This is our absolute favorite cake recipe ever. I planned to make it for Tim's birthday in Utah, figuring I could just look up the recipe online (since ALL my favorite recipes can be found easily online).
To my surprise, this recipe is NOT online. There are several "birds milk cake" recipes there, but none look like this cake when it's finished, and all included either gelatin or agar-agar, neither of which are in my recipe. And most included baking a traditional batter cake and slicing it, which this cake doesn't do.
So I'm putting the recipe (with my modifications, naturally) here online so I can find it when I travel in the future, and because every good recipe ought to be found in more than one place. The original recipe, which is surprisingly vague on a few key points, is found on page 99 of "Lion House International Recipes", published by Deseret Book in 1997 (I got it as a wedding gift from Brother and Sister Blood in 1999).
The thing that makes this recipe special is the boiled cream, which is fussy. After several years of making this cake, I think I've figured out the cream--at least it comes out good. I've no idea if it comes out "right", having never met anyone else who makes this cake. The cream is a little fussy and I've had it refuse to set up with a half hour of beating one day and then set up in 3 minutes the next. Also, the cake doesn't taste as good without the chocolate icing ("gonush" in the book).
BIRDS MILK CAKE (from Russia, supposedly)
Cake:
1/2 c butter or margarine (butter tastes better)
1 c sugar
2 tbsp honey
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
In a large saucepan on medium to low heat, stir together first 5 ingredients until the sugar is melted. Remove from heat and add flour and soda. Stir until well mixed and thick. Divide dough into five equal parts. Cut five 9-inch circles (or, I suppose, any simple shape) from wax paper. Working with one at a time, place a circle on a cookie sheet and put a ball of dough in the center. Roll or pat to fit the circle perfectly (all the way to the edge)--it will be quite thin, and works nicer if you roll it out. Bake 5 minutes (or until lightly browned) at 350. Remove from the cookie sheet and cool on a baking rack while you make the other cake rounds. They come out looking like giant sugar cookies.
Boiled Cream:
2 tbsp flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 c milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 c butter (works with margarine, but tastes better with butter)
1 c sugar
Combine flour, 2 tbsp sugar, milk, and vanilla in microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high 2 minutes. Stir. Repeat until cream is quite thick--like soft pudding. It should boil. You can do this on the stove, but the microwave is easier and has better results. Put plastic wrap right down on the surface of the hot cream, pressing it right to the edges like you do with hot custard, and let it cool (the original recipe just says that--but I've found cooler is better, so get it cool to the touch). Beat (don't whip) the butter and sugar until light and fluffy and the sugar is mostly-to-completely dissolved. Put this in the fridge for 15-30 min, until it has stiffened up and is cold. Pour in cooled liquid and beat well until it looks like whipped cream. I have written into my cookbook "Whip, don't beat" and "Beat, Don't Whip" so I guess it didn't set up one way once, and didn't the other way once, too. I think I usually use both methods, switching part-way through when whichever I started with isn't working. Beating this into cream can take a long time, and often I give up when it's still slightly separated--this affects the look of the cake slightly but doesn't affect the flavor or texture really. If you chill the creamed sugar/butter mixture before you add the cooled milk, you can put the milk in lukewarm and still only have to beat it for 3 minutes or less.
Assemble the cake:
Carefully peel the wax paper from the bottom of the cake rounds. Place one layer on a large plate and spread cream over it right to the edge. Top with another cake round, spread with cream, and repeat. DO NOT spread cream on the top layer (so 5 layers of cake, four of cream). Put in the fridge to stiffen while you make the gonush.
Gonush:
5 tbsp sugar
5 tbsp milk
5 tsp cocoa
1/4 c butter (margarine works, too, but doesn't taste as good)
Combine sugar, milk, and cocoa in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil until smooth and dark brown and slightly thickened--like hot syrup. Remove from heat and stir in butter until it's melted. Pour over top of cake, letting it drizzle down the sides and collect around the bottom of the cake. If you cook it long enough, it should mostly stay on top like a thick glaze. If you didn't, it will be a thin topcoat with lots of liquidy chocolate around the bottom (which tastes just as good, but isn't quite as pretty).
Keep the cake in the fridge until you're ready for it (even overnight if you want), and refrigerate any leftovers.
This cake sounds involved, but it's not hard. The only tricky part is the cream, which can be fussy if you don't boil the cream long enough, or if you don't cool it sufficiently (it just takes longer to set up), or if your kitchen is too hot or too cool, etc. But it's worth it.
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label recipes. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Recipe: Whatever You Have Tamale Pie
Tamale Pie is very forgiving and flexible.
My recipe:
1-2 lbs beef (burger, leftover roast, canned beef chunks, or whatever you have--we love half burger half beef chunks)
1 celery stalk, sliced (optional)
1/2 green pepper, diced (optional)
1 can chili OR 1-3 c home made leftover chili OR 1 can other beans (small red, pinto, kidney, pork-and-, or whatever) plus 1 tsp-1 tbsp chili powder OR 1 can tomato sauce PLUS 1 tsp-1 tbsp chili powder
1-2 cans tomato stuff (tomatoes--undrained and cut up small, tomato sauce, tomato paste, tomato soup, salsa, etc.) OR a couple of fresh or frozen tomatoes, diced
1 can diced green chilis (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
couple of shakes of garlic powder
1 tbsp minced dried onion (opt) OR 1/2 fresh onion, minced (opt)
1-3 c shredded cheese (any kind you can shred)
1 recipe cornbread batter OR this one:
1 c flour
1 c cornmeal
a handful of sugar
4 tsp baking soda
1 can creamed corn OR 1 can regular corn, blended
1 egg (or I used 3 egg yolks tonight...whatever you have on hand)
1/2 c milk or 2 tbsp powdered milk powder stirred into the flour plus 1/2 c water
Mix it all together.
Cook the meat and veggies until they're done (no longer pink, or heated through, or tender, depending on what you used). Drain off the grease. Add everything else except the cheese and cornbread batter. Stir. Heat to boiling and simmer gently for 10 minutes to let the flavors blend. Meanwhile, mix up the cornbread batter if you haven't yet. Add 1/2-1 c cheese to the meat sauce and stir it in. Spread 2/3 cornbread batter in large greased baking dish (9x13 works fine). Sprinkle rest of cheese over the batter. Spoon meat mixture on top. Spoon rest of the cornbread batter around the edge to make a border, or "draw" a lattice, or put dots on wherever to make "islands". Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cornbread is done (knife inserted in border comes out clean).
The variations do change the flavor some, but all taste good.
My recipe:
1-2 lbs beef (burger, leftover roast, canned beef chunks, or whatever you have--we love half burger half beef chunks)
1 celery stalk, sliced (optional)
1/2 green pepper, diced (optional)
1 can chili OR 1-3 c home made leftover chili OR 1 can other beans (small red, pinto, kidney, pork-and-, or whatever) plus 1 tsp-1 tbsp chili powder OR 1 can tomato sauce PLUS 1 tsp-1 tbsp chili powder
1-2 cans tomato stuff (tomatoes--undrained and cut up small, tomato sauce, tomato paste, tomato soup, salsa, etc.) OR a couple of fresh or frozen tomatoes, diced
1 can diced green chilis (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
couple of shakes of garlic powder
1 tbsp minced dried onion (opt) OR 1/2 fresh onion, minced (opt)
1-3 c shredded cheese (any kind you can shred)
1 recipe cornbread batter OR this one:
1 c flour
1 c cornmeal
a handful of sugar
4 tsp baking soda
1 can creamed corn OR 1 can regular corn, blended
1 egg (or I used 3 egg yolks tonight...whatever you have on hand)
1/2 c milk or 2 tbsp powdered milk powder stirred into the flour plus 1/2 c water
Mix it all together.
Cook the meat and veggies until they're done (no longer pink, or heated through, or tender, depending on what you used). Drain off the grease. Add everything else except the cheese and cornbread batter. Stir. Heat to boiling and simmer gently for 10 minutes to let the flavors blend. Meanwhile, mix up the cornbread batter if you haven't yet. Add 1/2-1 c cheese to the meat sauce and stir it in. Spread 2/3 cornbread batter in large greased baking dish (9x13 works fine). Sprinkle rest of cheese over the batter. Spoon meat mixture on top. Spoon rest of the cornbread batter around the edge to make a border, or "draw" a lattice, or put dots on wherever to make "islands". Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until cornbread is done (knife inserted in border comes out clean).
The variations do change the flavor some, but all taste good.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Minestrone by 2s
What do you do with leftovers?
Traditionally, you make soup.
So we did.
What we discovered is that Minestrone is the perfect leftovers soup. The recipe is incredibly flexible (3 cookbooks I consulted had 3 different recipes!), and it tastes good and is relatively easy.
Here is the recipe I used today:
1-2 tbsp minced dried onions
2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 sticks of celery plus the leaves, diced
2-4 tsp beef bouillon powder
2 cups of water
Boil these 5-10 minutes, until the veggies are just tender
Then add:
2 cups leftover noodles with meat sauce (I used last night's shells, but spaghetti would work, just run a couple knives through it scissors fashion first to break up the noodles some)
1/2 c leftover canned bean with bacon soup (or up to 2 cans of any non-chili-flavored beans you have sitting around)
2 tsp italian seasoning
garlic salt, salt, pepper to taste
water to cover the ingredients or as much as you need in order to feed everyone (I added 3 1/2 more cups)
Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes or so to blend the flavors.
This is one of those "add what you have" soups: some people skip the meat or noodles, some put in all kinds of veggies (green beans, cabbage, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes or canned tomatoes, frozen mixed veggies, etc...whatever you have on hand). Some people use ham, sausage, or bacon instead of the hamburger I use.
I serve it sprinkled with grated cheese and bacon bits, with toast on the side.
Traditionally, you make soup.
So we did.
