and will continue to cook in the hot sauce) Stir in the parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve over the pasta and top with cheese. Garnish with more fresh parsley and sprinkle with paprika. Serves 6 ......or 4 really piggy people.

If you want to prepare the meal a day ahead; it keeps well covered in the refrigerator and can be reheated. Prepare it up to adding the shrimp. Don't add the shrimp until right before reheating the next day otherwise you will have rubbery tasteless shrimp.

This is a great meal with a fresh Cesar Salad, some fruit and crusty french bread. Serve with a crisp slightly sweet white wine. Gewertzerminer or a Riesling is my favorite.You don't even want to know how many calories. Lets just say enough to satisfy the daily requirements of a family of 4 in a third world nation.

Rhubarb Pie and Michelle Obama

2008-04-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

According to Michelle Obama some one is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so others can have more. Sounds like communism to me. I have earned my "pie" by hard work and getting an education. I suggest that since Michelle wants everyone to have pie, that people learn to make their own pies and NOT rely on stealing mine.

If people want pies. It takes a lot of practice to make a good pie crust. Lard is the best fat to use even if it is politically incorrect. Another tip for good pie crust is to keep the fat (butter, lard, shortening) cold. Use cold water and work the crust as

To that end: because I am always helpful and because it is strawberry season

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumble Pie

1 egg
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 pound fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pint fresh strawberries, halved
1 (9 inch) unbaked pie shell
TOPPING:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup quick-cooking or rolled oats
1/2 cup cold butter

In a large mixing bowl, beat egg. Add the sugar, flour and vanilla; mix well. Gently fold in rhubarb and strawberries. Pour into pastry shell.

For topping, combine flour, brown sugar and oats in a small bowl; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees F bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly. Cool on a wire rack.

Mmmmmmm Pie.

Frugal Food Tips from World War II

2008-04-07T08:26:00.001-07:00

Good tips on saving food and money never go out of style:

Don't you just love how happy they all look and how dressed up they are for cooking, shopping and sitting down to dinner?

Gray skies are gonna clear up

Put on a happy face

Wipe of the clouds and cheer up

Put on a happy face

Take of the gloomy mask of tragedy

It's not your style

You'll look so good that you'll be glad

That you decided to smile

Pick out a pleasant outlook

Stick out that nobel chin

Wipe off that full of doubt look

Snap on a happy grin

Spread sunshine all over the place

And just put on a happy

Put on a happy face

Gray skies are gonna clear up

Put on a happy face

Wipe off the clouds and cheer up

Put on a happy face

Take of the gloomy mask of tragedy

It's not your style

You'll look so good that you'll be glad

That you decided to smile

Pick out a pleasant outlook

Stick out that noble chin

Wipe off that full of doubt look

Snap on a happy grin

Spread sunshine all over the place

And just put on a happy

Put on a happy face

Preserving Food for VICTORY

2008-04-07T07:23:00.000-07:00

If we think times are hard now that we have to pay extra for milk, eggs and butter. Now that flour has gone up in price from 1.29 for 5 pounds to 2.79 ...we might want to reconsider what we think of as hardship. Here is a book from WWII when there were actual food shortages and people dealt with it.

"Despite the wonderful mass production by the commercial canners, the smaller supplies that cannot get to market, when multiplied by the efforts of forty-five million women, will be a notable addition to the winter food supply and will release just that much more to feed staring nations and our own men bearing arms in the far corners of the world. The prices of canned goods are rapidly rising. Moreover, commercial canned foods may not be available next winter an you must feel your family. Even when the war is over, we must never again be as wasteful as we have been, as the devastated counties will still be underfed." By Anne Pierce 1942

How soon we forget. We take the abundance that we have now and throw it away. People who live in rural areas still can and preserve, but unless you are a real "foodie" in an urban area you are in a distinct minority. During WWII food was rationed and people established Victory Gardens in their communities or in their yards.

Meatless Menu from Sunset Kitchen Cabinet
Circa 1942

Garbanzos Espanol
Tomato Aspic Ring- Filled with Vegetable Salad
Hot French Bread
Olives and Pickles
Orange Pudding Cake (sans frosting)

Garbanzos Espanol

1 pound dried garbanzos

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

2 tbsp oil1 small onion sliced

1 clove garlic minced

few whole cloves

salt and pepper to taste

Wash and pick over garbanzos: put in a deep heavy kettle with 1 teaspoon of salt and lukewarm water to cover. Soak overnight. The next day add more water, if necessary, to cover garbanzos. Bring to a boil; skim off white foam; repeat 2 or 3 times or intil water is clear. Then add tomato sauce, oil and sesaonings. Cover and simmer gently for about 2 hours or until garbanzos are tender. Do not stir or disturb while cooking but watch to see whether more ater is needed to keep covered.

