Little MouseKitchen: Homemade Christmas
Linguini with Lemon Shrimp
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
zest of 1 lemon
infuse the oil in a skillet with the lemon zest
Sweat 1/2 cup diced onion or shallot and 2 tsp of garlic in lemon olive oil
Add 1/2 cup white wine
Add a pinch of salt
Add 1 bag of frozen shrimp, peeled, and deveined
Zest one more lemon in the shrimp. Squeeze the lemon in with shrimp and add salt and pepper
Turn the shrimp 5-7 min
Cook one box of Linguini in salted, boiling water. Drain and add to shrimp mixture. Add handful of chopped, fresh parsely.
Top with parmesean cheese
Easy Shortcut Gingerbread Cookies
(These are soft and biteable)
1 pkg sugar cookie mix
1 egg
1 tsp cinnamon, nutmeg or 2 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup melted butter
Stir together. Roll out onto a floured surface and cut out as desired. Bake 8 min at 350.
Allow to cool completely and frost
White Bean and Ham Soup
(This tastes just like bean with bacon soup)
2 cans cannelinni beans (drained and rinsed)
2 med carrots chopped
1 small onion chopped
2 Tbsp butter
2 1/4 cups water
1 1/2 cups fully cooked ham
pinch of salt
1 bay leaf
Mash one can of beans or puree' in a food processor, set aside. In a large saucepan, saute the carrots and onion in butter. Stir in the whole beans, water, ham, seasonings,carrots and onion. Add the mashed beans to the mixture and cook over medium heat.
Overnight Salad
1 head iceberg lettuce
1 red onion sliced and separated into rings
1 small head cauliflower broken into florets
1 bunch broccoli cut into florets
1/2 . cucumber, sliced and peeled
C. frozen peas
1/2 lb. bacon cut up crisply fried
1 C. cheddar cheese
2 C. light mayo1/3 C. sugar
In a serving bowl add the lettuce. In layers add onions, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, cucumber, and peas. Spread the mayonnaise on top. Sprinkle with the sugar. Add the bacon and cheese. Cover and chill over night.
Candy Cane Cookies
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 egg
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red food color
2 tablespoons finely crushed peppermint candies
2 tablespoons sugar
Stir together 1 cup sugar, the butter, milk, vanilla, peppermint extract and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking powder and salt. Divide dough in half. Stir food color into 1 half. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours.
Heat oven to 375ºF.
Stir together peppermint candy and 2 tablespoon sugar; set aside.
For each candy cane, shape 1 rounded teaspoon dough from each half into 4-inch rope by rolling back and forth on floured surface. Place 1 red and white rope side by side; press together lightly and twist. Place on ungreased cookie sheet; curve top of cookie down to form handle of cane.
Bake 9 to 12 minutes or until set and very light brown. Immediately sprinkle candy mixture over cookies. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes
Monday, December 20, 2010
Homemade Christmas
Hard times come to everybody. It's even worse when they come at Christmas. One of my favorite Christmas's happened as a result of hard times and I wouldn't trade the memory for anything. Our house was destroyed by tornado in the later part of May. My parents used every penny they had to rebuild and we were in our new place by fall. However, there was not a lot left over for extras. We had lost everything, including Christmas decorations. The only decoration that made it, was an angel that had been passed down to my Mom, and was in need of repair.
I woke up one morning in December and made my way down the hall. Every light in the house was on. The tree was up in the living room, bare, but up just the same. When I went in the kitchen Mom had every bowl, pot, pan, recipe book, and ingredient out. She announced with a smile that we were going to have a "Homemade Christmas" and that we were going to make all of our decorations. She wasn't kidding.
One of my favorite ornaments that we made was "Shredded Wheat Wreaths." They were made with shredded wheat, glue, and green food coloring. They were messy, gloppy, and so much fun to make. We made dozens of them! I have made them with numerous classes of kids, and they still love making them.
Nabisco Shredded Wheat Cereal- large biscuit style (or a generic brand) - use one biscuit to Plastic bowl
Canning lid or plastic lid
Spoon/or rubber gloves
Glue (Liquid glue)
Paper clip
Green curling ribbon about 8 inches long
Scrap piece of red ribbon for a bow
Three red beads or something small, red and round for decorative “berries” (optional)
Directions:
Pour about 1/4 of a cup of glue into your bowl. Add green food color and stir to create the shade you want for your wreath. Using your hands, break apart half of the shredded wheat biscuit into the bowl. Don’t crumble the biscuit too fine, because they will break apart and you want it to look like branches. Using your spoon, toss the cereal around with green glue until completely coated. Kids like to do this with their hands! (Have them wear the plasticgloves. Otherwise, they will have green hands!!) If the mix appears too dry, add more green colored glue. Turn the mixture over onto the canning lid and using your hands, press into the shape of a wreath. Press firm enough to hold together, but not too firm that you lose all the texture of the cereal. Don’t worry about it sticking to the lid. It will peel off when dry and have a nice flat back. Using a brush or your finger, coat the wreath thoroughly with non-colored glue. Bend the paperclip so that it is in a U shape. Push the clip in upside down so that it forms a hook. Add red beads and a bow for decoration. Allow to air dry. Tie the curling ribbon onto the wreath so you can hang your ornament on the tree!
We then began measuring, rolling, mixing, cutting, baking, designing, and decorating. We made every kind of cookie possible, M&M, chocolate chip. oatmeal raisin, oatmeal butterscotch, stained glass cookies (which looked very cool with the melted hard candy centers), stiff gingerbread, and my favorite, candy cane cookies.
We baked all day. When the cookies were done, cooled, and decorated Mom brought out plastic sandwich bags and we wrapped the cookie ornaments in clear plastic and tied the tops with colorful ribbon and hung them on the tree. We made chains out of popcorn and cranberries and stuck cloves in oranges to make pomanders.
The tree was amazing! The house smelled of pine, cinnamon, nutmeg, and peppermint. When Dad walked in the door, his smile lit up his face as he looked at all the decorations that were hanging around the house and on the tree. Mom said that we had one more thing to add to the tree, and she brought out the angel. She had been reglued, reglittered, a new face put on, and cotton clouds added on to the bottom of her dress. She was beautiful. When I got married the angel was handed down to me.
Hard times come to us all, but memories are made by how you deal with them. Make some memories today...bake some cookies, string some popcorn, talk about ornaments that you have made and make some new ones.
Sunday
Linguine with Lemon Shrimp***
Corn
Easy shortcut gingerbread cookies***
Monday
Beef Noodle Skillet Dinner
Green Beans
Crescent Rolls
Tuesday
White Bean and Ham Soup***
Garlic bread
Clementines
Wednesday
Chicken Fingers
Roasted potatos
Carrots
Applesauce
Thursday
Going out to dinner and going to the movies
Friday (Christmas Eve)
Roast beef
Twice baked garlic mashed potatos
Rolls
Cranberry salad
Overnight salad***
Baked Corn Casserole
Carmel Pecan Cheesecake
I woke up one morning in December and made my way down the hall. Every light in the house was on. The tree was up in the living room, bare, but up just the same. When I went in the kitchen Mom had every bowl, pot, pan, recipe book, and ingredient out. She announced with a smile that we were going to have a "Homemade Christmas" and that we were going to make all of our decorations. She wasn't kidding.
One of my favorite ornaments that we made was "Shredded Wheat Wreaths." They were made with shredded wheat, glue, and green food coloring. They were messy, gloppy, and so much fun to make. We made dozens of them! I have made them with numerous classes of kids, and they still love making them.
Nabisco Shredded Wheat Cereal- large biscuit style (or a generic brand) - use one biscuit to Plastic bowl
Canning lid or plastic lid
Spoon/or rubber gloves
Glue (Liquid glue)
Paper clip
Green curling ribbon about 8 inches long
Scrap piece of red ribbon for a bow
Three red beads or something small, red and round for decorative “berries” (optional)
Directions:
Pour about 1/4 of a cup of glue into your bowl. Add green food color and stir to create the shade you want for your wreath. Using your hands, break apart half of the shredded wheat biscuit into the bowl. Don’t crumble the biscuit too fine, because they will break apart and you want it to look like branches. Using your spoon, toss the cereal around with green glue until completely coated. Kids like to do this with their hands! (Have them wear the plasticgloves. Otherwise, they will have green hands!!) If the mix appears too dry, add more green colored glue. Turn the mixture over onto the canning lid and using your hands, press into the shape of a wreath. Press firm enough to hold together, but not too firm that you lose all the texture of the cereal. Don’t worry about it sticking to the lid. It will peel off when dry and have a nice flat back. Using a brush or your finger, coat the wreath thoroughly with non-colored glue. Bend the paperclip so that it is in a U shape. Push the clip in upside down so that it forms a hook. Add red beads and a bow for decoration. Allow to air dry. Tie the curling ribbon onto the wreath so you can hang your ornament on the tree!
We baked all day. When the cookies were done, cooled, and decorated Mom brought out plastic sandwich bags and we wrapped the cookie ornaments in clear plastic and tied the tops with colorful ribbon and hung them on the tree. We made chains out of popcorn and cranberries and stuck cloves in oranges to make pomanders.
Hard times come to us all, but memories are made by how you deal with them. Make some memories today...bake some cookies, string some popcorn, talk about ornaments that you have made and make some new ones.