What we discovered is that Minestrone is the perfect leftovers soup. The recipe is incredibly flexible (3 cookbooks I consulted had 3 different recipes!), and it tastes good and is relatively easy.
Here is the recipe I used today:
1-2 tbsp minced dried onions
2 small potatoes, peeled and diced
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 sticks of celery plus the leaves, diced
2-4 tsp beef bouillon powder
2 cups of water
Boil these 5-10 minutes, until the veggies are just tender
Then add:
2 cups leftover noodles with meat sauce (I used last night's shells, but spaghetti would work, just run a couple knives through it scissors fashion first to break up the noodles some)
1/2 c leftover canned bean with bacon soup (or up to 2 cans of any non-chili-flavored beans you have sitting around)
2 tsp italian seasoning
garlic salt, salt, pepper to taste
water to cover the ingredients or as much as you need in order to feed everyone (I added 3 1/2 more cups)
Bring to a boil and simmer 10 minutes or so to blend the flavors.
This is one of those "add what you have" soups: some people skip the meat or noodles, some put in all kinds of veggies (green beans, cabbage, zucchini, summer squash, tomatoes or canned tomatoes, frozen mixed veggies, etc...whatever you have on hand). Some people use ham, sausage, or bacon instead of the hamburger I use.
I serve it sprinkled with grated cheese and bacon bits, with toast on the side.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Best Frosting Ever
1/2 pkg (4 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/2 c (1 stick, or 4 oz) butter or margarine, softened
2-3 c powdered sugar (less for softer frosting, more for stiffer)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Cream the butter and cream cheese. Slowly add the powdered sugar, mixing well after each addition. Beat (or whip) for a full 12 minutes, or even more. (This seems silly, but do it, even with a kitchenaid mixer--it makes an enormous difference in the frosting you get.) Add the vanilla and lemon juice (and food coloring if you want colored frosting), and beat until it's completely incorporated.
It should come out fluffy and soft, but still able to hold its shape.
Good on cookies, monkey bread, carrot cake, graham crackers.....
1/2 c (1 stick, or 4 oz) butter or margarine, softened
2-3 c powdered sugar (less for softer frosting, more for stiffer)
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Cream the butter and cream cheese. Slowly add the powdered sugar, mixing well after each addition. Beat (or whip) for a full 12 minutes, or even more. (This seems silly, but do it, even with a kitchenaid mixer--it makes an enormous difference in the frosting you get.) Add the vanilla and lemon juice (and food coloring if you want colored frosting), and beat until it's completely incorporated.
It should come out fluffy and soft, but still able to hold its shape.
Good on cookies, monkey bread, carrot cake, graham crackers.....
Monday, January 19, 2009
Donut Bread
I've been making all our bread for a couple of months now, with a great deal of success (if you go by how fast the loaves disappear). But Tim had mentioned a couple of times that the bread was missing something--maybe salt? I had noticed, too, and already upped the amount of salt in the recipe, so this time I tried other things, and the bread came out tasting just like...Donuts. Go figure.
Here is the recipe:
1/3 c sugar
2 tsp salt
3/8 c oil
1 tbsp yeast
1 tsp vanilla
2 c hot water (around 120 degrees, or as hot as a baby's bathwater)
3/4 c freshly-ground wheat flour
3 seriously heaping plus 3/4 measured c white flour
2 eggs
Put ingredients in mixer bowl in the order listed, pausing after you add the water to be sure the yeast gets a chance to foam. Mix using the dough hook until the dough forms a ball around the dough hook, adding flour if necessary to make a dough that is tender and soft but not sticky. DO NOT MIX 'TO LET THE GLUTEN DEVELOP'--that is completely unnecessary and actually ruins the dough. Play with the dough a little to even it out and then put it in a greased bowl and microwave 10 seconds. Turn the dough over and microwave 10 more seconds. Cover with plastic wrap and raise in a warm place (I heat the oven to 115 and then turn it off and raise it there so no kids will get into it) 3 times for 30 minutes each, punching the dough down after each. shape into loaves and raise once more in bread pans. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Turn out of pans and cover with a damp paper towel to cool. Tastes more like donuts hot than cold, but good both ways.
Here is the recipe:
1/3 c sugar
2 tsp salt
3/8 c oil
1 tbsp yeast
1 tsp vanilla
2 c hot water (around 120 degrees, or as hot as a baby's bathwater)
3/4 c freshly-ground wheat flour
3 seriously heaping plus 3/4 measured c white flour
2 eggs
Put ingredients in mixer bowl in the order listed, pausing after you add the water to be sure the yeast gets a chance to foam. Mix using the dough hook until the dough forms a ball around the dough hook, adding flour if necessary to make a dough that is tender and soft but not sticky. DO NOT MIX 'TO LET THE GLUTEN DEVELOP'--that is completely unnecessary and actually ruins the dough. Play with the dough a little to even it out and then put it in a greased bowl and microwave 10 seconds. Turn the dough over and microwave 10 more seconds. Cover with plastic wrap and raise in a warm place (I heat the oven to 115 and then turn it off and raise it there so no kids will get into it) 3 times for 30 minutes each, punching the dough down after each. shape into loaves and raise once more in bread pans. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Turn out of pans and cover with a damp paper towel to cool. Tastes more like donuts hot than cold, but good both ways.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
The Divinity Chronicles
I have always loved divinity, that "southern" soft and smooth candy that you really can't buy--and it seems hard to make (but it isn't). I like it smooth, with no nuts or cherries in it.
But I'm not much of a purist.
So when I decided I needed to make a batch of divinity, I divided it and made half of the batch vanilla, and half chocolate. I had never heard of chocolate divinity, but I had a recipe for chocolate nougat that my mother recognized right away as divinity that hadn't been whipped long enough.
So, for each dozen or so divinity you want, the recipe, which requires a heavy-duty stand mixer like a Kitchenaid, is:
1 egg white
1 c sugar
1/4 c light corn syrup
1/4 c water
1 pinch salt
1/3 tsp vanilla (opt)
Boil the sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt until they reach soft crack stage. Most recipes say around 275 degrees on the candy thermometer. I don't have a candy thermometer, so I test the candy by drizzling it in cold water. When the drizzles hold their shape and stretch but then crack when you pull on them, they're ready (and the kids LOVE tasting the "ice candy" that comes out of the cold water each time I test the syrup). Set the syrup aside to cool slightly while you whip the egg white until it forms firm but not dry peaks when the beater is lifted. Add the vanilla and mix. Then, while beating on medium low, pour the hot syrup in a fine stream into the egg whites. After the syrup is all in, various sources say to change the speed of the mixer. It's not necessary. Keep it on about a 4 on the kitchen aid (out of 10) until it holds its shape when plopped on a sheet of wax paper. This can take 20 minutes, but it usually takes less if the syrup is cooked long enough and cooled slightly before pouring. Dipping spoon and finger in cold water frequently, spoon blobs of divinity onto wax paper to cool. It should hold its shape perfectly, but not be grainy or dry all the way through.
To make chocolate divinity: Make vanilla divinity, but then, just as the divinity reaches the "finished" stage, dump 1/3-1/2 c chocolate chips into the "dough" and let it mix up. Once the chocolate is in, if the nougat recipe is right, the divinity won't set up any further, so you don't have to worry about over-mixing it.
So those were both such a success that I started getting ideas. I grasped right away that the secret is the hot syrup into the whipped egg whites, so I theorized anything that can be cooked to hard-crack stage and poured in a fine stream could go into whipped egg whites and make divinity.
My first experiment was adding sweetened, peach-flavored gelatin to the sugar mixture--to get flavors, of course. Turns out gelatin prevents sugar from reaching the soft crack stage (at least before it takes on a burnt smell). So it made a lovely, puffy, soft creamy creme, like marshmallow cream, that would have been tasty frosting, I suppose. Didn't work as divinity.
So the next try was to use Brown sugar. It made fabulous syrup. Until it was done and I made the mistake of adding a capful of maple flavoring and a capful of vanilla. That completely ruined the syrup--it almost instantly crystallized into fantastic maple sugar. The kids love it.
I had the egg whites already whipped, so I pulled out my toffee recipe. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying close attention, and I made exactly 1/3 the amount of toffee syrup I needed for the 3 egg whites I whipped, so it never really set up, but the resulting sauce was really really tasty. If I do this again, I'll make the toffee with the 3 cups of requires sugar, but only 1 c of butter (instead of 3) to make the syrup/candy less crumbly.
I gave up for a few days but couldn't put it out of my head, and I realized somethings by looking online at divinity recipes. The secret is that you don't mess with the syrup. You mess with the egg whites if you want variations. You can (and people do) make "Jello Divinity"--by sprinkling the Jello on the egg whites while they whip. That's where you add the flavorings (vanilla is traditional, but I suppose you could add maple, or orange, or lemon, or strawberry, or almond, or brandy--many recipes call for almond flavoring).
So today I wanted to try making "butterscotch" divinity. I made the basic recipe, but, after whipping the eggs, sprinkled in 1/2 c brown sugar, making brown merengue just like on the "Foamy River Brownies" recipe I posted last year. Then I followed the recipe exactly as above (for 3 dozen, so with 3 egg whites), and it came out GREAT. It has a flavor somewhere between butterscotch and that old fashioned "burnt sugar cake" flavor (the "burnt sugar cake" recipe was very popular in folk and fundraiser recipe collections in the 1930s-1950s). It's good.
Next try? I don't know. Strawberry gelatin flavor? Lemon? Maple? Oh--I know. White chocolate. Or butterscotch made with butterscotch chips. Or maybe raspberry chocolate divinity (raspberry jello in the egg whites, and then 1/3 c semi-sweet chocolate chips). Now that I got the formula, I can really start trying things. And I suppose I'd better start giving away candy!
But I'm not much of a purist.
So when I decided I needed to make a batch of divinity, I divided it and made half of the batch vanilla, and half chocolate. I had never heard of chocolate divinity, but I had a recipe for chocolate nougat that my mother recognized right away as divinity that hadn't been whipped long enough.