If the resulting sauce is thinner than you'd like it, drain it from the cooked garbanzos. Add a little smooth flour paste (allowing 1 tbsp flour for each cup of sauce) and simmer until thickened. For extra flavor, a sprinkling of herbs- basis, oreganok thyme or marjoram - can be added too. Then pour the sauce back over the beans and heat thoroughly before serving. Serves 8 generously.

In the 1930s to 40's anything with tomato sauce was considered "espanol". I would add some spice to this stew with about 1/8 tsp of red pepper flakes while cooking with the tomato sauce.

Cooking for the Depression

2008-04-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

Evidently, according to all the talking heads, we are supposed to be in the midst of the next
Great Depression. The brain trusts from the main stream media who are parroting and squaking this mantra are too young to remember any really tough economic times. Their idea of a a disater and economic hardship is when their cell phones don't have full coverage or their plasma HDTV goes on the fritz or ...God forbid...oh the humanity!!!.... they have to use dial up.

Most people who experienced the real Great Depression are either dead or had the good sense to just get on with getting on in life without constant whining. They had poverty, lack of food, lack of jobs, lack of housing. They also made do and gave up what little luxuries that they had.

We are not in a depression. Maybe a mild recession. The last prolonged economic downturn was in the 70's. Having lived through that time myself and having really enjoyed the Jimmy Carter economic plan (not), I think I can make some valid comparisons and offer some helpful cooking tips for surviving this small downturn in the economy.

Hard Times Cookbook, 1970 by Gloria Vollmayer is a funny cookbook based on a crashed stock market theme. "Dedicated to our former stockbroker" ...... Apropos, since I'm a stockbroker. I bought the book when I lived in San Francisco in 1970 for $1.50, now selling for about $12.00 in vintage book stores. Now THERE is inflation.

The Gold Standard
Curried Hard Boiled Eggs

8 large eggs, hard boiled
2 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 tsp beau monde seasoning
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 cups milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/ cup Swiss Cheese shredded
bacon crumbles

Melt butter over low heat and blend in the flour curry powder and wine. (make a roux basically). Thin the sauce with milk, gradually adding the beau monde, salt and pepper.
Place eggs (sliced in half) in lightly buttered casserole. Cover eggs with curry sauce. Sprink top with crip fired crumbled bacon and some shredded cheese. Bake in 350 oven 20 minutes until bubbling hot.
This casserole is excellent when serven over cooked spinach, aparagus or broccoli.
So, there you have it. Cheap, meatless and nutritious. I must confess, I have no idea what beau monde seasoning is.
In my version of creamed eggs, that I learned from my Grandmother who was an actual participant in the "Great Depression" I just used curry powder, dash of cayenne, salt and pepper. No cheese. Chop up the eggs and stir into the cream sauce and serve over toast or in those puff pastry cups. A green salad or fruit salad on the side and you have a complete meal. Great for a quick brunch dish.

Stir Fry Chicken over Rice

2008-01-28T07:55:00.000-08:00

This frugal stir fry for my Food Stamp Challenge week didn't include the mushrooms, sesame oil or water chestnuts.

For the not frugal: snow peas, bamboo shoots, sake instead of rice wine vinegar, fresh grated ginger root, baby corn, shitake mushrooms.

One Whole Chicken Breast
2 ribs of celery
1 to 2 carrots
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 of a head of broccoli
1/2 onion
4 large mushrooms
sliced water chestnuts (small can)
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
chicken bullion cube
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch

The trick to stir fry is in the preparation. Cube the chicken breast into 1 inch chunks. Toss in a bowl with about 1 tbsp soy sauce, ginger and the sesame oil. Refrigerate for a couple of hours and bring to room temperature before cooking.

Slice the celery and carrots in oblique shapes (not just crossways). Cut the half of red pepper into strips. Coarsly chop onion into 1 inch pieces. Slice the mushrooms. Cut the broccoli into spears, slice in half if they are too large. Drain the sliced water chestnuts

The idea is to have all the pieces, meat and vegetables, approximately the same size.

Before cooking group the vegetables on your chopping board according to the length of cooking time. Mushrooms and red peppers don't takre as long to cook so you want to add them at the last.

Make the sauce: combine the soy sauce, water, bullion cube, rice wine vinegar and sugar. Heat or microwave until disolved. Set aside to cool. Stir in the cornstarch when cooled.