Sunday
Linguine with Lemon Shrimp***
Corn
Easy shortcut gingerbread cookies***
Monday
Beef Noodle Skillet Dinner
Green Beans
Crescent Rolls
Tuesday
White Bean and Ham Soup***
Garlic bread
Clementines
Wednesday
Chicken Fingers
Roasted potatos
Carrots
Applesauce
Thursday
Going out to dinner and going to the movies
Friday (Christmas Eve)
Roast beef
Twice baked garlic mashed potatos
Rolls
Cranberry salad
Overnight salad***
Baked Corn Casserole
Carmel Pecan Cheesecake
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Sunday, December 5, 2010
Little MouseKitchen: Spice it Up!
Little MouseKitchen: Spice it Up!
Beef Curry
2 lbs beef cubes
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive oil or grapeseed oil
Dredge cubes in flour, salt and pepper. Browncubes in a saute pan that has olive oil drizzled on the bottom.
1 small onion chopped
2 tsp chopped ginger
Add to beef cubes and saute until tender.
1 cup water
2 tsp dried mustard
4 Tbsp curry powder ( I only added 2 and Hubby said it wasn't hot at all)
2 tsp paprika
salt & pepper
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 peeled, cored, and chopped apples
1/2 cup raisins
Add ingredients and simmer, covered for 45 min over low heat. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro if desired
Slow Cooked Beef and Sweet Potatos
In slow cooker add:
1 cup onions
1 cup sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 cup parsnips
Season roast with salt and pepper. Add 3 Tbsp flour on top of roast.
In small bowl mix:
14 oz can of tomatos
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped fine
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garlic and onion powder
Pour over beef.
Cook 8 hours on high.
Rotini Pasta in Creamy Sausage Sauce
In skillet saute 1 small onion and 2 cloves of garlic
Brown turkey sausage with casings remove
Add 1 can drained canellini beans
1/2 box of reduced fat cream cheese.
Salt and pepper
2 tsp dried oregano and basil
Cook 1 box of rotini pasta in boiling, salted water. Drain and cool, reserving 2-3 Tbsp pasta water to thin the sauce if needed. Add hot pasta to sausage sauce. Stir. Grate fresh Parmesan cheese on top.
Egg Nog
3 cups milk
6 eggs
8 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp vanilla
grated nutmeg for the top
Blend all ingredients and serve ice cold. (Alcohol can be added) You can also cut the milk, and add 1/2 and 1/2 to make the nog creamier!
Beef Curry
2 lbs beef cubes
1/4 cup flour
salt and pepper
4 tbsp olive oil or grapeseed oil
Dredge cubes in flour, salt and pepper. Browncubes in a saute pan that has olive oil drizzled on the bottom.
1 small onion chopped
2 tsp chopped ginger
Add to beef cubes and saute until tender.
1 cup water
2 tsp dried mustard
4 Tbsp curry powder ( I only added 2 and Hubby said it wasn't hot at all)
2 tsp paprika
salt & pepper
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 peeled, cored, and chopped apples
1/2 cup raisins
Add ingredients and simmer, covered for 45 min over low heat. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro if desired
Slow Cooked Beef and Sweet Potatos
In slow cooker add:
1 cup onions
1 cup sweet potato, peeled and diced
1/2 cup parsnips
Season roast with salt and pepper. Add 3 Tbsp flour on top of roast.
In small bowl mix:
14 oz can of tomatos
1 sprig of rosemary, chopped fine
1/3 cup maple syrup
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garlic and onion powder
Pour over beef.
Cook 8 hours on high.
Rotini Pasta in Creamy Sausage Sauce
In skillet saute 1 small onion and 2 cloves of garlic
Brown turkey sausage with casings remove
Add 1 can drained canellini beans
1/2 box of reduced fat cream cheese.
Salt and pepper
2 tsp dried oregano and basil
Cook 1 box of rotini pasta in boiling, salted water. Drain and cool, reserving 2-3 Tbsp pasta water to thin the sauce if needed. Add hot pasta to sausage sauce. Stir. Grate fresh Parmesan cheese on top.
Egg Nog
3 cups milk
6 eggs
8 Tbsp sugar
3 tsp vanilla
grated nutmeg for the top
Blend all ingredients and serve ice cold. (Alcohol can be added) You can also cut the milk, and add 1/2 and 1/2 to make the nog creamier!
Spice it Up!
This week is going to be very busy. The High School production of "Grease" will be opening on Friday night. I need to be ready. Today was spent chopping, dicing, and defrosting. The house is cleaned (sort of) and I put up enough holiday decorations to start enjoying the festive season.
It made me start thinking of how the people that are in our lives are really the "spice" that makes day to day living not quite so bland. Think about it. What would it be like if we were all the same? We would be bland and boring. Think about food without spices. Can you imagine gingerbread without ginger? Chili without chili powder? Pesto without basil? They would be seriously lacking and dull. Family, friends, coworkers all add the flavor to our every day dealings. Sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter, and sometimes exciting.
Spices are not always what they seem on the outside. I remember very clearly when my Mom was making cookies and had put vanilla into the cookie dough. Oh! The smell! Warm, sweet, and slightly syrupy. Mom warned me....she told me it was bitter. I was warned but I didn't believe it. Anything that smelled THAT amazing had to be sweet. So, true to form, in went my finger! I popped it in my mouth and "OH MY GOSH!" It was so bitter! Respect the spice!
Spices have been so important through out history. Kingdoms and countries have been won and lost for spices. There are the common spices: salt, pepper, cinnamon, mint, vanilla, and parsley. There are those spices that are exotic and worldly: cardamom, cumin, saffron, white pepper, fenugreek seeds, and pink sea salt.
Nutmeg is an exotic spice that hails from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Caribbean. There are several types of nutmeg trees that produce nutmeg and mace. Nutmeg is the seed of the tree, while mace is the white covering of the seed. It can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. The seeds are small and hard and are used in powder form. I often use nutmeg in place of cinnamon. There is no comparison to freshly grated nutmeg. If all you have ever used is the spice out of a jar, ready grated, find a box grater, or use a Microplane because it works better, and grate some fresh. You won't regret it.
It made me start thinking of how the people that are in our lives are really the "spice" that makes day to day living not quite so bland. Think about it. What would it be like if we were all the same? We would be bland and boring. Think about food without spices. Can you imagine gingerbread without ginger? Chili without chili powder? Pesto without basil? They would be seriously lacking and dull. Family, friends, coworkers all add the flavor to our every day dealings. Sometimes sweet, sometimes bitter, and sometimes exciting.
Spices are not always what they seem on the outside. I remember very clearly when my Mom was making cookies and had put vanilla into the cookie dough. Oh! The smell! Warm, sweet, and slightly syrupy. Mom warned me....she told me it was bitter. I was warned but I didn't believe it. Anything that smelled THAT amazing had to be sweet. So, true to form, in went my finger! I popped it in my mouth and "OH MY GOSH!" It was so bitter! Respect the spice!
Spices have been so important through out history. Kingdoms and countries have been won and lost for spices. There are the common spices: salt, pepper, cinnamon, mint, vanilla, and parsley. There are those spices that are exotic and worldly: cardamom, cumin, saffron, white pepper, fenugreek seeds, and pink sea salt.
My favorite spices are rosemary, nutmeg, and basil. Now don't be confused, I don't use them all at once. But if I can use them in a dish, they are my "go to" spices.
Dried spices are less pungent than fresh so you need to use more , but you should always rub them in your hands to release the oils and fragrance that flavor your food. Rosemary-A perennial herb that has long woody stems with evergreen like needles. The Latin name rosmarinus which is from "dew" (ros) and "sea" (marinus) translating to "Dew of the Sea" because in many Mediterannian countries it needs no other water than the humidity carried by ocean breezes. I use rosemary in chicken dishes, stew (especially my Guinness Stew), slow cooked meats, roasted meats and vegetables, and can even be used as skewers for K-bobs as the rosemary can withstand high temperatures without breaking down.
Nutmeg is an exotic spice that hails from Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Caribbean. There are several types of nutmeg trees that produce nutmeg and mace. Nutmeg is the seed of the tree, while mace is the white covering of the seed. It can be used in both savory and sweet dishes. The seeds are small and hard and are used in powder form. I often use nutmeg in place of cinnamon. There is no comparison to freshly grated nutmeg. If all you have ever used is the spice out of a jar, ready grated, find a box grater, or use a Microplane because it works better, and grate some fresh. You won't regret it.
The third spice is Basil. Basil is a tender relative to mint and there are several varieties. Again you can have it fresh, dried, and in powdered forms. Many cuisines make use of this herb and it can be used in sweet and savory dishes. I use it in many Mediterranean and Italian inspired dishes. When used fresh you should add it at the last minute as cooking for long periods of time break it down and turn it black. I have talked about fresh basil in previous blogs, and fresh pesto is a favorite.
If you have any of the old red and white spice cans still in your spice cupboard, it's time to toss them and replace. Spices only keep their flavor for a few months. Keep your spice rack away from the stove. Too much heat is damaging to your spices and they will lose their flavor. Most spices can be kept in the refrigerator or freezer.
Spice it up! Pull out an old favorite, or try a new spice. (Curry is my new experimental spice...just how hot can I get it before it's too hot? Still experimenting!) Next week we'll talk "Grease!"
***Indicates that the menu can be found in a link at the bottom of the page
Weekly Menu
Sunday
Beef Curry***
Rice
Green Beans
Monday
Chicken Parm with pesto
Spaghetti
Tuesday
Slow Cooked Beef with Sweet Potatos ***
Wednesday
Rotini pasta with Creamy Sausage Sauce***(Sausage and pasta can be cooked ahead, stored in the fridge and assembled quickly for a 10 min meal!)