So, for each dozen or so divinity you want, the recipe, which requires a heavy-duty stand mixer like a Kitchenaid, is:
1 egg white
1 c sugar
1/4 c light corn syrup
1/4 c water
1 pinch salt
1/3 tsp vanilla (opt)
Boil the sugar, corn syrup, water, and salt until they reach soft crack stage. Most recipes say around 275 degrees on the candy thermometer. I don't have a candy thermometer, so I test the candy by drizzling it in cold water. When the drizzles hold their shape and stretch but then crack when you pull on them, they're ready (and the kids LOVE tasting the "ice candy" that comes out of the cold water each time I test the syrup). Set the syrup aside to cool slightly while you whip the egg white until it forms firm but not dry peaks when the beater is lifted. Add the vanilla and mix. Then, while beating on medium low, pour the hot syrup in a fine stream into the egg whites. After the syrup is all in, various sources say to change the speed of the mixer. It's not necessary. Keep it on about a 4 on the kitchen aid (out of 10) until it holds its shape when plopped on a sheet of wax paper. This can take 20 minutes, but it usually takes less if the syrup is cooked long enough and cooled slightly before pouring. Dipping spoon and finger in cold water frequently, spoon blobs of divinity onto wax paper to cool. It should hold its shape perfectly, but not be grainy or dry all the way through.
To make chocolate divinity: Make vanilla divinity, but then, just as the divinity reaches the "finished" stage, dump 1/3-1/2 c chocolate chips into the "dough" and let it mix up. Once the chocolate is in, if the nougat recipe is right, the divinity won't set up any further, so you don't have to worry about over-mixing it.
So those were both such a success that I started getting ideas. I grasped right away that the secret is the hot syrup into the whipped egg whites, so I theorized anything that can be cooked to hard-crack stage and poured in a fine stream could go into whipped egg whites and make divinity.
My first experiment was adding sweetened, peach-flavored gelatin to the sugar mixture--to get flavors, of course. Turns out gelatin prevents sugar from reaching the soft crack stage (at least before it takes on a burnt smell). So it made a lovely, puffy, soft creamy creme, like marshmallow cream, that would have been tasty frosting, I suppose. Didn't work as divinity.
So the next try was to use Brown sugar. It made fabulous syrup. Until it was done and I made the mistake of adding a capful of maple flavoring and a capful of vanilla. That completely ruined the syrup--it almost instantly crystallized into fantastic maple sugar. The kids love it.
I had the egg whites already whipped, so I pulled out my toffee recipe. Unfortunately, I wasn't paying close attention, and I made exactly 1/3 the amount of toffee syrup I needed for the 3 egg whites I whipped, so it never really set up, but the resulting sauce was really really tasty. If I do this again, I'll make the toffee with the 3 cups of requires sugar, but only 1 c of butter (instead of 3) to make the syrup/candy less crumbly.
I gave up for a few days but couldn't put it out of my head, and I realized somethings by looking online at divinity recipes. The secret is that you don't mess with the syrup. You mess with the egg whites if you want variations. You can (and people do) make "Jello Divinity"--by sprinkling the Jello on the egg whites while they whip. That's where you add the flavorings (vanilla is traditional, but I suppose you could add maple, or orange, or lemon, or strawberry, or almond, or brandy--many recipes call for almond flavoring).
So today I wanted to try making "butterscotch" divinity. I made the basic recipe, but, after whipping the eggs, sprinkled in 1/2 c brown sugar, making brown merengue just like on the "Foamy River Brownies" recipe I posted last year. Then I followed the recipe exactly as above (for 3 dozen, so with 3 egg whites), and it came out GREAT. It has a flavor somewhere between butterscotch and that old fashioned "burnt sugar cake" flavor (the "burnt sugar cake" recipe was very popular in folk and fundraiser recipe collections in the 1930s-1950s). It's good.
Next try? I don't know. Strawberry gelatin flavor? Lemon? Maple? Oh--I know. White chocolate. Or butterscotch made with butterscotch chips. Or maybe raspberry chocolate divinity (raspberry jello in the egg whites, and then 1/3 c semi-sweet chocolate chips). Now that I got the formula, I can really start trying things. And I suppose I'd better start giving away candy!
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
New Favorite Treat
I happened upon this accidentally at dinner tonight, and it's really tasty: fresh ripe bartlett pear slices dipped in plain old natural sour cream.
I have dipped all manner of peach slices in vanilla sour cream (1 tsp vanilla for each cup of sour cream), and sweetened with brown sugar sour cream, but I'd never tried plain, and the fruit at dinner tonight was fresh sliced bartlett pears. Really tasted surprisingly good.
I may just be picky about my pears, but I really do find a massive difference between varieties (D'anjou just don't ripen as sweet as bartlett!), and how ripe it is (if you can't pull the stem right out without twisting, it's too green). I don't know if it would be as good with green pears, or d'anjou, or "unnatural" (ie regular) sour cream. (I'm very partial to the "natural" kind you buy at Smiths/King SOopers/Food4Less because the list of ingredients is short and sweet, with no preservatives or chemicals--not to mention it tastes better).
I have dipped all manner of peach slices in vanilla sour cream (1 tsp vanilla for each cup of sour cream), and sweetened with brown sugar sour cream, but I'd never tried plain, and the fruit at dinner tonight was fresh sliced bartlett pears. Really tasted surprisingly good.
I may just be picky about my pears, but I really do find a massive difference between varieties (D'anjou just don't ripen as sweet as bartlett!), and how ripe it is (if you can't pull the stem right out without twisting, it's too green). I don't know if it would be as good with green pears, or d'anjou, or "unnatural" (ie regular) sour cream. (I'm very partial to the "natural" kind you buy at Smiths/King SOopers/Food4Less because the list of ingredients is short and sweet, with no preservatives or chemicals--not to mention it tastes better).
Friday, March 07, 2008
More recipes
The Lion House International Cookbook has a fabulous recipe for Cajun chicken, but it's a little involved (dirties 3+ pots) and includes making your own spice mixes and using ingredients I don't have on hand usually, like tarragon and pimientos. Still, my family loved it.
So I messed around some and came up with a great clone that is quick and easy--quick enough to make in the amount of time it takes to cook the rice and set the table.
Quick Cajun Chicken with Confetti Rice
2 c water
1 c rice
oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts partially thawed
2 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning (you can often get it at the dollar store)
1 c milk
1 c frozen peas (still frozen)
1 2-oz jar pimientos (opt)
Following the directions on the rice package, get the rice cooking.
Slice the chicken into thin strips (this is easiest done when the chicken is still partially frozen). Stir fry over high heat in a lightly oiled frying pan until it is just barely done. Turn off the heat and stir in the margarine until it's melted. Then sprinkle on the flour and cajun seasoning and stir this in, too. Turn the heat back on to medium or medium high and add the milk slowly, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn, letting it boil if necessary until the sauce thickens. This should be ready about the time the rice is cooked. The instant the rice is done, stir in the frozen peas (so they'll thaw by serving time) and pimientos and put the lid on to hasten their cooking. Serve the chicken over the rice.
Even my picky eaters love this, and I love that it's easy. It only serves 4-6, with some of those being children, so double it for a big family (or cut the chicken in smaller bits and double everything else).
So I messed around some and came up with a great clone that is quick and easy--quick enough to make in the amount of time it takes to cook the rice and set the table.
Quick Cajun Chicken with Confetti Rice
2 c water
1 c rice
oil
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts partially thawed
2 tbsp margarine
2 tbsp flour
1 1/2 tsp cajun seasoning (you can often get it at the dollar store)
1 c milk
1 c frozen peas (still frozen)
1 2-oz jar pimientos (opt)
Following the directions on the rice package, get the rice cooking.
Slice the chicken into thin strips (this is easiest done when the chicken is still partially frozen). Stir fry over high heat in a lightly oiled frying pan until it is just barely done. Turn off the heat and stir in the margarine until it's melted. Then sprinkle on the flour and cajun seasoning and stir this in, too. Turn the heat back on to medium or medium high and add the milk slowly, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn, letting it boil if necessary until the sauce thickens. This should be ready about the time the rice is cooked. The instant the rice is done, stir in the frozen peas (so they'll thaw by serving time) and pimientos and put the lid on to hasten their cooking. Serve the chicken over the rice.
Even my picky eaters love this, and I love that it's easy. It only serves 4-6, with some of those being children, so double it for a big family (or cut the chicken in smaller bits and double everything else).
Monday, February 25, 2008
A Couple of Recipe Successes
I have a recipe that makes some of the tastiest cookies ever, but it’s one of those “contributed by ____ to our school fundraiser cookbook” recipes, so you’re not going to find it easily in any standard cookbook. As with all recipes on my blog, I have modified it, but not as extensively as others, so I still feel like this is not my own recipe. Still, I suspect it will be lost if someone doesn’t preserve it somehow. I’ve done extensive searches online that indicate that only the wording of recipes is copyrightable, not the list of ingredients (nobody owns “3 eggs” because how else can you say it?). So here, paraphrased and slightly tweaked but with full attribution, is the recipe for “Great Grandma Lefler’s Icebox Cookies,” which apparently “men love.” We all love them, and the dough is the hardest to resist ever.
The original was contributed by PJ Holtzman, who donated a good many recipes to the book. It can be found on page 65 of “Reading, Writing and Recipes: A Collection From East Antioch Elementary”, published by Cookbook Publishers, Inc. from Lenexa, KS, in 1996, for the East Antioch PTA. It is one of the better “folk” recipe collections I’ve found, although it suffers still from amateur-cookbook-itis (says too much or too little, but not ever just enough).