Cooking the Stir Fry:

In a large deep fry pan or wok, heat about 1 tbsp oil until very hot. Add the chicken all at once and stir in the hot pan for a couple of minutes until the chicken is almost done. Remove chicken pieces from the pan and cover to keep warm.

Add a bit more oil to the pan if needed and bring back to hot. Toss in the carrots, onion and celery. Stir and toss in the pann until just beginning to become limp. Add the red pepper, mushrooms and water chestnuts and continue stiring for about a minute. Add back the chicken pieces and toss about another minute or less.

Stir the sauce mixuture to mix up the cornstarch, which has settled on the bottom. and pour all at once over the stir fry. Quickly toss and stir for about 30 seconds or until the sauce is thickened and clear. If the sauce is cloudy looking, the cornstarch hasn't cooked.

The time from beginning to end of the stir fry process is usually about 5 minutes or less.

Food Stamp Challenge Grocery List

2008-01-28T07:21:00.000-08:00

I am posting my shopping list for the food stamp challenge here and discussing it over at my other blog Dust Bunnies of the Mind. I am assuming a couple has $200 a month in food stamps to spend on food. I am also assuming that they are not starting with ZERO food in their house and have some basic staples like salt, spices, cooking oil. The challenge is to feed yourself on $3.oo a day. I think this is easily done with some simple cooking skills and budgeting.

This is bare bones food. I didn’t buy any luxury items for our hypothetical couple. It also assumes that we have to buy a lot of staple items that most people should otherwise own like flour, sugar, cooking oil etc. Once you buy these items, you won’t need to get them for several months again.

Shopping list * things that will likely have leftover amounts for next month ir several months budget

MEAT
2 Whole 5 lb chickens .89/ lb (sale) 8.90
London Broil/Top Roun 2.99/lb (sale)x3 8.99
Hamburger 4 lb @ 1.99/lb (sale) 8.00
Small Ham 2.5 lb @ 1.89/lb 4.75
Lunch Meat Thin Sliced @.79/pk x 4 3.16
Pork Steaks 2 lb @ 1.19/lb (sale) 2.36
36.16
DAIRY
Milk 2% @2.59/gal 2.59
Butter @3.09/lb 3.09
Eggs @ 2.29/doz x2 4.58
Cottage Cheese @2.19/pt 2.19
12.45
DRIED AND GRAINS
Raisin Bran Cereal .250/box (sale) 2.50
Oatmeal Regular 1.79/1 lb box 1.79*
Rice .89/lb 2 lb bag 1.69*
Spaghetti 1 lb bag 1.95
Macaroni elbows 1.40 lb 2 lb bag 2.79*
Dried Navy Beans 2 lb bag 2.89*
Corn bread mix 1 package .89
Sugar 5 lb 2.69*
Flour 5 lb 2.49*
Brown Sugar .89/lb .89*
Top Ramen Soup 6 for 1.00 1.00
Bread @ $3.00/ loaf (sale @1.99) 6.00
27.57
BOTTLED AND CANNED
Tomato Sauce sm can @ .35 ea x 4 1.40
Whole Tomatoes canned Lg. 1.85
Corn .50/can sale x2 1.00
Green Beans .50/can x2 1.00
Garbanzo .50./can x2 1.00
Kidney beans .50/can x2 1.00
Black Beans canned .89 .89
Jar of Jalapenos 1.79*
Stewed tomatoes .79/can (sale) x2 1.58
Canned Half Peaches 1.95
Canned Whole Chilies 2.59
Frozen Peas 1 lb bag (sale) 2.00
Bottled Lemon Juice .89 small .89*
Jar of Salsa 3.60*
Tuna .99 a can x 3 3.00
Frozen fruit juices @1.89/can 3.78
27.32
CHEESE
1 lb each at 4.89/ lb Cheddar and Jack 9.78
Sliced Swiss (I package 8 slices) 5.65
15.43
FRESH
Onions .50/lb 5 1.25
Potatoes 5 lb 2.75
Garlic 2.99/lb 4 heads .90
Carrots .79/lb 5 ..87
Broccoli Heads 1.59/lb two crowns 1.49
Celery Whole Stalk 1.19 1.19
Red Bell Pepper 2.59/lb 1.17
Roma tomatoes 1.89/ lb 8 tomatoes 1.53
Apples 1.89/lb = 4 apples 1.89
Head of Romaine Lettuce 1.89
14.93
TOTAL 133.86

I still have 66.14 left to spend!!

End of the World Sushi

2007-05-22T07:39:00.001-07:00

To celebrate the end of the world as we know it, here is a recipe for Sushi Nori made from ingredients in my Armageddon Pantry.