Apple slices
Thursday
Linguine with Clam Sauce
Friday
Invited out to dinner! (Thanks Mrs. Gibb!)
Battenkill Creamery Eggnog and freshly grated nutmeg
***Eggnog recipe from my Mom
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Emergency 10 Min. Meal Bags
Whew! The roller coaster of the performing arts can send even the Little Mouse into a tail spin! I had made a deal with myself, that no matter how busy I got, I would keep to my weekly blog. Good intentions but somehow this week made it past me. ALMOST! Today is Saturday, so I "squeeked" in under the wire.
This week is in retrospect. Sometimes even the most organized and well thought out plans go haywire and you find yourself reacting and just going with the flow. The kitchen should be place that helps you sustain yourself, not add to the stress.
The pantry is usually well stocked with essentials and ingredients that can easily be put together. There are times, however, that the pantry just doesn't have what you need, or what you want! That happened to me this week. The first part of the week was spent eating (gasp) take out. Subs and chips in the car while running to and fro. The second part was spent digging through the freezer and pantry looking for a 10 min meal fix. The problem was, I had some ingredients for several various meals, but not enough for a complete one.
I decided to make "Emergency 10 Min Meal Bags." This will be a collection of bags that have all the ingredients for a 10 min meal, all together. Labeled and stocked on the pantry shelf, so that when time flies, or I need a meal in a hurry, I can grab a bag and everything I need will be right at my fingertips. Then, when I use a bag, I'll write what I used on the grocery list and replace it the next time I grocery shop so that when the times comes to make the dish again, I'm not butt up in the pantry looking for a jar of sauce that I SWORE I had in the cupboard!!!! (Yes, that's what happened this week!) Proteins for these meals can be thawed in advance, omitted all together, or provided in canned form (tuna, chunk chicken etc.) Premeasure the ingredients that come in larger quantities and store in ziplock bags right in the brown bag.
Emergency 10 Min Meal bags
****Means that the recipes are included in the pages section of the blog***The ingredients and amounts will be listed here so that you can make your own meal bags!
Chicken Kormi with Almonds***
2 cans of chunk chicken
1 jar of Patak's Kormi sauce
1 cup of shredded coconut
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 cups of instant brown rice
Linguine with Clam Sauce***
1 box linguine
2 cans clams
1 box or can of chicken broth
1 bottle of clam juice
2 tsp oregano, 2 Tbsp parsley, 2 tsp garlic salt (store all of these spices together in a small snack sized ziplock bag. Ready made spice mix!) You can add the fresh spices and salt and pepper as you go. You can even make the sauce and pasta ahead and store it in the fridge up to a week. Cook your pasta, store it in a ziplock freezer bag with 2 Tbsp of olive oil drizzled on top.
Artichoke Tuna Panini***
2 cans of tuna
1 jar of artichoke hearts(packed in oil)
1 can of black olives
Taco Soup
(This recipe is very good but you need to have ground beef to make it complete. DON'T store the ground beef in a bag!)
1 can of Mexican style tomatos
1 can red kidney beans
1 can of corn
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of green chiles
1 pkg. taco seasoning
3 Tbsp parsley
Bag of Tortilla chips
The pantry is usually well stocked with essentials and ingredients that can easily be put together. There are times, however, that the pantry just doesn't have what you need, or what you want! That happened to me this week. The first part of the week was spent eating (gasp) take out. Subs and chips in the car while running to and fro. The second part was spent digging through the freezer and pantry looking for a 10 min meal fix. The problem was, I had some ingredients for several various meals, but not enough for a complete one.
I decided to make "Emergency 10 Min Meal Bags." This will be a collection of bags that have all the ingredients for a 10 min meal, all together. Labeled and stocked on the pantry shelf, so that when time flies, or I need a meal in a hurry, I can grab a bag and everything I need will be right at my fingertips. Then, when I use a bag, I'll write what I used on the grocery list and replace it the next time I grocery shop so that when the times comes to make the dish again, I'm not butt up in the pantry looking for a jar of sauce that I SWORE I had in the cupboard!!!! (Yes, that's what happened this week!) Proteins for these meals can be thawed in advance, omitted all together, or provided in canned form (tuna, chunk chicken etc.) Premeasure the ingredients that come in larger quantities and store in ziplock bags right in the brown bag.
Emergency 10 Min Meal bags
****Means that the recipes are included in the pages section of the blog***The ingredients and amounts will be listed here so that you can make your own meal bags!
Chicken Kormi with Almonds***
2 cans of chunk chicken
1 jar of Patak's Kormi sauce
1 cup of shredded coconut
1/4 cup slivered almonds
2 cups of instant brown rice
Linguine with Clam Sauce***
1 box linguine
2 cans clams
1 box or can of chicken broth
1 bottle of clam juice
2 tsp oregano, 2 Tbsp parsley, 2 tsp garlic salt (store all of these spices together in a small snack sized ziplock bag. Ready made spice mix!) You can add the fresh spices and salt and pepper as you go. You can even make the sauce and pasta ahead and store it in the fridge up to a week. Cook your pasta, store it in a ziplock freezer bag with 2 Tbsp of olive oil drizzled on top.
Artichoke Tuna Panini***
2 cans of tuna
1 jar of artichoke hearts(packed in oil)
1 can of black olives
Taco Soup
(This recipe is very good but you need to have ground beef to make it complete. DON'T store the ground beef in a bag!)
1 can of Mexican style tomatos
1 can red kidney beans
1 can of corn
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of green chiles
1 pkg. taco seasoning
3 Tbsp parsley
Bag of Tortilla chips
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Oh My.....PIE!!!
Growing up, my family was a cake family. My mom was the master of everything cake and we would have one cake or another for special occasions. When I began dating my hubby, I went through all the various cake recipes that Mom had. Regular cakes, specialty cakes, ice cream cakes, jello cakes, you name it, I made it. He was always very polite, would ask for a small piece and would scrape off the frosting-every time. When I began going to his house for holiday and celebrations, I began to see why cake was not his favorite. He came from a "Pie family." They would have pie for birthdays, celebrations, holidays (EVERY holiday, not just Thanksgiving and Christmas), or just as general dessert.Once I figured that out, I began to make pies more regularly. We did have pie in my family so it was not really that foreign. My Dad's favorites were Apple and Chocolate Cream, but when Mom made pie crust, everyone left the kitchen. Pie dough could be tricky and Mom would want to concentrate completely on what she was doing. Hubby's mother was the same way, when she made pie dough, you found someplace else to be. (However, I was the Queen at coming in when the dough was done, and snitch bits and pieces. I love raw pie dough.)
Over the years I tried many pie dough recipes. One afternoon I was visiting my grandmother, and was telling her about one of my adventures making pie dough. I had had a failure that even the chickens wouldn't eat. It was either too soggy, would fall apart, or be ridiculously tough. She chuckled, got up, and began rifling through her legions of cookbooks and recipe cards. Grandma had recipes everywhere. She would write them on note papers, envelopes, brown paper bags, whatever surface was handy. What looked to be a mix mash was an organized system that worked well for her. She pulled out a recipe card with bold writing that said "NO FAIL PIE DOUGH" and handed it to me with the words "I was given this recipe a few years ago. I wish I had had it sooner. Pie dough makes me crazy. Even your grandfather can make this, try it." That was high praise indeed. Before Grandma went blind, she was the master chef in the household. Grandpa had to learn all Grandma's tricks when she couldn't see well enough.
I went home and made a batch. It was amazing! No holes, or rips. One batch made enough for 2, two crust pies or 4, one crust pies. It didn't fall apart on the board, you could pick it up and handle it, mold the crust in interesting designs, put it in the 'fridge for up to a week, or freeze it up to 2 months. This pie dough has been my standard and one of Hubby's favorites for many years.
No Fail Pie Dough
4 cups flour
1 3/4 cups Crisco
2 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp vinegar**
1 egg
pinch of salt
1/2 c COLD water
Mix first 4 ingredients. In a mixing cup, beat water with vinegar, egg, and salt. Add to flour mixture and blend with a fork (or fingers) until all dry ingredients are moistened. Mold dough into a ball and chill for 15 min in the fridge. (I have made pies, skipping the 'fridge step, and it didn't make any difference.)
Cut into quarters and roll out on a floured board. Can be stored in the 'fridge up to 2 weeks in an oiled, ziplock bag, or frozen up to 2 months.
**I have been told that you can substitute cognac for the vinegar and the crust has a richer taste.
The excess crust can be made into "Bird's Nests". Take the extra crust and roll out the bits. Can be in any shape or size. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the crust and roll it. Bake on a cookie sheet for 5-7 minutes. Yummy little mouthfulls!
The excess crust can be made into "Bird's Nests". Take the extra crust and roll out the bits. Can be in any shape or size. Sprinkle cinnamon sugar on the crust and roll it. Bake on a cookie sheet for 5-7 minutes. Yummy little mouthfulls!
My in-laws Anniversary is the day after Thanksgiving. The year that they celebrated their 50th Anniversary, we came up with the idea of having a "Pie Party". There were 50 pies at the celebration, and a buffet that was one of the most delicious I have ever seen. There are 5 children in Hubby's family and the centerpiece was a pie stand with one pie from each family with a centerpiece on the very top.
Holidays or not, pie crust is not a problem, break out the rolling pin and the flour. If that's too much, there are crustless pies, frozen pies, graham cracker crust pies, or just call me! We can whip one up in no time, but be warned, hubby will want some too!