½ c butter or margarine
¾ c shortening
1 c light brown sugar
1 c sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla (my addition)
4 ½ c flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Cream butter and shortening together. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Beat well. With the mixer stopped, add flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda, in that order (no need to sift!). Mix well. Press dough into an 8x8” pan. Cover and refrigerate at least overnight. When you are ready to use the dough, use a sharp knife to cut it into two 4x8” chunks. When you want cookies, cut off ¼ inch slices and bake them on an ungreased cookie sheet for 6-8 minutes at 400 degrees. You can also cut them into four 2” strips in you want square instead of rectangular cookies. They make good “cookie sticks” for dunking in milk.
The other neat cookbook experience we had came from “The First American Cookbook: a Facsimile of ‘American Cookery,’ 1796 by Amelia Simmons”, which Jon and Chastity gave me for Christmas.
This is the original recipe that caught my eye, quoted here in its entirety because it is in the public domain (or should be since it was first published well before 1920). You can download the entire book, minus the Dover notes and intro, here: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/12815.
“A Bread Pudding. One pound soft bread or biscuit soaked in one quart milk, run thro’ a sieve or cullender, add 7 eggs, three quarters of a pound sugar, one quarter of a pound butter, nutmeg or cinnamon, one gill rosewater, one pound stoned raisins, half pint cream, bake three quarters of an hour, middling oven.”
Here is what I did:
A 22 oz of sandwich bread has about 22 slices, so I took 16 slices of white bread (I realized after the fact that Amelia Simmons wouldn’t use her white flour, if she had any, for this, but it worked well for me). I tore the slices into pieces and poured 4 cups of milk over it. I stirred it, covered it, and let it sit (at room temperature, but I should have put it in the fridge I guess—but Amelia couldn’t have, and I was trying to make her recipe) for an hour or two.
Then I worked it through a sieve. This was extremely tedious, but it eventually came out a nice light brown thick liquid. It had a unique texture that I couldn’t have achieved by blending it in the blender, or any other way I can think of, so this was a useful step. It also definitely set this apart from modern bread puddings, which I’m not very fond of.
I added the 7 eggs.
Then I had to go to the internet to find out how many cups of sugar are in a pound, and discovered there is no exact consensus, but everyone’s estimates hover around “a heaping 2 cups”. So I put in 2 level cups of sugar and assumed that was about ¾ lb. One quarter of a pound of butter is one stick, so I put in one stick of margarine, which wouldn’t blend up nicely. So I fished it out with some of the mixture and heated it in the microwave until the butter melted. I stirred this all together and put it back into the whole.
At this point I realized my bowl was too small, but I was careful and worked through the rest. I put in a dash of nutmeg and about a tsp of cinnamon, and then I skipped the rosewater. I didn’t want to deal with it! But I did stir in about a half a pound of raisins (about a cup, I guessed), and I didn’t have cream so I put in a cup of whole milk. Normally in this kind of recipe I use evaporated milk as a cream replacement, but I didn’t have that either. So milk it was.
Then I greased a 3 qt casserole (a really big one) and poured the liquid in. The raisins sank to the bottom. Oops. I should have soaked them in boiling water overnight (or at least long enough to plump them) so they would float in the batter. Stoned raisins would have been flayed, more or less, so they wouldn’t have sunk like regular seedless raisins.
I am familiar with the phrases “quick oven” (really hot, like 450-500 degrees) and “slow oven” (most of the heat has escaped and it’s closer to 250-300 degrees), so I guess a middling oven was 350 degrees.
The pudding wasn’t done after 45 minutes. It was brown, but jiggly and liquid in the middle. I have since discovered that the oven here cooks hot (a LOT hot, like 50 degrees off), so I kept cooking the thing until the middle was set like a pumpkin pie, but then the bottom (with all the raisins on it) was on the edge of burning. It took over an hour. I should have cooked it undisturbed at 350 (probably 300 on my oven) for 1 ½ hours, checking after 1 hour and then every 10-15 minutes after.
It came out incredibly tasty. Unbelievably yummy. It had the consistency and texture of pumpkin pie, but was much much tastier. It actually got eaten. By everyone in the family.
So that was a success.
And an adventure.
Cooking is fun.
The original was contributed by PJ Holtzman, who donated a good many recipes to the book. It can be found on page 65 of “Reading, Writing and Recipes: A Collection From East Antioch Elementary”, published by Cookbook Publishers, Inc. from Lenexa, KS, in 1996, for the East Antioch PTA. It is one of the better “folk” recipe collections I’ve found, although it suffers still from amateur-cookbook-itis (says too much or too little, but not ever just enough).
½ c butter or margarine
¾ c shortening
1 c light brown sugar
1 c sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla (my addition)
4 ½ c flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
Cream butter and shortening together. Add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Beat well. With the mixer stopped, add flour, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda, in that order (no need to sift!). Mix well. Press dough into an 8x8” pan. Cover and refrigerate at least overnight. When you are ready to use the dough, use a sharp knife to cut it into two 4x8” chunks. When you want cookies, cut off ¼ inch slices and bake them on an ungreased cookie sheet for 6-8 minutes at 400 degrees. You can also cut them into four 2” strips in you want square instead of rectangular cookies. They make good “cookie sticks” for dunking in milk.
The other neat cookbook experience we had came from “The First American Cookbook: a Facsimile of ‘American Cookery,’ 1796 by Amelia Simmons”, which Jon and Chastity gave me for Christmas.
This is the original recipe that caught my eye, quoted here in its entirety because it is in the public domain (or should be since it was first published well before 1920). You can download the entire book, minus the Dover notes and intro, here: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/12815.
“A Bread Pudding. One pound soft bread or biscuit soaked in one quart milk, run thro’ a sieve or cullender, add 7 eggs, three quarters of a pound sugar, one quarter of a pound butter, nutmeg or cinnamon, one gill rosewater, one pound stoned raisins, half pint cream, bake three quarters of an hour, middling oven.”
Here is what I did:
A 22 oz of sandwich bread has about 22 slices, so I took 16 slices of white bread (I realized after the fact that Amelia Simmons wouldn’t use her white flour, if she had any, for this, but it worked well for me). I tore the slices into pieces and poured 4 cups of milk over it. I stirred it, covered it, and let it sit (at room temperature, but I should have put it in the fridge I guess—but Amelia couldn’t have, and I was trying to make her recipe) for an hour or two.
Then I worked it through a sieve. This was extremely tedious, but it eventually came out a nice light brown thick liquid. It had a unique texture that I couldn’t have achieved by blending it in the blender, or any other way I can think of, so this was a useful step. It also definitely set this apart from modern bread puddings, which I’m not very fond of.
I added the 7 eggs.
Then I had to go to the internet to find out how many cups of sugar are in a pound, and discovered there is no exact consensus, but everyone’s estimates hover around “a heaping 2 cups”. So I put in 2 level cups of sugar and assumed that was about ¾ lb. One quarter of a pound of butter is one stick, so I put in one stick of margarine, which wouldn’t blend up nicely. So I fished it out with some of the mixture and heated it in the microwave until the butter melted. I stirred this all together and put it back into the whole.
At this point I realized my bowl was too small, but I was careful and worked through the rest. I put in a dash of nutmeg and about a tsp of cinnamon, and then I skipped the rosewater. I didn’t want to deal with it! But I did stir in about a half a pound of raisins (about a cup, I guessed), and I didn’t have cream so I put in a cup of whole milk. Normally in this kind of recipe I use evaporated milk as a cream replacement, but I didn’t have that either. So milk it was.
Then I greased a 3 qt casserole (a really big one) and poured the liquid in. The raisins sank to the bottom. Oops. I should have soaked them in boiling water overnight (or at least long enough to plump them) so they would float in the batter. Stoned raisins would have been flayed, more or less, so they wouldn’t have sunk like regular seedless raisins.
I am familiar with the phrases “quick oven” (really hot, like 450-500 degrees) and “slow oven” (most of the heat has escaped and it’s closer to 250-300 degrees), so I guess a middling oven was 350 degrees.
The pudding wasn’t done after 45 minutes. It was brown, but jiggly and liquid in the middle. I have since discovered that the oven here cooks hot (a LOT hot, like 50 degrees off), so I kept cooking the thing until the middle was set like a pumpkin pie, but then the bottom (with all the raisins on it) was on the edge of burning. It took over an hour. I should have cooked it undisturbed at 350 (probably 300 on my oven) for 1 ½ hours, checking after 1 hour and then every 10-15 minutes after.
It came out incredibly tasty. Unbelievably yummy. It had the consistency and texture of pumpkin pie, but was much much tastier. It actually got eaten. By everyone in the family.
So that was a success.
And an adventure.
Cooking is fun.
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Eggnog Bread Braid
One of my best recipes came from here:
http://www.parents.com/recipes/recipedetail.jsp?recipeId=R083258
I call it Cream Cheese Eggnog Bread. They call it Egg Braid. It's a delicious sweet bread with a nutmeg-cream cheese filling.
I don't follow the instructions printed there. I follow standard bread instructions (instead of the first three they list): mix the yeast, sugar, salt, oil or butter, and hot-to-the-touch tap water; when the yeast starts foaming, add the flour and eggs and let the Kitchenaid work it's magic. When it's mostly mixed, take it out and put it in a greased bowl. Microwave for ten seconds, turn the dough over, microwave 10 more, and then let raise twice in a warm place for 30 minutes each. Then go on to the regular instructions. I also don't put in butter (I use margarine), I skip putting egg on the loaf before it bakes (it only makes it shiny), and I use 5 cups of all-purpose flour instead of bread flour mixed with whatever they have listed there. It works GREAT and is on my list of "You can give this to people or take it to ward parties and not be embarrassed" recipes. Really worth trying.
http://www.parents.com/recipes/recipedetail.jsp?recipeId=R083258
I call it Cream Cheese Eggnog Bread. They call it Egg Braid. It's a delicious sweet bread with a nutmeg-cream cheese filling.