Sushi Nori

2½ cups Japanese short-grain rice (Calrose will work)
2½ cups cold water
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
6 sheets nori

Can of tuna or smoked salmon
Wasabi paste if you have it. I always do
Sesame seeds
Soy Sauce

Rinse the rice in a colander thoroughly under the tap until the water runs clear, then drain well. Put the rice and the cold water in a medium saucepan and bring to the boil.

Cover the saucepan, turn the heat down to very low, and cook for 15 minutes without lifting the lid. Turn off the heat and allow to stand 10 minutes more, still covered, then spoon the rice into a large bowl.

Mix together the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl until the sugar dissolves, then drizzle over the rice. Mix together gently to coat the rice with the sushi vinegar, then set aside to cool to room temperature.

Take the nori sheets and place between damp paper towels or dish towels to make them more flexible.

The filling can be anything you like. Some favorites are smoked salmon and green onions. Tuna and cucumbers. Omelet strips and avocado. BUT since this is the end of the world, we are just going to use plain tuna, seasoned with a few drops of liquid smoke and a cucumber from my neighbor's garden. I am also assuming the world is going to end in the summer when we have our gardens producing for us.

Assemble the Sushi

Take a sheet of nori and place it on a light weight dish towel or bamboo mat. Spread about a cup of the cooled rice on the sheet with wet finger tips, leaving about 1 inch of the nori showing on the far edge. (The sheet is more oblong than square so you want to leave the longer edge free of rice.

Spread a strip of wasabi paste lengthwise in the middle of the rice square. Distribute your filling. Tuna and cucumber that has been cut into strips lengthwise, like small french fry shapes.

Using your towel or rolling mat, roll the sheet up like a jelly roll, but somewhat firmly and tightly. If the edge with no rice on it has dried out just brush it with your fingers and some water. Lightly squeeze the roll to make sure it is sealed and set aside.

When done, cut into 1 1/2 pieces. Serve with toasted sesame seeds and more wasabi paste mixed with soy sauce for a tangy dip.

Might as well break out one of the bottles of Champagne in the pump house and sit on the deck to admire the beautiful red, orange and purple sunset provided by the vast amounts of dust in the air from the destruction of New York City by a suitcase bomb smuggled across our porous borders.

Contents of the Armegddon Pantry

2007-05-22T07:30:00.000-07:00

As long as I'm on a doom and gloom kick, here are the contents of my Armageddon Pantry. When all hell breaks loose, at least I will have enough supplies to enjoy the ride to oblivion. This assumes that if all hell does break loose, it will do so fairly far from our rural location, leaving us stranded from supply lines for a while, or possibly a pandemic where we must stay isolated.

If all hell doesn't break loose, I don't have to go to the store for items that I need. Just trundle on out to the pump house and grab the ingredient I need. Very convenient.

When I take something out of the pump house to use, I replace it with new. It is a good idea to keep rotating this stuff as food doesn't keep forever.

It may look like an excessive amount of pantry preparedness (probably it is), but it isn't at all unusual for my area which is quite rural and has bad winters where we can get snowed in for a week or more.

People tend to be more self sufficient and stock up than the people in cities. So when the crap hits the oscillating mechanism, if I don't have something, my neighbors down the road will. People also tend to share and help each other in rural areas. We hear the horrible stories of the Great Depression. What we don't hear is that the people who lived in the sticks, didn't have nearly the hardships that those in urban areas did. I pity the people in the cities who live from week to week, have nothing stored up and have no close friends or neighbors to lean on.Anal? Yes. Being prepared? Priceless

FOOD

Can Goods:The quantities are in case lots of most canned goods= 12 large cans or 24 small cans
2 canned tomatoes = 24 cans
2 tomato sauce
1 tomato paste
2 black olives
3 corn
1 creamed corn
2 green beans
1 kidney beans
1 garbanzo beans
1 pinto beans
1 peaches
1 pears
1 grapefruit sections
1 home canned pie cherries

In individual can amounts from at least 8 to 20 (I'm too busy to go take accurate inventory)
Albacore tuna
Chicken meat
Beef in cans
Beef stew
Chili with beans and meat
Vienna Sausages
Spam (lol)