This week's recipes are all pie recipes. There is no weekly menu as it's Thanksgiving week....it's all about the Bird...(and pie!) Recipes with ***following can be found in the Pages section.
Crustless Coconut Cream Pie***
Green Tomato Mincemeat Pie***(My granddad's favorite and heirloom recipe)
Strawberry Pie***
Chocolate Cream Pie***
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Baked, Mashed, Or Fries
Potatoes
That's where we are headed this week. In this one brief reprieve from winter, we went out into the garden and dug the potatoes that we planted this spring. It was a small crop by our regular standards, but due to the tomato blight that destroyed our crop last year, we didn't plant that many potatos. The ones that we did dig up were small but perfect.
Potatos are a huge part of the American diet. Originating in the Andes and part of the nightshade family, these underground tubers have many different varieties. (And yes, I did say nightshade family. My grandfather always told us to never eat green potatos or the leaves, that we would be terribly sick.) We never ate the green ones. So I'm passing on his wisdom,,,don't ever eat the green potatos or leaves! The potato is the 4th largest crop in the world. China is the world's largest potato producing country.
Anytime you go to a restaurant or now that holiday time is upon us, one sort of potatos or other will be offered at meal time. They can be prepared in numerous ways with ingredients from the fanciful to the simple. Mashed potatos is one of the earliest adult foods that an infant can digest. My infant son, when we went to a restaurant one day, ate what I always called, his body weight in mashed potatos! He simply could not get enough. When you are a child, french fries become the potato of choice. You can dip them, dunk them, salt them, or sprinkle vinegar on them. As you age, you start enjoying baked potato skins with sour cream, cheese, and bacon with your friends as an appetizer. Then comes small meals which includes roasted rosemary potato wedges or creamy potato chowder as you get older. Finally in old age, mashed or baked potatos become a favorite again.
One of my favorite potato stories involves my grandmother. She became blind in her 60's with macular degeneration. Even though she was limited in her sight, she and my grandfather were fiercely independent. My grandfather had been hospitalized for a new knee replacement. Everyone was so worried about both of them. What could we do? Stay with grandpa or go up and stay with grandma? Well, grandma, independent soul that she was, told us to take care of grandpa..that she was fine. She was so proud of herself, because for dinner she could get a potato, wash it, prick it with a fork and microwave it! It would cook in minutes! She would pop it out of the microwave and eat it with butter and salt and pepper and it was delicious. So different from when she was a child when it had to bake in the ashes of the fire for over an hour!
I think the fact that she could make it all by herself added to the taste. There is something about cooking for yourself and being independent that makes food taste that much better. So mash up some spuds, bake up some chunks, or turn long strings of potato into golden, crispy fries. Whether you are eating for one or serving up a mound full of creamy, mashed potatos for the holidays, your taste buds will thank you.
Monday
Shepherd's Pie
Cottage cheese
Mandarin oranges
Tuesday
Steak
Crispy Potato Cakes (Recipe following)
carrots
Wednesday
Mac & Cheese
Green Beans
Thursday
Chicken casserole
Applesauce
Sugar Snap Peas
Friday
Impossible Potato Pie (Recipe Following)
Impossible Potato Pie
Preheat oven 350
Spray pie dish with nonstick cooking spray
4 large potatos peeled, cooked, and mashed
1/2 med apple
8 slices bacon crumbled
1/2 cup FF evaporated milk
1 tsp nutmeg
Stir together
Bake 35-40 min
Crispy Potato Cake
4-5 large red skinned potatos
Bay leaf
4-5 cups of water
Cook until fork tender, drain
Heat saute pan with 2 tbsp olive oil
Mix 1 cup sour cream with mashed potatos
Add:
2 Tbsp prepared horseradish sauce
chives
salt and pepper
Add potatos to hot pan. Spread it out and bake in oven 350 for 20 min
That's where we are headed this week. In this one brief reprieve from winter, we went out into the garden and dug the potatoes that we planted this spring. It was a small crop by our regular standards, but due to the tomato blight that destroyed our crop last year, we didn't plant that many potatos. The ones that we did dig up were small but perfect.
Potatos are a huge part of the American diet. Originating in the Andes and part of the nightshade family, these underground tubers have many different varieties. (And yes, I did say nightshade family. My grandfather always told us to never eat green potatos or the leaves, that we would be terribly sick.) We never ate the green ones. So I'm passing on his wisdom,,,don't ever eat the green potatos or leaves! The potato is the 4th largest crop in the world. China is the world's largest potato producing country.
Anytime you go to a restaurant or now that holiday time is upon us, one sort of potatos or other will be offered at meal time. They can be prepared in numerous ways with ingredients from the fanciful to the simple. Mashed potatos is one of the earliest adult foods that an infant can digest. My infant son, when we went to a restaurant one day, ate what I always called, his body weight in mashed potatos! He simply could not get enough. When you are a child, french fries become the potato of choice. You can dip them, dunk them, salt them, or sprinkle vinegar on them. As you age, you start enjoying baked potato skins with sour cream, cheese, and bacon with your friends as an appetizer. Then comes small meals which includes roasted rosemary potato wedges or creamy potato chowder as you get older. Finally in old age, mashed or baked potatos become a favorite again.
One of my favorite potato stories involves my grandmother. She became blind in her 60's with macular degeneration. Even though she was limited in her sight, she and my grandfather were fiercely independent. My grandfather had been hospitalized for a new knee replacement. Everyone was so worried about both of them. What could we do? Stay with grandpa or go up and stay with grandma? Well, grandma, independent soul that she was, told us to take care of grandpa..that she was fine. She was so proud of herself, because for dinner she could get a potato, wash it, prick it with a fork and microwave it! It would cook in minutes! She would pop it out of the microwave and eat it with butter and salt and pepper and it was delicious. So different from when she was a child when it had to bake in the ashes of the fire for over an hour!
I think the fact that she could make it all by herself added to the taste. There is something about cooking for yourself and being independent that makes food taste that much better. So mash up some spuds, bake up some chunks, or turn long strings of potato into golden, crispy fries. Whether you are eating for one or serving up a mound full of creamy, mashed potatos for the holidays, your taste buds will thank you.
Monday
Shepherd's Pie
Cottage cheese
Mandarin oranges
Tuesday
Steak
Crispy Potato Cakes (Recipe following)
carrots
Wednesday
Mac & Cheese
Green Beans
Thursday
Chicken casserole
Applesauce
Sugar Snap Peas
Friday
Impossible Potato Pie (Recipe Following)
Impossible Potato Pie
Preheat oven 350
Spray pie dish with nonstick cooking spray
4 large potatos peeled, cooked, and mashed
1/2 med apple
8 slices bacon crumbled
1/2 cup FF evaporated milk
1 tsp nutmeg
Stir together
Bake 35-40 min
Crispy Potato Cake
4-5 large red skinned potatos
Bay leaf
4-5 cups of water
Cook until fork tender, drain
Heat saute pan with 2 tbsp olive oil
Mix 1 cup sour cream with mashed potatos
Add:
2 Tbsp prepared horseradish sauce
chives
salt and pepper
Add potatos to hot pan. Spread it out and bake in oven 350 for 20 min
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Mystery of Bacon
Bacon is one of those dishes that when you serve it, people gather around. Some like it chewy, some like it crispy, some like it pepper crusted, and some like it with hints of sweet, maple syrup. Anytime we have a gathering of people for a sleepover, we always make sure that there is plenty of bacon in the house. Often I will even cook up some bacon on the weekends, and store it in a plastic bag in the fridge. It can be used in sauces, roasts, pasta, and salad. It saves time, and when you warm it up by zapping it in the microwave it's done in an instant.
My grandfather would make "Cracklings", which were the bits of bacon rind that were left over from a side of freshly butchered bacon. He would deep fry these pork rind bits until they were puffed and crackling in your mouth. They were deep fried, rich goodness that had an aroma that filled the house and brought everyone into the kitchen. It's a wonder we all didn't have heart attacks on the spot! I haven't had them since he passed away, but oh how I remember them.
I have always cooked bacon in a skillet on top of the stove, just like my grandfather and mom. You didn't fool around with bacon grease. My Dad was seriously burned by grease on the stove, so there was a very strong respect for the cooking process, and no fooling around. I even tried cooking it in the microwave with the special bacon tray to try and eliminate the spattering and popping of the grease.
Then one day I read how you could "bake" bacon on a cooking rack over a baking sheet. It would reduce spatters, free up the cook top of your stove, and reduce the shrinkage of the bacon. "Shrinkage-NEVER a good thing!" So I tried it...400 degree oven, bacon on a wire rack over a baking sheet for 20 min. PERFECT! Crispy bacon, drained fat, clean cook top. I was amazed!!! It is the perfect way to cook a pound of bacon and have it perfect every time. You can adjust your time to fit the way you like your bacon. A little less time for chewy bacon, slightly more for crunchier. The smoke alarm didn't even go off. If you want to make the bacon wavy, and fancy, you just push it up, accordion style on the rack and it bakes perfectly.
Go on....try it! If you want to take serving bacon to a new level at your next brunch or breakfast, make this caramelized, candy bacon. It's a salty, sweet fix that is guaranteed to make people come running to the kitchen.
Caramelized Bacon
1 lb of bacon
1/4 cup brown sugar
Separate bacon into strips. Using a teaspoon, coat bacon with brown sugar.
Twist strips and lay on a baking rack on top of a baking sheet.
Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
They are best served immediately.