I don't follow the instructions printed there. I follow standard bread instructions (instead of the first three they list): mix the yeast, sugar, salt, oil or butter, and hot-to-the-touch tap water; when the yeast starts foaming, add the flour and eggs and let the Kitchenaid work it's magic. When it's mostly mixed, take it out and put it in a greased bowl. Microwave for ten seconds, turn the dough over, microwave 10 more, and then let raise twice in a warm place for 30 minutes each. Then go on to the regular instructions. I also don't put in butter (I use margarine), I skip putting egg on the loaf before it bakes (it only makes it shiny), and I use 5 cups of all-purpose flour instead of bread flour mixed with whatever they have listed there. It works GREAT and is on my list of "You can give this to people or take it to ward parties and not be embarrassed" recipes. Really worth trying.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Rocky Road "Fudge"
The original for this modified recipe came to me in a locally-printed magazine as a cookie recipe with multi-colored marshmallows. The trouble is, it's nothing like a cookie, even if you make it round, and someone forgot that multicolored marshmallows are multiflavored as well. I don't like multiflavored marshmallows floating in fudge.
The recipe itself had merit, though, so I fixed it up some. The new version can come across as quite fancy and tasty. Unless you are a fudge fanatic,it's a pretty good clone,and easy as anything I've tried.
Rocky Road Fudge
1/2 c margarine
1 1/3 c chocolate chips (I use real semi-sweet chocolate chips--they're my favorite)
1 c powdered sugar
3 c mini marshmallows (the white kind)
1 c chopped nuts (optional)
Melt the margarine and chocolate chips together (I do this in the microwave for 1 minute, stir, and then 30 seconds more). Let cool slightly (it's not reallly hot, anyway, but you don't want the marshmallows to melt). Stir in powdered sugar and then marshmallows and nuts. This gets pretty stiff, and you might want to use your hands for the last bit to be sure they are thoroughly mixed. Roll into two 1 1/2 inch rolls or press tightly into a 9 x 9" pan. Cool in fridge until stiff, then cut.
My husband (and at least one brother in law) believe nuts belong in bowls, not brownies (or anything else), so we never have tried it with nuts. Consequently, I can't vouch for their effect on the whole.
This is the easiest candy recipe I know, short of "open the bag of chocolate chips and the bag of marshmallows and have at it". And this is nice enough to take to a party and not be embarrassed.
The recipe itself had merit, though, so I fixed it up some. The new version can come across as quite fancy and tasty. Unless you are a fudge fanatic,it's a pretty good clone,and easy as anything I've tried.
Rocky Road Fudge
1/2 c margarine
1 1/3 c chocolate chips (I use real semi-sweet chocolate chips--they're my favorite)
1 c powdered sugar
3 c mini marshmallows (the white kind)
1 c chopped nuts (optional)
Melt the margarine and chocolate chips together (I do this in the microwave for 1 minute, stir, and then 30 seconds more). Let cool slightly (it's not reallly hot, anyway, but you don't want the marshmallows to melt). Stir in powdered sugar and then marshmallows and nuts. This gets pretty stiff, and you might want to use your hands for the last bit to be sure they are thoroughly mixed. Roll into two 1 1/2 inch rolls or press tightly into a 9 x 9" pan. Cool in fridge until stiff, then cut.
My husband (and at least one brother in law) believe nuts belong in bowls, not brownies (or anything else), so we never have tried it with nuts. Consequently, I can't vouch for their effect on the whole.
This is the easiest candy recipe I know, short of "open the bag of chocolate chips and the bag of marshmallows and have at it". And this is nice enough to take to a party and not be embarrassed.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Spudnuts (Donuts-revisited)
I posted a cake donuts recipe some time ago. This, on request of a friend, is a Doughnuts (includes yeast, makes a dough instead of a batter) recipe that makes REALLY GOOD doughnuts. They don't end up heavy, or too sweet, or greasy. They actually are quite a lot like fresh doughnuts from a doughnut shop. And they have less sugar than bread. Nutritionally, these doughnuts are the equivalent of cinnamon toast--almost all the sugar comes from what you put on top.
The original recipe, as I received it, made 9 DOZEN doughnuts. Since nobody I know needs that many or wants to stand and make that many, I have scaled the recipe down to make just a couple dozen. Just quadruple this recipe for the original.
Spudnuts
1/8 c + 2 tsp sugar
1/8 c shortening, melted
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 c mashed potatoes (made fresh or from flakes)
2 pkts yeast (if you quadruple the recipe, use just 7)
1/2 c hot water (for yeast, so not too hot)
1/8 tsp nutmeg or cinnamon
1 c milk, warmed to just hotter than room temp (for the yeast) or baby bathwater temp
3-4 c flour
Mix hot water with sugar. Add yeast and let it get active. Add salt, cinnamon or nutmeg, shortening, egg, potatoes, and milk. Mix well. Add flour until you get a heavy, slightly sticky dough. It should be very soft. Put dough in a large greased bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds. Turn dough over. Microwave 10 seconds more. Then cover lightly and let rise in warm place "until double"--30 minutes. Punch dough down and then roll out on a well-floured board to 1/4 - 1/2 inch. Cut into doughnut shapes using a biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or canning jar ring and a water bottle top (these work well because you can blow through the top to get stuck doughnut holes out). Place doughnuts and holes on well-greased wax paper and let raise 30 minutes. When they are double in size, slip a greased spatula under them and carefully slip (or tip) into hot oil Fry until lightly browned. Flip once and fry until golden. Cool on paper towels. Shake in sugar or cinnamon sugar while hot, glaze while warm, or frost or shake in powdered sugar when cool. If you shake them in powdered sugar when they're warm, they'll look and act sort of glazed the next day. Sort of. Best if eaten right away, like all doughnuts.
Note on oil temps: I test the oil with bits of leftover dough. When it pops up bubbling almost immediately and turns golden fairly quickly, it's ready for doughnuts. They should cook fairly quickly. It's tricky to get it just right without an electric frying pan (which I don't have) or fryer (which I just got but haven't used for doughnuts yet). If they cook too quickly, they'll brown before the dough is cooked through. If they cook too slowly, they'll absorb grease.
The original recipe, as I received it, made 9 DOZEN doughnuts. Since nobody I know needs that many or wants to stand and make that many, I have scaled the recipe down to make just a couple dozen. Just quadruple this recipe for the original.
Spudnuts
1/8 c + 2 tsp sugar
1/8 c shortening, melted
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1/2 c mashed potatoes (made fresh or from flakes)
2 pkts yeast (if you quadruple the recipe, use just 7)
1/2 c hot water (for yeast, so not too hot)
1/8 tsp nutmeg or cinnamon
1 c milk, warmed to just hotter than room temp (for the yeast) or baby bathwater temp
3-4 c flour
Mix hot water with sugar. Add yeast and let it get active. Add salt, cinnamon or nutmeg, shortening, egg, potatoes, and milk. Mix well. Add flour until you get a heavy, slightly sticky dough. It should be very soft. Put dough in a large greased bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds. Turn dough over. Microwave 10 seconds more. Then cover lightly and let rise in warm place "until double"--30 minutes. Punch dough down and then roll out on a well-floured board to 1/4 - 1/2 inch. Cut into doughnut shapes using a biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or canning jar ring and a water bottle top (these work well because you can blow through the top to get stuck doughnut holes out). Place doughnuts and holes on well-greased wax paper and let raise 30 minutes. When they are double in size, slip a greased spatula under them and carefully slip (or tip) into hot oil Fry until lightly browned. Flip once and fry until golden. Cool on paper towels. Shake in sugar or cinnamon sugar while hot, glaze while warm, or frost or shake in powdered sugar when cool. If you shake them in powdered sugar when they're warm, they'll look and act sort of glazed the next day. Sort of. Best if eaten right away, like all doughnuts.
Note on oil temps: I test the oil with bits of leftover dough. When it pops up bubbling almost immediately and turns golden fairly quickly, it's ready for doughnuts. They should cook fairly quickly. It's tricky to get it just right without an electric frying pan (which I don't have) or fryer (which I just got but haven't used for doughnuts yet). If they cook too quickly, they'll brown before the dough is cooked through. If they cook too slowly, they'll absorb grease.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Enchiladas--sauce and all
Another recipe--I have started to store my creations here on the blog because then I can access them anywhere. And I think they're good, and, like every cook, if it tastes good I want to share it.
I've been searching for a good enchilada sauce recipe for a long time. Canned enchilada sauce is costly and often doesn't taste good. And I wanted a "throw together" recipe that uses what I usually have on hand, is easy as easy can be, and tastes great. We've tried canned. We've tried sauce mixes. Still not satisfied. So I have been using the "from mexico" sauce recipe from the Lion House International Cookbook. It's good, but not quite right somehow and it was time consuming (you have to brown flour in oil, then add water--which made a lot of steam and had to be stirred constantly while you were pouring it in...scary...and chili powder and stir while it thickens and add tomato sauce and....you get the idea).
So I was reading one of my "recipes from our school" collections and found a recipe for cheese enchiladas that I had ignored before (who wants cheese enchiladas? We need meat!). Today I realized there was no "1 can of enchilada sauce" in the recipe, so I read it and found it was a recipe for sauce with instructions on how to use it to make cheese enchiladas--but the recipe was for the sauce. And it had the easiness factor right. But the spices were all wrong (1/4 c minced onion _doesn't_ equal 1/3 c fresh onion--1 tbsp minced dried onion equals one whole onion) and, true to form for these recipe collections, there were ingredients listed that were not anywhere in the instructions. Go figure. (It's either that or they say, "Add the sugar" and there's no sugar listed in the ingredients so you ahve no idea how much to use).
Anyway, knowing what I know about flavors we like, I made up my own spice combination to add, and played with the recipe, and it worked.
So, with no more blabbing: Enchilada Sauce
appx 30 oz of tomato sauce (2 big cans or 4 small cans)
1 tbsp minced dried onion
1 tbsp chili powder (don't worry--it's not 'hot' when it's done)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder (or salt--I have a single bottle that has both mixed)
1 c water (or so)
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan. Add water until it's the consistency you like. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
Use it straight for beef enchiladas. Add 1 c sour cream and 8-10 oz (1 can for most cans) cream of chicken or mushroom soup for chicken enchiladas.