MSC Food

Dried fruit (about 4 pounds of dried apricots, apples, pears, prunes.)
Craisins (2 large packages)
Wild Rice in retort cooked packages
Rice, brown, wild and white
Pinto Beans
Navy Beans
Split Peas
Soy Sauce
Peanut Butter (3 large)
Apricot Jam (2 large)
HoneyBrown SugarWhite Sugar
Vinegar (cider and balsamic)
Olive oil
Peanut oil
Crisco
Mayonnaise
Hot chocolate mix
Chocolate chips
Coffee!!!! very important ....ground coffee 3 large cans
Tea
Dehydrated Buttermilk mix
Marie Callander Cornbread mix
Dried milk
Dehydrated onions
Case of Top Ramen
Lots of pasta
3 really large containers of Parmesan Cheese
4 pounds of kosher salt
Iodized salt
Barbeque sauces
Marinara and Alfredo Sauces in bottles
Sardines
Anchovies
Pickles
Sauerkraut
Lop Cheong sausages (Chinese dried sausages)
Dried Mushrooms
Nori (seaweed sheets)

Case of wine, several bottles of champagne, Scotch, Rum, Vodka and other spirits

Several cases of Snapple drinks
V-8
Grapefruit Juice
Orange Juice
Cranberry Juice
Bottled Green Tea
Lots of bottled water

Cat Food

More misc food things I can't recall right now.

Flour, Polenta, Cornmeal, Bisquick, Walnuts, Pecans and other nuts...I keep in my freezer to avoid weevils. The freezer contents are another story. Plus I have a kitchen full of spices, salt, pepper and other food stuffs. My husband says we can eat for a month out of the crap (his term) I have in the kitchen.

NON FOOD

Bleach
Rubbing Alcohol
Lots of Lamp Oil and extra wicks
Candles
Matches and Butane Lighters
Clothes Pins
Laundry Soap
Liquid hand soap and baby wipes
Twine and light rope
Paraffin blocks
Canning Jars with Lids
Paper plates, plastic utensils, paper napkins and plastic drinking glasses
Toilet paper and paper towels
Plastic drop cloths and table covers
Garbage bags
Plastic wrap and waxed paper

Amunition.... yes for the guns. If push came to shove, I would not be adverse to knocking off a deer, pheasant, goose or even one of the local cows of which there are hundreds.

Medical kit for grab and go. In addition to the extensive medical kit I have in my bathroom.

Batteries, Flashlight, Blanket, Plastic Tarp also for the grab and go. Hopefully we get to sit and stay put.

Decks of cards and poker chips (to go with the alcohol)
Scrabble and other games. Hey... If we are going to be stranded in our home, might as well have some fun.

Plus my husband has an entire shop filled with tools of all kinds, generator, gas cans, nails.... you name it..... he's got it.

.

Rhubarb Crisp

2007-05-08T07:56:00.001-07:00

Super recipie, super easy for rhubarb lovers. You are out there somewhere. This is a recipe I've had for years and years. It never fails.

RHUBARB CRISP

1 cup rolled oats (old fashioned, not instant)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
4 cups diced rhubarb

1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup water
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. In a bowl combine the oats, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut the butter into pieces and rub though the mixture until crumbly. I just use my fingers for this process. Press 1/2 of mixture into a 9 inch square pan or pie plate. Spread the fruit over the crumbs.

2. In a sauce pan combine the water, sugar and cornstarch. Cook over medium heat until thickened and clear. Cool slightly and add vanilla. You can add a few drops of red food coloring if desired. I never do. Pour syrup over fruit. Top with remaining crumbs. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

Top with whipped cream if desired. If you have strawberries you can throw some of those in as well.

Armageddon Pantry

2007-05-08T07:50:00.000-07:00

Since the disasters of Katrina and recently the tornadoes in Kansas added to the worries about pandemics or terrorists attacks on major population areas, I have gotten serious about stocking up supplies for an emergency. The Dumbplumber calls it my Armageddon pantry. Actually this is something I have been serious about for some time and it gives me a really good excuse for my hoarding behavior. I must have learned this when I was a child: this need to have not one, not two but a dozen cans of corn, soup etc.

Well, a while back, we got a small preview of what the effects of a "disaster" would be. Ok, a very, very small preview. Our house wasn't destroyed, my cat can still come in and whine for her "TREAT" (a tablespoon of canned food), we still had running water and the natural gas to the Wolf Range was still functional. What happened was that for some inexplicable reason the electricity went off on a Sunday afternoon about 1:00. I was in the middle of a load of laundry, in the middle of typing up recipes into my Master Cook program and whamo......power outage. Fortunately I have a power back up on the computer so I shut it down. The Dumbplumber was taking a nap. No need to disturb him. I had full confidence that the power would be back on shortly, after all it was a beautiful sunny afternoon. So, what to do now? Grab a beer, a bowl of potato chips and my latest paperback and go sit on the deck in the sun and read…. naturally.