Weekly Menu
Sunday
Lasagna
Green Beans
Monday
Beef Barley Soup***
Garlic bread
Tuesday
Chili
Cornbread
Wednesday
Pasta with Alfredo and bacon (Weight Watcher friendly: Believe it or not!)***
Thursday
Going to NYC (Boys are on their own!)
Friday
Date Night w hubby
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Just for Starters
When I was a kid, Chex Mix was one of the original 'nibbles" . Bowls of the crunchy, salty, snack would disappear at a rapid rate. Remember the harvest gold, sunset yellow, and avocado green Tupperware bowls with the sealing lids? They would keep the Chex Mix fresh and crunchy, and until my hands got strong enough to pop the seal, would keep the Mix safe from early munching!
Classic Chex Mix
3 cups Corn Chex® cereal
3 cups Rice Chex® cereal
3 cups Wheat Chex® cereal
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup bite-size pretzels
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Directions
3 cups Corn Chex® cereal
3 cups Rice Chex® cereal
3 cups Wheat Chex® cereal
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup bite-size pretzels
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Directions
- In large microwavable bowl, mix cereals, nuts, pretzels and bagel chips; set aside. In small microwavable bowl, microwave butter uncovered on High about 40 seconds or until melted. Stir in seasonings. Pour over cereal mixture; stir until evenly coated.
- Microwave uncovered on High 5 to 6 minutes, thoroughly stirring every 2 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool. Store in airtight container.
Another favorite were plates of cheese and crackers. Bricks of cheddar, Munster, Swiss, and Monterrey jack would be sliced, cubed, and served alongside crackers (usually Ritz or Chicken in a Biscuit crackers). Nowadays, there are so many different kinds of crackers and cheeses, the combinations are endless. Some new favorites are Crandale Cranberry cheese, Halloumi, Hunter's cheddar, and Horseradish cheddar. You can pair these with Stoneground wheat crackers, water crackers, or Parmesan crackers. The Parmesan crackers are so easy to make. If you have a food processor, you can make your very own snack crackers. They are rich, crunchy, and melt in your mouth.
Parmesan Crackers
2 c grated parm cheese
1 stick of room temp butter
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp black pepper
Pulse all together in a food processor.
Add 1 1/4 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
Pulse flour and salt to cheese mix. When it creates a ball take it
out of the food processor and roll it into a log. Wrap in plastic wrap and freeze until
firm. Approx 30 min.
Slice and bake 350 for 22 min
Veggies and dip as well as fruit platters with dip are another classic appetizer. When I was in college, we had an "appetizer night" on our last night of classes. We all brought goodies to nosh on while we celebrated the end of classes. (I brought spicy Chex Mix...how can you go wrong with that?) One of my classmates brought a fruit platter with a sweet, creamy fruit dip. It was addictive and delicious and the perfect compliment to chunks of pineapple, strawberries, grapes and kiwi. She was generous and gave us all the recipe. I couldn't wait to bring it out and amaze everyone! It became one of my signature contributions to parties.
Fruit Dip
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup Marshmallow fluff
2 tsp vanilla
Use a mixer and combine. Put in the refrigerator for 30 min before serving.
(Just try to keep your fingers out of it! )
So the next time you want to make an evening special, for 100, 10, or just 1, get out of your favorite plates, chill the wine, cider, or beer. Chunk some cheese, slice some fruits and veggies, open a sleeve or bake your own crackers, arrange them (remember mixing colors, textures, and heights make a plate interesting and appetizing to look at) and set them around. Mix up a batch of Chex Mix and who knows what'll get started!
Weekly Menu
Monday
Ginger Beef Soup***
Rice Noodles
Tuesday
Turkey Hash (one skillet meal using left over turkey from Sun***)
Mandarin Oranges
Wednesday
Sausage, Cheddar and apple bake***
Green salad
Thursday
Spaghetti w tuna, feta, and tomatoes***
garlic bread
Green beans
Friday
Baked "Fried" Chicken
French Fries
Carrots
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Spaghetti-Feed the Multitudes
Tis the season for company. Have you noticed when the weather gets cooler, and the soccer games come to an end, that we all head to visit friends and family? I think most everyone remembers their mother's spaghetti sauce. Spaghetti was one of the very first things I learned to cook.
Mom taught me how to make spaghetti sauce over the stove in the kitchen of our trailer. We had a big stainless steel, copper bottomed pot, a cast iron pan to brown the ground beef and onion, and assorted slotted spoons and colanders.
The house smelled of garlic and spices, and I loved chopping the onions and green peppers. Mom's spaghetti sauce was chunky with bits of vegetables, ground beef, and lots of tomatoes. No one else's sauce ever measured up or tasted quite right. We always drained our pasta when it was cooked and rinsed it under cold water. Mom always said that rinsing it would keep the pasta from sticking together.
My dad loved spaghetti and we always had it once a week. There is something very warm and comforting about coming home to a spaghetti dinner. We would have spaghetti, garlic bread, and green salad and shaker Parmesan cheese out of the green can. Sometimes, Mom would make meatballs to drop in the sauce. Large, cold glasses of milk would wash it all down.
My hubby's mother will make great pots of spaghetti sauce when the family comes home to visit. (She has 5 children, 10 grandchildren, and to date 3 great grandchildren. A family meal is an event! An ordinary family dinner is well over 15 people. Pasta fits the bill nicely. Kettles of pasta cook, while Granny fills her crockpots with sauce. Spaghetti works because folks can choose between sauce or no sauce, plain or with cheese. Many of her grandchildren when dinner is over will leave and take home canning jars filled with her special sauce. One of my nephews even requested containers of Granny's sauce for his graduation present so that he could store it in the freezer for ready made meals!
So when company comes calling, bring them down memory lane and serve spaghetti. Ditch the green can and get a nice wedge of Parmesan cheese, grate it over the hot pasta. Change it up, and serve pesto with the spaghetti sauce. Toss in a handful of shrimp instead of ground beef. The "pasta"-bilities are endless! Do you remember rolling your first fork full?
***Recipes can be found in the Pages section of the blog.***
Monday
Spaghetti w meat sauce***
Garlic bread
Green Beans
Tuesday
Pork Tenderloin (braised in the Crock pot)
Couscous
Applesauce
Carrots
Wednesday
Chicken Parmesan (with sauce from Mon)***
Rotini noodles
Green Salad
Thursday
Easy Clam Chowder***
Rolls
Friday
Ham Steak
Scalloped Potatos
Brussel Sprouts
The house smelled of garlic and spices, and I loved chopping the onions and green peppers. Mom's spaghetti sauce was chunky with bits of vegetables, ground beef, and lots of tomatoes. No one else's sauce ever measured up or tasted quite right. We always drained our pasta when it was cooked and rinsed it under cold water. Mom always said that rinsing it would keep the pasta from sticking together.
My dad loved spaghetti and we always had it once a week. There is something very warm and comforting about coming home to a spaghetti dinner. We would have spaghetti, garlic bread, and green salad and shaker Parmesan cheese out of the green can. Sometimes, Mom would make meatballs to drop in the sauce. Large, cold glasses of milk would wash it all down.
My hubby's mother will make great pots of spaghetti sauce when the family comes home to visit. (She has 5 children, 10 grandchildren, and to date 3 great grandchildren. A family meal is an event! An ordinary family dinner is well over 15 people. Pasta fits the bill nicely. Kettles of pasta cook, while Granny fills her crockpots with sauce. Spaghetti works because folks can choose between sauce or no sauce, plain or with cheese. Many of her grandchildren when dinner is over will leave and take home canning jars filled with her special sauce. One of my nephews even requested containers of Granny's sauce for his graduation present so that he could store it in the freezer for ready made meals!
So when company comes calling, bring them down memory lane and serve spaghetti. Ditch the green can and get a nice wedge of Parmesan cheese, grate it over the hot pasta. Change it up, and serve pesto with the spaghetti sauce. Toss in a handful of shrimp instead of ground beef. The "pasta"-bilities are endless! Do you remember rolling your first fork full?
***Recipes can be found in the Pages section of the blog.***
Monday
Spaghetti w meat sauce***
Garlic bread
Green Beans
Tuesday
Pork Tenderloin (braised in the Crock pot)
Couscous
Applesauce
Carrots
Wednesday
Chicken Parmesan (with sauce from Mon)***
Rotini noodles
Green Salad
Thursday
Easy Clam Chowder***
Rolls
Friday
Ham Steak
Scalloped Potatos
Brussel Sprouts
Saturday, October 16, 2010
My Favorite Things
Think of this in tune with "My Favorite Things."
Pizza and Cheesecake
and Ocean Waves Crashing,
Blue Glistening Earrings and
Soft 'Taters Mashing,
Red tulips bundled and Saphires in rings
These are a few of my favorite things.
Opening nights and Children who're happy
All Scottie puppies and Bubble gum snapping
White wine and Movies and People that sing
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the tics bite, when the tax stings
when I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my family and friends
And then I don't feeeeeel soooooo bad.
Green Margaritas and Bacon that sizzles
Sweet Breakfast Muffins and Cream cheese you drizzle
Old books and New Books and Hot cups of tea
These are what can mean the whole world to me.
When the Cold Bites
When Meanness stings
When I'm feeling bad
I simply remember my family and friends, and then I don't feeeeeel sooooo bad!
For all of you have enjoyed my blog so far, thanks for the complements and thanks for reading. It means more than you know. The menu this week holds some my favorites. Light on calories, some probably not, but these are some of my favorite comfort foods. Michael....you are my hero.