It came out really really good. Finally.
Filling for enchiladas:
Beef:
Brown 1 lb ground beef with onions (if you want to use them--in any form). Add 3/4 c sauce and 1 c cheese. Stir well. Fill tortilla with a line of this and a handful of cheese. Or layer beef mixture, cheese, and tortillas and pour sauce over all to bake.
Chicken
Dice cooked chicken (1 whole chicken makes about 1 13X9 pan of enchiladas if you pack them tight). Add 1 can olives, sliced (or use sliced olives), 1/2-1 1/2 c sauce, and 1 chopped onion. (The onion part has been a sticking point for me because I don't like biting into onion. You can sautee the onions first so they aren't crunchy, or use minced dried onion or onion powder, or you can use the above sauce, which has onion in it, and skip the onion in the filling). Put the chicken mixture and a handful of cheese into a tortilla and roll it up. Or layer tortillas, chicken, and cheese. Pour sauce over all and bake. Tonight I skipped the olives and just put in the chicken with a little sauce on it and the cheese, and it was great!
Baking instructions
Put filled enchiladas (or layers) in a pan "greased" with some of the sauce. Cover with remaining sauce. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes at 350 if you don't use onions or pre-cook them (45 minutes covered at 350 if the onions are raw). Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for 10 minutes uncovered, until cheese is melted and edges of pan are bubbly.
I've been searching for a good enchilada sauce recipe for a long time. Canned enchilada sauce is costly and often doesn't taste good. And I wanted a "throw together" recipe that uses what I usually have on hand, is easy as easy can be, and tastes great. We've tried canned. We've tried sauce mixes. Still not satisfied. So I have been using the "from mexico" sauce recipe from the Lion House International Cookbook. It's good, but not quite right somehow and it was time consuming (you have to brown flour in oil, then add water--which made a lot of steam and had to be stirred constantly while you were pouring it in...scary...and chili powder and stir while it thickens and add tomato sauce and....you get the idea).
So I was reading one of my "recipes from our school" collections and found a recipe for cheese enchiladas that I had ignored before (who wants cheese enchiladas? We need meat!). Today I realized there was no "1 can of enchilada sauce" in the recipe, so I read it and found it was a recipe for sauce with instructions on how to use it to make cheese enchiladas--but the recipe was for the sauce. And it had the easiness factor right. But the spices were all wrong (1/4 c minced onion _doesn't_ equal 1/3 c fresh onion--1 tbsp minced dried onion equals one whole onion) and, true to form for these recipe collections, there were ingredients listed that were not anywhere in the instructions. Go figure. (It's either that or they say, "Add the sugar" and there's no sugar listed in the ingredients so you ahve no idea how much to use).
Anyway, knowing what I know about flavors we like, I made up my own spice combination to add, and played with the recipe, and it worked.
So, with no more blabbing: Enchilada Sauce
appx 30 oz of tomato sauce (2 big cans or 4 small cans)
1 tbsp minced dried onion
1 tbsp chili powder (don't worry--it's not 'hot' when it's done)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp garlic powder (or salt--I have a single bottle that has both mixed)
1 c water (or so)
Mix all ingredients in a saucepan. Add water until it's the consistency you like. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
Use it straight for beef enchiladas. Add 1 c sour cream and 8-10 oz (1 can for most cans) cream of chicken or mushroom soup for chicken enchiladas.
It came out really really good. Finally.
Filling for enchiladas:
Beef:
Brown 1 lb ground beef with onions (if you want to use them--in any form). Add 3/4 c sauce and 1 c cheese. Stir well. Fill tortilla with a line of this and a handful of cheese. Or layer beef mixture, cheese, and tortillas and pour sauce over all to bake.
Chicken
Dice cooked chicken (1 whole chicken makes about 1 13X9 pan of enchiladas if you pack them tight). Add 1 can olives, sliced (or use sliced olives), 1/2-1 1/2 c sauce, and 1 chopped onion. (The onion part has been a sticking point for me because I don't like biting into onion. You can sautee the onions first so they aren't crunchy, or use minced dried onion or onion powder, or you can use the above sauce, which has onion in it, and skip the onion in the filling). Put the chicken mixture and a handful of cheese into a tortilla and roll it up. Or layer tortillas, chicken, and cheese. Pour sauce over all and bake. Tonight I skipped the olives and just put in the chicken with a little sauce on it and the cheese, and it was great!
Baking instructions
Put filled enchiladas (or layers) in a pan "greased" with some of the sauce. Cover with remaining sauce. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes at 350 if you don't use onions or pre-cook them (45 minutes covered at 350 if the onions are raw). Sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for 10 minutes uncovered, until cheese is melted and edges of pan are bubbly.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Poison Spindle and custard creme
I'd better get that manuscript spell checked fast. I just got two requests for FULL manuscripts, (never mind the partial), "please send ASAP" from well-established agencies. One is from one of the top top agencies in the nation.
That's not why I logged in to blogger, though. I initially intended to post my "mostly perfected now" recipe for easy creme brulee for one.
It is thus: One-Serving Easy Creme Brulee (any flavor)
1 egg (or 1 egg yolk--yolk comes out better, but whole egg is easier to use)
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 c liquid dairy product (don't laugh; I have successfully used milk, evaporated milk, and sour cream and milk mixed. Most recipes call for heavy cream. I am anxious to try cream cheese blended with milk. Creamed cottage cheese and milk would work, too...so many options)
1 tsp vanilla (or other flavoring--I like 1 tsp vanilla plus 1 tbsp lemon juice)
Whisk it together. Put it in a ramekin (or other single-serving glass baking dish). Put the ramekin in a pan of hot water (water should come about half way up the side of the ramekin) and bake it at 300 for about 45 minutes. It's done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. It will still jiggle, though. Cool before eating. You can torch sugar on the top to make it official, but ours hardly ever lasts long enough to cool!
That's not why I logged in to blogger, though. I initially intended to post my "mostly perfected now" recipe for easy creme brulee for one.
It is thus: One-Serving Easy Creme Brulee (any flavor)
1 egg (or 1 egg yolk--yolk comes out better, but whole egg is easier to use)
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 c liquid dairy product (don't laugh; I have successfully used milk, evaporated milk, and sour cream and milk mixed. Most recipes call for heavy cream. I am anxious to try cream cheese blended with milk. Creamed cottage cheese and milk would work, too...so many options)
1 tsp vanilla (or other flavoring--I like 1 tsp vanilla plus 1 tbsp lemon juice)
Whisk it together. Put it in a ramekin (or other single-serving glass baking dish). Put the ramekin in a pan of hot water (water should come about half way up the side of the ramekin) and bake it at 300 for about 45 minutes. It's done when a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. It will still jiggle, though. Cool before eating. You can torch sugar on the top to make it official, but ours hardly ever lasts long enough to cool!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
happy birthday to me
For my birthday, Tim arranged it that I could go get ice cream with a couple of my friends, while the men watched the children (10 children in all). This ended up being really fun. I haven't hung out with a bunch of girls I'm not related to in years. Maybe since high school--maybe even since junior high--except on my mission.
What I realized, hanging out with a couple of very intelligent women who I respect a great deal, is that I am a smart person. I already knew this. It's just that kids don't care if you're brilliant--they just want dinner and a hug. So I don't get to show off my brain much. Instead, i spend all day facing things that I'm failing at, like keeping house. It was nice to have a chance to do something I'm really good at--talking with brilliant people who also happen to be a writer (her book's under contract at Galludet University Press right now!) and a musician (just ready to submit a song to a publisher). So that was really edifying and satisfying, although I missed Tim. He still is my best friend anywhere, and, while talking to girls is fun, talking to couples is even more fun. I married Tim because he's my best friend, and it's still true. (And he does care that I'm smart, and doesn't care that I'm a terrible housekeeper).
Then, when we left, Tim suggested we get pizza. I had scrounged ten dollars to get ice cream and then one of my friends treated us, so I still had it. Enough to get just one pizza and share it. But we got to the pizza place literally two minutes after they closed. So I knocked on the door. And the kid there gave me the armload of pizzas he was going to have to throw into the dumpster. For FREE! So we came home with five pizzas. This was a huge fun thing for us. We all love pizza, but lately there's no spare money for such luxuries. So it was a nice birthday present.
It rained all day--and now it's totally, irretrievably fall. I had to turn the furnace on, finally.
I found a new, cool recipe from a "recipes from our students" fundraiser cookbook (I collect those old fundraiser cookbooks with recipes regular people submit--my oldest is from 1920). The recipe is labeled "Grandma Brownies." This is a stupid name because there's no chocolate in them at alll, and they are a kind of foamy-topped bar cookie that's really good. As is the norm with the non-professional recipes, you have to assume a lot in making them and make adjustments as you go. They never have good instructions. Plus, since the recipe says, "brownies" but there was no cocoa in the ingredients, I added just a touch. So here is the fixed up version, which ought to be called "River Foam Bar Cookies" Or "Muddy Water" or something related but more appetizing because that's what it looks like. Maybe Albino Brownies, or Inside Out Brownies because the merengue topping is brown but the cookie/cake part is white. It comes out similar to Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
Foamy Bar Cookies (maybe Brown Merengue Cookies?)
1/2 c shortening
2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 more egg, separated
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cocoa powder (optional)
1 c Brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Cream the shortening and sugar. Add two eggs and one yolk and vanilla. Beat well. With the mixer off, put in the flour, salt, and baking powder, in that order, and then put the mixer on low and let it mix thoroughly.
At this point, the original recipe says, "spread mixture on floured cookie sheet." This is easier said than done. First of all, either use a smaller cookie sheet (not the jelly-roll size, but the 11x15 size) or don't expect it to reach the edges. Secondly, you might try just greasing the cookie sheet or just leaving it untreated or it's almost impossible to spread the stuff. It makes a very thin layer.