As the day wore on, DP woke up and there seemed to be no progress from PG&E. I decided to get some of the supplies from the Armageddon Pantry. Out come the oil lamps....hmmm I only have one more bottle of oil, better make a note. Out come the candles and candle holders....better buy some more candles, all I have are two green decorative candles. I had already made most of dinner so that wasn't too bad. But after about 8 hours of no power, I am beginning to worry about the food in the fridge getting hot and my half done laundry getting moldy. Wow, I think I'd better get some old fashioned clothes pins for the future disaster room.

So, the evening wore on. We had roasted chicken, macaroni salad, green salad and rhubarb crisp. Fortunately I had purchased an antique (OK only 1950's) rotary egg beater, so I was able to make whipped cream without electricity. Whew! averted that disaster. No television! Actually that was the best part of the whole experience. Whipping out the matches, which didn't work because they were too old....hmmm more notes to self, and then getting the butane lighter from the bbq, we lit the oil lanterns. Feeling like Abe Lincoln, we read our books by oil lamps sipping on a glass of wine. I said, "No wonder women did so much needlework, they were bored." The Dumbplumber said, "No wonder people had such large families."...So we went to bed. Suddenly, twelve hours after the outage, everything comes back on with a vengeance. Lights, washer, stereo and all electronic devices begin beeping. Life is back to normal.

In all seriousness, our little inconvenience wasn’t much, but it has reinforced the need to be prepared. What if this was not just an annoying 12 hour event, but a situation that would last for days or weeks? We are in a somewhat remote rural area. If anything happened (earthquake, terrorist attack, bird flu epidemic) it is highly likely that we would be cut off from supplies of food and other necessities. I am determined to beef up the disaster pantry. Plus it is pretty convenient to grab that extra jar of mayonnaise from the pump house instead of trundling off to the store.

Cheap Eats and the Zen of Cooking

2007-04-21T09:03:00.000-07:00

I feel sorry for people who don't know how to cook or who don't like to cook. There seems to be many more of those types of people today. They are missing out on good tasting and nutritious meals that can be enjoyed at home. They are missing out on the pride of creating something delicious and beautiful to look at from humble ingredients. They are missing the Zen of cooking. The meditative and soothing motions of kneading bread. The free form creativity and spontaneity of adding an unexpected new ingredient or flavor to an old recipe. But most of all I feel sorry for them because they are spending way too much money on pre-prepared foods and eating out.

Home cooking is not only nutritious and fun....it is inexpensive. Having been at one time lucky to have two nickles to rub together, I learned that you can make cheap meals. I learned how to, as my Mother once said to me, "stretch a chicken three ways to Sunday".

Here is one of my favorite ways to use up some left over pork or beef roast. Caution: free form recipe, which means I change it almost every time depending on what ingredients I have on hand

2 cups dried pinto beans or a combination of dried red, pinto, kidney beans
Bring to a boil. Turn off the pot and cover. Let set overnight.

Next day:
1 to 2 lbs of cubed raw pork or chuck meat or 3 cups cubed leftover meat
1 large onion chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
1- 2 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
pinch or two of chili flakes
1 large can of whole tomatoes
cornmeal

Simmer the pinto beans for a few hours before beginning the rest of the chili. Those little suckers are hard. Drain the pinto beans and set aside. In the same stew pot, using a little oil saute the raw meat until browned on all sides. If you are using the already cooked meat you obviously don't have to cook it as long. Add the chopped onion and minced garlic and spices sautee until the onion begins to be limp. Drain the tomato juice from the can into the pot. Coarsly chop the tomatoes and throw them in. Add the beans back in and enough water or beef broth to cover the whole thing. Simmer for another couple of hours testing the beans for doneness. As I said those little guys are hard. Taste for flavor. If you like your chili done 5 alarm style you can add a larger pinch of the dried chili. If you prefer to keep your tastebuds from overloading, skip the dried chili. Add more liquid if needed. About 15 to 20 minutes before done, stir in a tablespoon or so of cornmeal to thicken the chili. If you like thin more souplike chili...then don't.

Serve with cornbread and a green salad. This makes enough to feed an army. At least 8 servings. The cost per chili serving using pork at $1.99 a pound, is calculated by my Living Cookbook program as less than $1.00. How cheap is that??