***Recipes can be found in the Pages section of the blog.
Monday
Meatloaf ***
Mashed Potatos
Broccoli
Tuesday
Portobello Mushroom Burgers***
Tabouli salad***
Wednesday
Grilled steak
Grilled potatos
Grilled asparagus
Margaritas (after rehearsal)
Thursday
Lasagna (Thanks Mom, This was my favorite dinner of all time!!!)
Garlic Bread
Salad
Cherry Cheesecake***
Friday
Chicken Kormi with Apples and Coconut ***
Rice
Pizza and Cheesecake
and Ocean Waves Crashing,
Blue Glistening Earrings and
Soft 'Taters Mashing,
Red tulips bundled and Saphires in rings
These are a few of my favorite things.
Opening nights and Children who're happy
All Scottie puppies and Bubble gum snapping
White wine and Movies and People that sing
These are a few of my favorite things.
When the tics bite, when the tax stings
when I'm feeling sad,
I simply remember my family and friends
And then I don't feeeeeel soooooo bad.
 |
| That splash is me. This is pure bliss. |
Sweet Breakfast Muffins and Cream cheese you drizzle
Old books and New Books and Hot cups of tea
These are what can mean the whole world to me.
When the Cold Bites
When Meanness stings
When I'm feeling bad
I simply remember my family and friends, and then I don't feeeeeel sooooo bad!
For all of you have enjoyed my blog so far, thanks for the complements and thanks for reading. It means more than you know. The menu this week holds some my favorites. Light on calories, some probably not, but these are some of my favorite comfort foods. Michael....you are my hero.
***Recipes can be found in the Pages section of the blog.
Meatloaf ***
Mashed Potatos
Broccoli
Tuesday
Portobello Mushroom Burgers***
Tabouli salad***
Wednesday
Grilled steak
Grilled potatos
Grilled asparagus
Margaritas (after rehearsal)
Thursday
Lasagna (Thanks Mom, This was my favorite dinner of all time!!!)
Garlic Bread
Salad
Cherry Cheesecake***
Friday
Chicken Kormi with Apples and Coconut ***
Rice
Sunday, October 10, 2010
I Really Wanted a Puppy
"I really wanted a puppy, and they brought her instead." I would say to people when they would ask how I felt about my sister. There are 13 years difference between the two of us. Yes, I'm older and have to say it, I'm taller. But I'm here to set the record straight today, on the week of her birthday. I wanted a sibling. Badly.
I was so excited when my parents announced that they were expecting. I didn't care if it was a brother or sister. When Kristal was born, I stayed with my Grandfather. He came in at 3:00 AM and woke me to tell me that I had a new sister, and that Mom and Dad and "Kristal" were fine. I snuggled back down into the covers, with my hand on the dog, and lay there with my eyes wide open trying to imagine this new person that I was going to meet the next day. Dad picked me up from school early, and brought me out to the hospital. I had a little sign that had her name on it and a picture of the doll "Strawberry Shortcake". I had made it for the bassinet and flowers for Mom. I was pretty nervous about meeting Kristal and seeing Mom. Were they going to have room for me? Was I going to like it?
Kristal called me "Sisser" for the longest time. We lived in a trailer for many years, and she always got up earlier than me. (UGH) With Dad and Mom egging her on, she would trundle down the hallway. She was too short (hehehe) to reach the door knob, but she quickly learned that if she got going fast enough she could pop the door open by running into it full tilt with a "HI SISSER!" That was NOT what I wanted to hear early in the morning after a dance or a date. Snuggling in bed was not an option. She would get giggling and start tickling and rough housing. So I talked her into making a "nest". However, the "nest" was in my laundry hamper! She fit perfectly. She would crawl in my hamper, I'd cover her up, and enjoy 20 minutes of sleep. If I came up with the idea, she thought it was great.
How awesome is that?
Over the years, we have had so many good times. 13 years difference didn't phase us in the least. In fact, it made our relationship stronger. I got to help play Santa Claus, I got to help be the tooth fairy, I got to be the one that snapped photos of cheerleading, dancing, concerts, & plays. I got to take her to NY city for the first time and watch her face light up when we watched the Phantom of the Opera. (Even though I got the date wrong and we ALMOST didn't get to see the show at all! But thanks to a very kind doorman, we had awesome seats.) For many years, she backed me up. Then as she got older, it was my turn to back her up. I got to see her graduate from college, be her sponsor at confirmation, be her Maid of Honor, and held her hand when we gave Dad back to God. I couldn't ask for a better friend.
It's Kristal's birthday this week. She is also expecting and there will be 13 years difference between her child and my child. Funny how life can circle around. So, setting the record straight once and for all....I am still older and still taller, but I really didn't want a puppy...I really wanted a sister. Not only did I get a sister, I got a best friend. Happy Birthday!!
This week's menu is Kristal inspired. These are her favorite childhood meals. There are stories behind each meal, and she should remember all of them!
Monday
Stew (venison or beef)
Cheesy Garlic Biscuits ***
Tuesday
Tacos
Fruit
Wednesday
Chicken with Rice and Cashews***
Green Beans
Thursday
Fettuchini Alfredo ***
Green Salad
Garlic Bread
Marble Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Friday
Dijorno Supreme Pizza
Butter lettuce salad
I was so excited when my parents announced that they were expecting. I didn't care if it was a brother or sister. When Kristal was born, I stayed with my Grandfather. He came in at 3:00 AM and woke me to tell me that I had a new sister, and that Mom and Dad and "Kristal" were fine. I snuggled back down into the covers, with my hand on the dog, and lay there with my eyes wide open trying to imagine this new person that I was going to meet the next day. Dad picked me up from school early, and brought me out to the hospital. I had a little sign that had her name on it and a picture of the doll "Strawberry Shortcake". I had made it for the bassinet and flowers for Mom. I was pretty nervous about meeting Kristal and seeing Mom. Were they going to have room for me? Was I going to like it?
I remember walking into the "Snuggery" and Dad brought me up to the window of the nursery. There in a white bassinet was my sister. Dark haired, pink faced, and tiny. Oh so tiny. I fell in love right there. We gave the sign to the nurse and she put it right on the bassinet. We walked down to Mom's room, where she was waiting. She had her arms out and enveloped me in a big hug. Dad brought Kristal in, and Mom and I and Kristal sat together while Dad snapped pictures. I wanted to bring her home right then. There was room for me. And yes, I was going to like it.
Kristal called me "Sisser" for the longest time. We lived in a trailer for many years, and she always got up earlier than me. (UGH) With Dad and Mom egging her on, she would trundle down the hallway. She was too short (hehehe) to reach the door knob, but she quickly learned that if she got going fast enough she could pop the door open by running into it full tilt with a "HI SISSER!" That was NOT what I wanted to hear early in the morning after a dance or a date. Snuggling in bed was not an option. She would get giggling and start tickling and rough housing. So I talked her into making a "nest". However, the "nest" was in my laundry hamper! She fit perfectly. She would crawl in my hamper, I'd cover her up, and enjoy 20 minutes of sleep. If I came up with the idea, she thought it was great.
It's Kristal's birthday this week. She is also expecting and there will be 13 years difference between her child and my child. Funny how life can circle around. So, setting the record straight once and for all....I am still older and still taller, but I really didn't want a puppy...I really wanted a sister. Not only did I get a sister, I got a best friend. Happy Birthday!!
This week's menu is Kristal inspired. These are her favorite childhood meals. There are stories behind each meal, and she should remember all of them!
Monday
Stew (venison or beef)
Cheesy Garlic Biscuits ***
Tuesday
Tacos
Fruit
Wednesday
Chicken with Rice and Cashews***
Green Beans
Thursday
Fettuchini Alfredo ***
Green Salad
Garlic Bread
Marble Cake with Chocolate Frosting
Friday
Dijorno Supreme Pizza
Butter lettuce salad
Sunday, October 3, 2010
Walking With Heroes
Again, what I plan to write about, and what comes out in this blog, seem to be two different things. I was planning on writing about comfort today....After the stormy weather we've had, comfort food came to mind, but then I thought that we had much more stormy weather ahead, so I would wait. Isn't that like life though? You deal with one round of stormy weather and then you think, "Well, I've weathered that, I'll hang on until the next round."
Then I thought I would write about pets and how they gave comfort. (See the theme?) And then I took part in the annual Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in my hometown.
The dictionary says that Comfort is "any attempt to relieve pain or stress, one who provides relief; to aid or assist. "
Today a whole town, community, area, & county turned out to give comfort. They came together to honor and support survivors, family, friends, & caregivers of breast cancer. That's comfort. Every symbol of comfort was there: prayers, quilts, handmade food, music, pets, balloons, family, friends, tears, laughter, hugs, and togetherness. Anything that could be done to give relief was done. Pugs in pink tutus? It sure made me laugh! Elaine Gibb is the coordinator for Salem and a survivor. She is a true hero in every sense of the word. As I watched women from every age and walk of life stand together in sisterhood, comfort came to mind. We were there to give as much as we could.
Tammy Butler beautifully sang Melissa Ethridge's song called "I Run for Hope". Everyone has a Mother, Sister, Daughter, Aunt, Grandmother,Wife, Friend. Love them....Here are the lyrics.