Now, in a clean dry bowl, beat the remaining eggwhite until it forms stiff peaks. Add the brown sugar a little at a time, beating well after each (just like you do for white sugar merengue). Beat in the vanilla last. Spread in a thin layer over the mixture already on the cookie sheet. Bake 35 minutes at 350. Remove from the oven carefully because the mixture will still be soft and the merengue will shift and break if you tip the tray (I learned this from experience).
This stuff is really good. It just needs a better name. I'll take votes in the comments, if you want to comment.
Other really great recipes from this book that I can email you if you want: icebox cookies (like home made cinnamon cookie dough tubes--fun and honestly the tastiest dough I've ever tried) and a mexican meat dinner torte that was fabulous and easy. I call it "Taco Stacks" because that's what it really was.
One of the things I've learned lately is that being poor forces you into a healthier diet. I can't afford to buy salad dressing lately, so I finally learned how to make my own. It's just as good as the original, there are millions of great recipes online, and it doesn't have any chemicals or preservatives in it--just herbs for flavor and, usually, mayo and milk for substance. I also (thanks to the Desperation dinners Ladies) can now make my own taco seasoning that tastes just like the taco seasoning packets from Western Family (1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp each cumin, garlic, and onion powders, 3 tbsp ketchup, and 1/3 c water, and a dash of pepper for 1 lb meat). Cheaper, easier, and I never have to worry about running out--and, again, no preservatives added (other than what might be in my spices).
So why am I spending so much time cooking? I think there must be two reasons: One is that I hadn't turned the furnace on yet and so I think I was cooking to warm up when it got cold outside. I've always been sensitive to the outside temperature so that even when the house is plenty warm, if the temp drops outside, I'm freezing. The other is that by nightfall, my body aches even when I'm sitting in my rocking chair, so I find myself wandering the house, too achy to sit or to clean up, and baking (specifically--not cooking) is a pacing kind of activity, so I bake. The moosebutter guys used to laugh because I made a cake every night at midnight when we lived in Provo. Now I am tempted, and often resist, but not always. So, I guess, I'm a good cook, at least partially, because of fibromyalgia!
What a strange life I lead.
What I realized, hanging out with a couple of very intelligent women who I respect a great deal, is that I am a smart person. I already knew this. It's just that kids don't care if you're brilliant--they just want dinner and a hug. So I don't get to show off my brain much. Instead, i spend all day facing things that I'm failing at, like keeping house. It was nice to have a chance to do something I'm really good at--talking with brilliant people who also happen to be a writer (her book's under contract at Galludet University Press right now!) and a musician (just ready to submit a song to a publisher). So that was really edifying and satisfying, although I missed Tim. He still is my best friend anywhere, and, while talking to girls is fun, talking to couples is even more fun. I married Tim because he's my best friend, and it's still true. (And he does care that I'm smart, and doesn't care that I'm a terrible housekeeper).
Then, when we left, Tim suggested we get pizza. I had scrounged ten dollars to get ice cream and then one of my friends treated us, so I still had it. Enough to get just one pizza and share it. But we got to the pizza place literally two minutes after they closed. So I knocked on the door. And the kid there gave me the armload of pizzas he was going to have to throw into the dumpster. For FREE! So we came home with five pizzas. This was a huge fun thing for us. We all love pizza, but lately there's no spare money for such luxuries. So it was a nice birthday present.
It rained all day--and now it's totally, irretrievably fall. I had to turn the furnace on, finally.
I found a new, cool recipe from a "recipes from our students" fundraiser cookbook (I collect those old fundraiser cookbooks with recipes regular people submit--my oldest is from 1920). The recipe is labeled "Grandma Brownies." This is a stupid name because there's no chocolate in them at alll, and they are a kind of foamy-topped bar cookie that's really good. As is the norm with the non-professional recipes, you have to assume a lot in making them and make adjustments as you go. They never have good instructions. Plus, since the recipe says, "brownies" but there was no cocoa in the ingredients, I added just a touch. So here is the fixed up version, which ought to be called "River Foam Bar Cookies" Or "Muddy Water" or something related but more appetizing because that's what it looks like. Maybe Albino Brownies, or Inside Out Brownies because the merengue topping is brown but the cookie/cake part is white. It comes out similar to Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
Foamy Bar Cookies (maybe Brown Merengue Cookies?)
1/2 c shortening
2 c sugar
2 eggs
1 more egg, separated
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cocoa powder (optional)
1 c Brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Cream the shortening and sugar. Add two eggs and one yolk and vanilla. Beat well. With the mixer off, put in the flour, salt, and baking powder, in that order, and then put the mixer on low and let it mix thoroughly.
At this point, the original recipe says, "spread mixture on floured cookie sheet." This is easier said than done. First of all, either use a smaller cookie sheet (not the jelly-roll size, but the 11x15 size) or don't expect it to reach the edges. Secondly, you might try just greasing the cookie sheet or just leaving it untreated or it's almost impossible to spread the stuff. It makes a very thin layer.
Now, in a clean dry bowl, beat the remaining eggwhite until it forms stiff peaks. Add the brown sugar a little at a time, beating well after each (just like you do for white sugar merengue). Beat in the vanilla last. Spread in a thin layer over the mixture already on the cookie sheet. Bake 35 minutes at 350. Remove from the oven carefully because the mixture will still be soft and the merengue will shift and break if you tip the tray (I learned this from experience).
This stuff is really good. It just needs a better name. I'll take votes in the comments, if you want to comment.
Other really great recipes from this book that I can email you if you want: icebox cookies (like home made cinnamon cookie dough tubes--fun and honestly the tastiest dough I've ever tried) and a mexican meat dinner torte that was fabulous and easy. I call it "Taco Stacks" because that's what it really was.
One of the things I've learned lately is that being poor forces you into a healthier diet. I can't afford to buy salad dressing lately, so I finally learned how to make my own. It's just as good as the original, there are millions of great recipes online, and it doesn't have any chemicals or preservatives in it--just herbs for flavor and, usually, mayo and milk for substance. I also (thanks to the Desperation dinners Ladies) can now make my own taco seasoning that tastes just like the taco seasoning packets from Western Family (1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp each cumin, garlic, and onion powders, 3 tbsp ketchup, and 1/3 c water, and a dash of pepper for 1 lb meat). Cheaper, easier, and I never have to worry about running out--and, again, no preservatives added (other than what might be in my spices).
So why am I spending so much time cooking? I think there must be two reasons: One is that I hadn't turned the furnace on yet and so I think I was cooking to warm up when it got cold outside. I've always been sensitive to the outside temperature so that even when the house is plenty warm, if the temp drops outside, I'm freezing. The other is that by nightfall, my body aches even when I'm sitting in my rocking chair, so I find myself wandering the house, too achy to sit or to clean up, and baking (specifically--not cooking) is a pacing kind of activity, so I bake. The moosebutter guys used to laugh because I made a cake every night at midnight when we lived in Provo. Now I am tempted, and often resist, but not always. So, I guess, I'm a good cook, at least partially, because of fibromyalgia!
What a strange life I lead.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
News and foods
I started querying agents again. My theory is that if the book is good enough, or at least, if the query letter is, I should get requests for reads coming.
So far so good--requests for partials are coming in.
We'll see what happens. With the "old" version, I had requests for partials, and fulls, but no offers. But it's the right length now, and much more exciting, and (dare I say it) better written.
So...to distract myself--FOOD!
I think I finally perfected my orange sauce recipe (you know, the oriental sauce that coats orange chicken). The key was a tidbit I learned from a muffin recipe: if you want good orange flavor in anything, forego the orange juice, orange zest, and orange extract. Instead, blend half an orange--with its peel still on--with the liquid for the recipe in the blender. Fast, easy, and the best orange flavor I've ever used. And cheap cheap cheap, especially in the winter.
So, my new and improved, modified and like no other, recipe for Oriental Orange Sauce:
1 1/2 c water
1/2 orange, sliced and with pits removed but keep the skin on
Blend these until only tiny bits of orange remain. It gets quite frothy. Pour into a small saucepan.
Add:
1 c brown sugar (I use light brown sugar)
1/3 c rice vinegar (red wine vinegar makes a nice substitute if necessary)
2-3 tsp soy sauce
scant 1/3 c lemon juice
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried snipped chives or chopped green onion
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes or a dash of red pepper powder
Bring to a boil. Remove it from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes or until you get back to it.
Mix 10 tsp cornstarch in a bowl with about 1/4 c water--enough to make it liquid. Pour this into the slightly cooled sauce. Return to high heat and bring to a boil. It will clarify slightly and thicken quickly after it begins to boil. At this point, remove it from the heat and let it cool.
It's done.
Use it to coat chicken pieces before or after you cook them, or mix with noodles or rice, or use it as a dip, or pour it over a chicken in a crock pot, or whatever you like sauce for! It's really really good.
So far so good--requests for partials are coming in.
We'll see what happens. With the "old" version, I had requests for partials, and fulls, but no offers. But it's the right length now, and much more exciting, and (dare I say it) better written.
So...to distract myself--FOOD!
I think I finally perfected my orange sauce recipe (you know, the oriental sauce that coats orange chicken). The key was a tidbit I learned from a muffin recipe: if you want good orange flavor in anything, forego the orange juice, orange zest, and orange extract. Instead, blend half an orange--with its peel still on--with the liquid for the recipe in the blender. Fast, easy, and the best orange flavor I've ever used. And cheap cheap cheap, especially in the winter.
So, my new and improved, modified and like no other, recipe for Oriental Orange Sauce:
1 1/2 c water
1/2 orange, sliced and with pits removed but keep the skin on
Blend these until only tiny bits of orange remain. It gets quite frothy. Pour into a small saucepan.