Nutrition (per serving): 439.7 calories; 38% calories from fat; 19.0g total fat; 80.5mg cholesterol; 390.4mg sodium; 1228.7mg potassium; 35.6g carbohydrates; 9.2g fiber; 3.3g sugar; 26.4g net carbs; 31.3g protein

52 Sunday Dinners and Cottolene

2007-04-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

What the heck is Cottolene? It was a product that was invented in the late 1800’s as a substitue for lard. Lard was considered a lower class food item. Lard was messy. People were becoming modern and more urbanized. Marketing of pre packaged products was in its infancy. Cottolene was a combination of cottonseed oil and beef tallow: two of today’s worst offenders in the war on fats. Beef suet that was including in the frying mixture at McDonald’s was the ingredient that gave the fries their distinctive flavor. Here is a link to an informative article about the long gone Cottolene product.

52 Sunday Dinners, by Elizabeth O Hiller, was published in 1915 as a promotion for the Cottolene product. This was a common practice to bring new foods to the consumer. Many people collect these promotional publications from companies like Jello, Nestle and Crisco.

People had different ideas about meals and the importance of eating together than we do now. On any given Sunday now, we are all going different directions and may not even eat at the same time or same table. Sunday dinners were an occasion to feast on the day of rest. Day of rest.... well, maybe not so much for the housewife who spent the day preparing the meal.

A sample dinner from 52 Sunday Dinners on the fourth Sunday in March is like this:

Cream of Lettuce
Baked Ham with Hot Horseradish Sauce
Sweet Potato Croquettes (fried in Cottolene of course)
Grapefruit salad
Cheese Balls
Rhubarb Tart
Cheese
After Dinner Coffee

Always there was the after dinner coffee!!! I suspect they ate a bit earlier than we do now.

Here is the Ham and Horseradish Sauce in their very own words:

Select a lean ham, weighting from 12 to 14 pounds. Cover with cold water (or equal parts water and sweet cider) and let soak skin side up over night.

Drain, scrap and trim off all objectionable parts about the knuckle. Cover flesh side with a dough made of flour and water. Place in a dripping pan, skin side down.

Bake in a hot oven until dough is a dark brown; reduce heat and bake very slowly five hours. Ham enclosed in dough needs no basting.

Remove dough, turn ham over and peel off the skin. Sprinkle ham with sugar, cover with grated bread crumbs and bake 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and decorate with cloves;place a paper frill on knuckle, garnish with sprays of parsley and lemon cut in fancy shapes.

Serve hot or cold.

Notice no temperature instructions. Our housewife was most likely cooking on a wood stove. A hot oven was a matter of experience. Objectionable parts? I have no real idea here. No measurements either. It was assumed that the gentle reader of the cookbook already had a knowledge of cooking that was most likely learned in her own Mother's kitchen who learned it from her mother and so on. I like to envision it as an endless reflection of people looking into a mirror showing a reflection of themselves looking into the mirror and so on and so on.

Hot Horseradish Sauce

1/4 cup freshly grated horseradish
1/4 cup fine cracker crumbs
1 1/2 cups milk
3 tbsp butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tbsp grated onion

Cook crumbs, horseradish and milk 20 minutes in double boiler. Add seasoning, vinegar and lemon juice slowly stirring constantly. Add grated onion, reheat and serve.

I have made this horseradish sauce using the undiluted Tulelake horseradish. It is hot and my husband tends to temper it with some sour cream.

Old Cookbooks. A window into the past

2007-04-19T17:41:00.000-07:00

I love to collect old cookbooks. I can buy some at a yard sale and happily sit down and read them like other people would novels. They contain much more than just recipes. A period cookbook can be a glimpse into ways of life that don’t exist anymore. A window looking in on how our parents and grandparents lived, cooked, entertained and the economics of the times. One book that I have was written during the ration years of WWII and involve how to make a cake without any of the standard ingredients that we take for granted today. Other books describe how to host a dinner party, during the Depression years, with less than the normal amount of servants, including lovely photos of how to dress your maid for afternoon or evening gatherings. There are descriptions of what the dedicated housewife of the 1950’s should prepare for the husband returning from work, with suggestions on how she should dress to greet him at the door.

Unlike today where we can go a super market and pick up any ingredient we want, imported from all over the world, there were times when ingredients were seasonal, local and just not available. Eggs from the chickens scratching in the backyard were abundant in the spring and scarce in winter. When there was such a plethora of eggs, our Grandmother’s coped by making Angel Food Cakes and Pound Cakes full of eggs.

Other ingredients that were commonly used have fallen out of favor or have been given the ax by nutritionists and the food police. Lard was replaced by Crisco. Now transfats like Crisco are being banned. Marbled beef is getting a bad rap. Butter was replaced by Oleo Margarine, however now we have gone back to butter again. Ingredients come and go. Gone but not forgotten in the cookbooks of yester-year.