It's been years since they told her about it
The darkness her body possessed
And the scars are still there in the mirror
Everyday that she gets herself dressed
Though the pain is miles and miles behind her
And the fear is now a docile beast
If you ask her why she is still running
She'll tell you it makes her complete
[Chorus:]
I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother, your sister, your wife
I run for you and me, my friend
I run for life
It's a blur since they told me about it
How the darkness had taken its toll
And they cut into my skin and they cut into my body
But they will never get a piece of my soul
And now I'm still learning the lesson
To awake when I hear the call
And if you ask me why I am still running
I'll tell you I run for us all
[Chorus:]
And someday if they tell you about it
If the darkness knocks on your door
Remember her remember me
We will be running as we have before
Running for answers
Running for more
I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother, your sister, your wife
I run for you and me my friend
I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother your sister, your daughter, your wife
For you and me my friend
I run for life
I run for your mother your sister your wife
I run for you and me my friend
I run for life
Menu for the Week (Have dinner with your Mom, Sister, Aunt, Friend..you'll be glad you did)
Sunday
Guinness Stew***
Applesauce
Monday***
Pasta Fagioli with Sausage
Bread for Dipping
Tuesday
Beef Stroganoff
Noodles
Wednesday
Sesame Chicken
Snow Peas
Rice
Thursday
Spinach Salad
Ham with Peach sauce
Friday
Michael is bringing home Indian take out!!!!
Then I thought I would write about pets and how they gave comfort. (See the theme?) And then I took part in the annual Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk in my hometown.
The dictionary says that Comfort is "any attempt to relieve pain or stress, one who provides relief; to aid or assist. "
Today a whole town, community, area, & county turned out to give comfort. They came together to honor and support survivors, family, friends, & caregivers of breast cancer. That's comfort. Every symbol of comfort was there: prayers, quilts, handmade food, music, pets, balloons, family, friends, tears, laughter, hugs, and togetherness. Anything that could be done to give relief was done. Pugs in pink tutus? It sure made me laugh! Elaine Gibb is the coordinator for Salem and a survivor. She is a true hero in every sense of the word. As I watched women from every age and walk of life stand together in sisterhood, comfort came to mind. We were there to give as much as we could.
Tammy Butler beautifully sang Melissa Ethridge's song called "I Run for Hope". Everyone has a Mother, Sister, Daughter, Aunt, Grandmother,Wife, Friend. Love them....Here are the lyrics.
It's been years since they told her about it
The darkness her body possessed
And the scars are still there in the mirror
Everyday that she gets herself dressed
Though the pain is miles and miles behind her
And the fear is now a docile beast
If you ask her why she is still running
She'll tell you it makes her complete
[Chorus:]
I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother, your sister, your wife
I run for you and me, my friend
I run for life
It's a blur since they told me about it
How the darkness had taken its toll
And they cut into my skin and they cut into my body
But they will never get a piece of my soul
And now I'm still learning the lesson
To awake when I hear the call
And if you ask me why I am still running
I'll tell you I run for us all
[Chorus:]
And someday if they tell you about it
If the darkness knocks on your door
Remember her remember me
We will be running as we have before
Running for answers
Running for more
I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother, your sister, your wife
I run for you and me my friend
I run for hope
I run to feel
I run for the truth
For all that is real
I run for your mother your sister, your daughter, your wife
For you and me my friend
I run for life
I run for your mother your sister your wife
I run for you and me my friend
I run for life
Menu for the Week (Have dinner with your Mom, Sister, Aunt, Friend..you'll be glad you did)
Sunday
Guinness Stew***
Applesauce
Monday***
Pasta Fagioli with Sausage
Bread for Dipping
Tuesday
Beef Stroganoff
Noodles
Wednesday
Sesame Chicken
Snow Peas
Rice
Thursday
Spinach Salad
Ham with Peach sauce
Friday
Michael is bringing home Indian take out!!!!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Apples for the Children
One of my favorite times of year as a teacher was "apple season." I taught preschool for 10 years and told this story every year. It never got old, and the expression on the children's faces was priceless. Did you know that apples were magic? Well they are! Try it and see the smiles on the faces of the folks (big and little).
The Little Red House
There was once upon a time a little boy who was tired of all his toys and, tired of all his play. "What shall I do ?" He asked his mother. And his mother, who always knew beautiful things for little boys to do, said, " You shall go on a journey and find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside."
This really made the little boy wonder. Usually his mother had good ideas, but his thought that this one was very strange. "Which way shall I go?" He asked his mother. "I don't know where to find a little red house with no doors and no window ." "
The little boy went on until he came to the great brown barn were the farmer kept barrel of fat potatoes and baskets of yellow squashes and golden pumpkins. The farmer himself stood in the doorway looking out over the green pastures and yellow grain fields. "Do you know where I shall find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?" asked the little boy of the farmer. The farmer laughed too. "I lived a great many years and I never saw one." He chuckled, "But ask Granny who lives at the foot of the hill. She knows how to make molasses, taffy and popcorn balls, and red mittens! Perhaps she can direct you."
So the little boy went on farther still, until he came to the Granny, sitting in her pretty garden of herbs and marigolds. She was wrinkled as a walnut and as smiling as the sunshine. "Please, Dear Granny," said the little boy. "Where shall I find a little red house with no doors and no windows and a star inside?"
Granny was knitting a red mitten, and when she heard the little boy's question, she laughed so cheerily that the wool ball rolled of her lap and down the little pebbly path. "I should like to find that little house myself," she chuckled. " I would be warm when the frosty night comes and the starlight would be prettier than a candle. But ask the wind who blows about so much and listens at all the chimneys. Perhaps the wind can direct you."
So the little boy took off his cap and tipped it politely to the Granny and went on up the hill rather sorrowfully. He wondered if his mother, who usually knew almost everything had perhaps made a mistake. The wind was coming down the hill as the little boy climbed up. As they met, the wind turned about and went along, singing beside the little boy. It whistled in his ear, and pushed him and dropped a pretty leaf into his hand. "I wonder," thought the little boy, after they had gone along together for awhile, "if the wind could help me find a little red house with no doors and no windows a star inside."
The wind cannot speak in our words, but it went singing ahead of the little boy until it came to an orchard. There it climbed up in the apple tree and shook the branches. When the little boy climbed up, there at his feet lay a great rosy apple. The little boy picked the apple. It was as much as his two hands could hold. It was red as the sun had been able to paint it, and the thick brown stem stood up as straight as a chimney, and it had no doors and no windows. Was there a star inside?
The little boy called to the wind, "Thank you," and the wind whistled back, "You're welcome." Then the little boy gave the apple to his mother. His mother took a knife (AT THIS POINT , START CUTTING AN APPLE CROSSWISE) and cut the apple through the center. Oh, how wonderful! There inside the apple, lay a star holding brown seeds.
"It is too wonderful to eat without looking at the star, isn't it?" the little boy said to his mother. "Yes indeed"
After I cut the apple open, we would all look at the star inside. I would then take the apple and we would dip the apple in paint and make star prints with it. Needless to say snack would be apple slices and peanut butter that day!
This week's menu is fall inspired. Lots of apples, cozy casseroles, and soups.
Sunday
Pot Roast
Mashed Potatoes
Carrots
Monday
Cider Glazed Chicken***
Waldorf Salad***
Roasted Sweet Potato Wedges
Tuesday
Pork Tenderloin (Crock Pot)
Applesauce***
Green Beans
Wednesday
Clam Chowder
Applesauce bread***
Thursday
Cheesy Ziti Toss***
Green Salad
Garlic Bread
Friday
Nachos
Homemade Salsa
Saturday
Footlighter's Party & Plan for Walk For Hope (Think Pink!!)
Pomegranite Cosmopolitans ***
Sunday, September 19, 2010
International Discoveries
Normally I shoot for 1 post per week. That seems reasonable so far. However, last night in our house we had "Taste Epiphany". In other words we had some new foods that had never before come out of our kitchen, and I just had to write about them.
Soup....hmmmm... I would make butternut squash soup. If it didn't work, the chickens would like it. Apples....hey.. we have apples fresh from the orchard. Hmmmmmm....So I cooked the squash and apples and some onion together in a dutch oven. I have become absolutely enamored with Indian food and Indian spices, so I started spicing up the broth. I added cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, nutmeg. salt and pepper. I then chopped fresh cilantro and threw that in. The boys got in the act and said it would be better with some heat to it. So in went red pepper flakes. OH MY GOSH! 2 BOWLS LATER....we were all eating butternut squash and apple soup with Indian spices. Yes, Mom I ate my squash.
To go with the soup, I thought grilled sandwiches would be good. In the grocery store I had picked up a package of Halloumi cheese. Halloumi cheese is a Greek cheese that can be sliced and grilled as is. You slice it up, pop it on a skewer, or in a pan and grill it until it gets golden brown. It's very similar in texture to Indian paneer cheese. (Never met a cheese I didn't like.) It doesn't get sticky and nasty in the pan, but caramelizes beautifully. I had never had or tasted it so thought I'd give it a try. It was amazing!
I grilled up a whole plateful of cheese. We assembled turkey, apple, and grilled Halloumi sandwiches and cooked them panini style. Delicious.
Greece and India in one night. Wonder where our taste buds will travel to tonight!
Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
In dutch oven take 2 Tbsp butter and sweat 1 small onion diced for about 5 min.
Add 3-4 cups peeled, seeded, and diced butternut squash
2-3 cups chopped, peeled, and seeded apple (any variety. I used Macs)
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 cans of chicken stock
Allow to come to a boil and let simmer until squash and apples are soft. Take bay leaves out of soup. Reserve 2 cups of soup (if you want some chunks of squash or apples. Hubby likes texture and doesn't care for totally pureed soup.) Puree the remaining soup. Add reserved soup back in.