Add:
1 c brown sugar (I use light brown sugar)
1/3 c rice vinegar (red wine vinegar makes a nice substitute if necessary)
2-3 tsp soy sauce
scant 1/3 c lemon juice
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried snipped chives or chopped green onion
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes or a dash of red pepper powder
Bring to a boil. Remove it from heat and let it sit for 10 minutes or until you get back to it.
Mix 10 tsp cornstarch in a bowl with about 1/4 c water--enough to make it liquid. Pour this into the slightly cooled sauce. Return to high heat and bring to a boil. It will clarify slightly and thicken quickly after it begins to boil. At this point, remove it from the heat and let it cool.
It's done.
Use it to coat chicken pieces before or after you cook them, or mix with noodles or rice, or use it as a dip, or pour it over a chicken in a crock pot, or whatever you like sauce for! It's really really good.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Another Yummy Treat: Peanutbuttercup swirl
Tasty treat I invented tonight:
1 package instant vanilla pudding
1 package instant chocolate pudding
1/8 c peanut butter (for small pudding box) OR 1/4 c peanut butter (for large box)
Milk (as much as boxes require)
Beat peanut butter in mixer bowl until smooth. Gradually add all the milk for the vanilla pudding, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and fully mixed. Add pudding according to box directions. Pour into a large bowl to "set up."
Meanwhile, mix chocolate pudding according to box. Pour over the peanut butter pudding and fold together until it's swirled.
Tastes great. Makes good pudding pops, too.
For a really special treat, fold a tub of whipped cream into either the peanut butter or the chocolate pudding (or both) before you swirl them.
1 package instant vanilla pudding
1 package instant chocolate pudding
1/8 c peanut butter (for small pudding box) OR 1/4 c peanut butter (for large box)
Milk (as much as boxes require)
Beat peanut butter in mixer bowl until smooth. Gradually add all the milk for the vanilla pudding, stirring constantly until mixture is smooth and fully mixed. Add pudding according to box directions. Pour into a large bowl to "set up."
Meanwhile, mix chocolate pudding according to box. Pour over the peanut butter pudding and fold together until it's swirled.
Tastes great. Makes good pudding pops, too.
For a really special treat, fold a tub of whipped cream into either the peanut butter or the chocolate pudding (or both) before you swirl them.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Dinner Tonight
Everyone is always asking me for a good chili recipe. I, actually, searched for YEARS to find one that was good, practical, cheap, and easy to make. I actually ended up combining several ideas, modifying the recipes, etc. And here you have it:
Chili
1-2 lbs beef (ground, stew meat, leftover roast, canned beef chunks--whatever)
2 cans (8oz) tomato sauce
2 cans beans (any variety you like in chili--even 1 can of store-bought chili and 1 can pork n' beans works)
1 onion, diced (or 1 tbsp dried minced onion)
1-2 cans diced green chilies (opt, but really add a lot)or 1-2 diced fresh ones(opt)
1/4 c diced celery (opt)
1/4 c diced green pepper (opt)
1-3 medium tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp-1 tbsp chili powder (depending on how flavorful you want it)
1/2-1 tsp black pepper (depending on how "hot" you like it)
1 tsp salt
Brown veggies (if you're using them) and meat (or otherwise cook it; if it's leftover roast, chop it); drain the fat. In a large pot, combine everything. Bring to a boil. Simmer as long as you like to blend the flavors (10 minutes-3 hours--add water if you need so it doesn't burn). You can do this in a crock pot with stew beef and cook it all day. I usually use 1 lb stew beef, plus the sauces and spices in the crock pot for 3-4 hours on high. Then I brown and drain 1 lb ground beef with whatever veggies I'm using (except cook the onions in the crock pot)and add the beans and hamburger at the same time for the last hour or so of cooking. DON'T use dry beans and try to cook them in the crock pot. If you use dry beans, cook them thoroughly on the stove and add them fully cooked.
And, to go with your chili:
The Best Corn Bread
1 1/4 c flour
3/4 c cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 c sugar or so (I honestly use a handful)
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 c milk
1/4 c shortening
1 egg
Mix powdered ingredients. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter. Add milk and egg and stir just until blended. Pour into a greased 7x10 or 8x8 square pan or a round cake pan. Bake at 400 F for 25-30 minutes (until golden).
And, to go with your corn bread:
Honey Butter
1/2 c butter, softened (margarine doesn't really work...although I keep trying it and it tastes okay; it just doesn't whip)
1/3 c honey
Whip in a mixer until light and fluffy.
Chili
1-2 lbs beef (ground, stew meat, leftover roast, canned beef chunks--whatever)
2 cans (8oz) tomato sauce
2 cans beans (any variety you like in chili--even 1 can of store-bought chili and 1 can pork n' beans works)
1 onion, diced (or 1 tbsp dried minced onion)
1-2 cans diced green chilies (opt, but really add a lot)or 1-2 diced fresh ones(opt)
1/4 c diced celery (opt)
1/4 c diced green pepper (opt)
1-3 medium tomatoes, chopped (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp-1 tbsp chili powder (depending on how flavorful you want it)
1/2-1 tsp black pepper (depending on how "hot" you like it)
1 tsp salt
Brown veggies (if you're using them) and meat (or otherwise cook it; if it's leftover roast, chop it); drain the fat. In a large pot, combine everything. Bring to a boil. Simmer as long as you like to blend the flavors (10 minutes-3 hours--add water if you need so it doesn't burn). You can do this in a crock pot with stew beef and cook it all day. I usually use 1 lb stew beef, plus the sauces and spices in the crock pot for 3-4 hours on high. Then I brown and drain 1 lb ground beef with whatever veggies I'm using (except cook the onions in the crock pot)and add the beans and hamburger at the same time for the last hour or so of cooking. DON'T use dry beans and try to cook them in the crock pot. If you use dry beans, cook them thoroughly on the stove and add them fully cooked.
And, to go with your chili:
The Best Corn Bread
1 1/4 c flour
3/4 c cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 c sugar or so (I honestly use a handful)
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 c milk
1/4 c shortening
1 egg
Mix powdered ingredients. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter. Add milk and egg and stir just until blended. Pour into a greased 7x10 or 8x8 square pan or a round cake pan. Bake at 400 F for 25-30 minutes (until golden).
And, to go with your corn bread:
Honey Butter
1/2 c butter, softened (margarine doesn't really work...although I keep trying it and it tastes okay; it just doesn't whip)
1/3 c honey
Whip in a mixer until light and fluffy.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
actually healthy pancakes
This was a new recipe we tried (I did not make this one up....). It has no sugar. None. Tastes like a dessert, but there's no sugar and only 1/3 c flour, so it's good for my ADD crowd.
3 eggs, separated
3/4 c cottage cheese
1/3 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
Beat the egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, beat the yolks. Stir in the cottage cheese. Add the flour and salt. Mix well. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Cook like high-carb, low-nutrition pancakes. Serve hot.
I served them topped with a dab of strawberry jam and my favorite fruit dip (1 c sour cream mixed with 2 tsp vanilla--also no sugar). We folded them like tacos and ate them with no dishes.
It really tastes like a rich dessert, but is healthy!
3 eggs, separated
3/4 c cottage cheese
1/3 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
Beat the egg whites until stiff. In a separate bowl, beat the yolks. Stir in the cottage cheese. Add the flour and salt. Mix well. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Cook like high-carb, low-nutrition pancakes. Serve hot.
I served them topped with a dab of strawberry jam and my favorite fruit dip (1 c sour cream mixed with 2 tsp vanilla--also no sugar). We folded them like tacos and ate them with no dishes.
It really tastes like a rich dessert, but is healthy!
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
quick non-yucky lasagne
Mary gave me Desperation Dinners, a cookbook of 20-minute dinners for families. I took their lasagne recipe, modified it to make it cheap and even easier, and it came out tasting just like the real thing, but without heating up the house and without the hour of baking time wait because you don't bake it. And my way you can feed a family of 4-6 for about $6 if you add a can of fruit and a fresh veggie on the side
So, here it is:
1 lb hamburger
10 lasagne noodles, broken into 1-2" 'squares' (if you buy the 8 oz box, you can just bang the box on the counter until they're shattered)
1-2 c grated cheese
1 can or jar spaghetti sauce
garden veggies (opt)
cottage cheese (opt)
whatever else you like in lasagne (opt)
Boil the noodles until tender (8-10 minutes at this altitude) (I know, you don't have to do this when you bake it.....). While the noodles boil, defrost the burger in the microwave and then brown it with whatever veggies you are using (onion flakes? green pepper? zucchini? carrots?) in a large skillet with a lid. Drain the grease out. Stir in the spaghetti sauce. When the noodles are done, drain them. Take most of the meat sauce out of the skillet, leaving just a little so the noodles don't burn. Layer everything in the skillet: noodles, cheeses, meat, noodles, cheeses, meat. Top with one last layer of shredded cheese. Put the lid on, put it on low heat, and let the cheese melt.
Done.
And good.
So, here it is:
1 lb hamburger
10 lasagne noodles, broken into 1-2" 'squares' (if you buy the 8 oz box, you can just bang the box on the counter until they're shattered)
1-2 c grated cheese
1 can or jar spaghetti sauce
garden veggies (opt)
cottage cheese (opt)
whatever else you like in lasagne (opt)
Boil the noodles until tender (8-10 minutes at this altitude) (I know, you don't have to do this when you bake it.....). While the noodles boil, defrost the burger in the microwave and then brown it with whatever veggies you are using (onion flakes? green pepper? zucchini? carrots?) in a large skillet with a lid. Drain the grease out. Stir in the spaghetti sauce. When the noodles are done, drain them. Take most of the meat sauce out of the skillet, leaving just a little so the noodles don't burn. Layer everything in the skillet: noodles, cheeses, meat, noodles, cheeses, meat. Top with one last layer of shredded cheese. Put the lid on, put it on low heat, and let the cheese melt.
Done.
And good.
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