Lost recipes

2006-09-24T09:50:00.000-07:00

I started cooking at the age of 7. I don't know why, but I was fascinated by the idea of baking. Baking bread, cookies (chocolate chip of course), cakes and pies. The idea that you could take ordinary ingredients and bake up something wonderful to eat and that the family appreciates was magical and powerful at the same time.

Where did I get this love of cooking?

My Mother was a good basic cook. She didn't love cooking; instead it was something that needed to be done. Being the eldest of 9 children she had plenty of kitchen time helping her mother in preparing breakfasts and lunches for the entire family before they all went off to work and school. Cooking was not "fun" for my Mother. Yet she taught me the basics: how to make a white sauce for creamed tuna on toast, how to fry a chicken and make gravy, how to saute onions and calves liver. My Mother's dishes were inexpensive, stretching the food dollar fare that was good stick to your ribs home cooking.

My Father was a weekend cook who would experiment with new and exotic dishes. Homemade lasagne with hand made noodles and sauces simmered on the stove for hours on end or handmade ravioli each as large as the palm of my hand. Making enormous messes, using every pot, pan and bowl in the kitchen. My Father was not interested in stretching the food dollar, but more interested in free form use of spices and ingredients. Sometimes the dish would be a smashing success. Other times the food was inedible. It was always different and entertaining to eat on the weekends

I started collecting cookbooks in earnest when I was a teenager in the 1960's by clipping them from Seventeen magazine before it became a guide for young teenagers on how to have sex. My first purchase when I left home and went to live on my own in the hippie dippy years of 1968 was a hard maple rolling pin and a set of Fireking mixing bowls. I still have the rolling pin 38 years later, and the bowls are now found in antique shops as collectable items. Who knew? I should have treated the bowls better.

When I took a trip to Ireland in the 1970's, I bought cookbooks as souveniers. I have been collecting for years and now worry that some of these recipes will be lost or forgotten. So, in the spirit of keeping the good old and some of the bad old food alive, I plan to post some of my favorite recipies and some of the food that makes us go: "What were they thinking!!?!!"

Too many Plums

2006-09-18T07:29:00.000-07:00

I love and dread the end of summer.

The love part: the nights are beginning to cool down enough to throw a light blanket on the bed. The cat begins to snuggle up and settle down....finally. The trees are starting to turn from green to light yellow to orange and red and we know the leaves soon will fall to the ground and be recycled in the efficent way that nature has devised. I know that winter is just around the corner and I will be able to bring out my cozy knitting craft projects. I will be able to cook in the house instead of creating meals that can be cooked outside on the barbecue to keep the heat outside. Lingering on the deck in the crisp afternoons and early evenings watching the geese and egrets moving southward, with the poignant knowledge that soon it will be too cold to enjoy these moments. The garden plants and fruit trees are groaning with their valient efforts to produce food for us... the patient gardeners.

The dread part: The sun is setting earlier and rising later. The days are getting shorter and I want to savor every moment of beautiful fall color and breathe in the smells of nature beginning to settle down for her winter's sleep. And we have TOO MUCH PRODUCE.

I can't stand to see the fruit and food go to waste and there are only so many zuchinni or plums a person can eat without dire consequences to bodily functions. In the spring it is a gamble on whether the fruit tree blossoms will get to set fruit or be frozen off of the tree by a sudden freeze. This year our plum trees went insane producing fruit. Santa Rosa Plums and Italian Plums, we must have had 50 pounds of fruit. What to do? I get busy canning, preserving, making deserts and freezing for the winter.

Plum jam, canned whole plums, plum crisps and plum cake for the freezer and still to many plums. This year I tried something different for those pesky end of the harvest plums.

Chinese Plum Sauce

8 cups plums pitted and halved
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic minced1 cup water
1 tsp fresh minced ginger
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp ground corriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp cloves

In a large saucepan, bring the plums, onions, water, ginger and garlic to a boil over medium heat. Cover and reduce to a low simmer and cook stirring occasionally until very soft. About 30 minutes

Press through a food mill, or puree with a hand blender or other method. Return to a clean pan and add the rest of the ingredients.

Bring to a boil stirring. Reduce heat and simmer until it reaches the consistancy of applesauce stirring occaisonally to keep it from burning on the bottom. About 45 minutes.

Fill and seal in half pint jars an dprocess in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes.

Makes 4 to 5 half pints.

I did this over two nights after work by putting the pureed mixture in the refrigerator and doing the second half the next night. This turned out so good that next year I am making a triple batch.

So I complain about too much produce, yet I am even now planning future crops in our new raised planting beds and what I am going to plant in the half wine barrels that lne our driveway. I think peppers, tomatoes and beans in the barrels.

I am such a glutton for punishment.