Add:
1/4 c brown sugar
salt and pepper
2 tsp grated nutmeg
Red pepper flakes to taste ( can be omitted)
Chop fresh cilantro and add into soup. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and cilantro. (This would be very tasty with fresh Naan.)
Grilled Halloumi, Turkey, and Apple Sandwiches
Arnold Multigrain Sandwich Thins
Deli Turkey
Halloumi cheese
Peeled Sliced Apples
Butter
In a heated grill pan, slice the Halloumi cheese. You do not need to grease the pan. The cheese will generally not stick. I used cast iron and it really didn't. Grill the cheese 1-2 minutes on each side. The cheese will turn golden brown and will retain it's shape. Take the cheese off the heat.
Thinly butter the outsides of the bread this. Assemble sandwiches with turkey, apple, and cheese. Put the top on the sandwich and grill 2-3 minutes each side until golden brown.
 |
| See what I mean? Aren't they cute? |
First is butternut squash. Normally I am not a fan. Can't help it, it's just the way it is. From the time I was little, my Mom will confirm, squash in ANY form was just not something that I cared for. I would take the "try it, taste it," two bites, and still would rather eat sawdust than squash. (In my defense however, I would eat pumpkin pie. That didn't even count as squash in my book.) This past week, I had been blessed and given two lovely, fresh butternut squash. They were gifts from 8 year olds that I couldn't possibly tell that I didn't care for them. I took them with good grace and thought "Now what?" They sat on my counter not singing and dancing like the squash on "Veggie Tales", but sitting stationary, daring me to try them.
Soup....hmmmm... I would make butternut squash soup. If it didn't work, the chickens would like it. Apples....hey.. we have apples fresh from the orchard. Hmmmmmm....So I cooked the squash and apples and some onion together in a dutch oven. I have become absolutely enamored with Indian food and Indian spices, so I started spicing up the broth. I added cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, nutmeg. salt and pepper. I then chopped fresh cilantro and threw that in. The boys got in the act and said it would be better with some heat to it. So in went red pepper flakes. OH MY GOSH! 2 BOWLS LATER....we were all eating butternut squash and apple soup with Indian spices. Yes, Mom I ate my squash.
I grilled up a whole plateful of cheese. We assembled turkey, apple, and grilled Halloumi sandwiches and cooked them panini style. Delicious.
Greece and India in one night. Wonder where our taste buds will travel to tonight!
Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
In dutch oven take 2 Tbsp butter and sweat 1 small onion diced for about 5 min.
Add 3-4 cups peeled, seeded, and diced butternut squash
2-3 cups chopped, peeled, and seeded apple (any variety. I used Macs)
2 Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp cinnamon
2 bay leaves
2 cans of chicken stock
Allow to come to a boil and let simmer until squash and apples are soft. Take bay leaves out of soup. Reserve 2 cups of soup (if you want some chunks of squash or apples. Hubby likes texture and doesn't care for totally pureed soup.) Puree the remaining soup. Add reserved soup back in.
Add:
1/4 c brown sugar
salt and pepper
2 tsp grated nutmeg
Red pepper flakes to taste ( can be omitted)
Chop fresh cilantro and add into soup. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and cilantro. (This would be very tasty with fresh Naan.)
Grilled Halloumi, Turkey, and Apple Sandwiches
Arnold Multigrain Sandwich Thins
Deli Turkey
Halloumi cheese
Peeled Sliced Apples
Butter
In a heated grill pan, slice the Halloumi cheese. You do not need to grease the pan. The cheese will generally not stick. I used cast iron and it really didn't. Grill the cheese 1-2 minutes on each side. The cheese will turn golden brown and will retain it's shape. Take the cheese off the heat.
Thinly butter the outsides of the bread this. Assemble sandwiches with turkey, apple, and cheese. Put the top on the sandwich and grill 2-3 minutes each side until golden brown.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Freezer Pleasers
Our freezer saga began when we got back from our vacation this summer. The house was in great shape, the animals well taken care of by my niece, and a freezer that had just quit. Thank goodness we had gone down to get something for dinner! Our freezer was an upright, frost free, appliance that we utilized to the max. Meats, bacon, fruits,vegetables, bacon, bread, cookie dough, freeze pops, and bacon...(did I mention bacon?) were all in jeopardy. Luckily, we discovered it shortly after it had quit so the food was still frozen. We phoned my Mom who has an upright freezer and asked if we could move our groceries to her house until we either got the freezer repaired or replaced. We called it the "Massive Meat Mobilization" and fortunately saved everything but a few bags of vegetables. (The bacon and the pepper sticks were safe, that's all that matters!)
Over the summer, we looked for a good freezer deal and we used up as much as we could of the food that was in the upstairs refrigerator freezer. It was quite an adventure. I'm a total fan of upright freezers. When I was a kid we had a chest freezer, and my grandparents had a HUGE chest freezer in their garage. I would be sent out to get something, and I couldn't reach very far down. I'd have to stand on a chair or step stool to see what was in there. My favorite part of the freezers was both my Mom and my grandmother would freeze molasses cookies in foil packages. I would be standing on a stool, bent over at the waist, butt up in the freezer hunting for those cookies, when I had been sent out for onions or ground beef. The reward was awesome when I would find one of those shiny, metallic packages. I would eat the cookies ice cold, and rock hard. They were that good!
Change is coming to our family in many ways, and we had been blessed to have a great deal on a freezer that benefited both my Mom and us. We now have an upright freezer to store food in. Hubby has a promotion, soccer is starting up for the boy child, and play rehearsals are gearing up for me. Dinner needs to be something quick, easy, and hearty. We were also blessed to be given a whole bag of fresh garlic cloves. Dinners this week will be from the freezer and will be using the fresh garlic. Many meals prepped ahead can be stored in the freezer and their ingredients can go directly from freezer to oven or Crock Pot. After I gave birth to my boy child, many friends and family members made dinners that could be frozen and go directly from freezer to oven. When I went back to work, that was an invaluable gift. My sister has announced that she is "expecting" and I'll be stocking up meals and recipes for her.
The apple pie pictured uses my Grandmother's no fail pie crust recipe. The beauty of this recipe is the pie dough can be refrigerated up to a week, or frozen up to 4 months! The recipe is not in this blog, as I'm planning an entire "Pie Blog." I'll include it then....Maybe.....
Freezers sure are "cool"! (Especially when there is bacon in them!)
***Indicates a recipe included
Weekly Menu
Sunday
Shrimp and Scallops in a Garlic Cream Sauce***
Cheesy Flat bread
Grilled Asparagus
Apple Pie
Monday
40 Clove Garlic Chicken (Chicken from the freezer cooked in the Crock Pot)***
Green Salad
Mandarin Orange Salad
Tuesday
Sweet and Sour Meatballs (Meatballs from the freezer, cooked in the Crock Pot)***
Pineapple Chunks
Brown Rice
Wednesday
Sausage Orecchiette Pasta (Turkey Sausage defrosted from the freezer)***
Green Beans
Raspberry Strata (can be frozen up to 2 months)***
Thursday
Tortellini with Pesto, Shrimp, and tomatoes (Tortellini and Shrimp from the freezer)***
Apple sauce
Friday
Rotisserie Chicken (Defrosted from freezer)***
Mashed Potatoes
Carrots
Over the summer, we looked for a good freezer deal and we used up as much as we could of the food that was in the upstairs refrigerator freezer. It was quite an adventure. I'm a total fan of upright freezers. When I was a kid we had a chest freezer, and my grandparents had a HUGE chest freezer in their garage. I would be sent out to get something, and I couldn't reach very far down. I'd have to stand on a chair or step stool to see what was in there. My favorite part of the freezers was both my Mom and my grandmother would freeze molasses cookies in foil packages. I would be standing on a stool, bent over at the waist, butt up in the freezer hunting for those cookies, when I had been sent out for onions or ground beef. The reward was awesome when I would find one of those shiny, metallic packages. I would eat the cookies ice cold, and rock hard. They were that good!
Change is coming to our family in many ways, and we had been blessed to have a great deal on a freezer that benefited both my Mom and us. We now have an upright freezer to store food in. Hubby has a promotion, soccer is starting up for the boy child, and play rehearsals are gearing up for me. Dinner needs to be something quick, easy, and hearty. We were also blessed to be given a whole bag of fresh garlic cloves. Dinners this week will be from the freezer and will be using the fresh garlic. Many meals prepped ahead can be stored in the freezer and their ingredients can go directly from freezer to oven or Crock Pot. After I gave birth to my boy child, many friends and family members made dinners that could be frozen and go directly from freezer to oven. When I went back to work, that was an invaluable gift. My sister has announced that she is "expecting" and I'll be stocking up meals and recipes for her.
Freezers sure are "cool"! (Especially when there is bacon in them!)
***Indicates a recipe included
Weekly Menu
 |
| Shrimp and Scallops in Garlic Cream Sauce |
Sunday
Shrimp and Scallops in a Garlic Cream Sauce***
Cheesy Flat bread
Grilled Asparagus
Apple Pie
Monday
40 Clove Garlic Chicken (Chicken from the freezer cooked in the Crock Pot)***
Green Salad
Mandarin Orange Salad
Tuesday
Sweet and Sour Meatballs (Meatballs from the freezer, cooked in the Crock Pot)***
Pineapple Chunks
Brown Rice
Wednesday
Sausage Orecchiette Pasta (Turkey Sausage defrosted from the freezer)***
Green Beans
Raspberry Strata (can be frozen up to 2 months)***
Thursday
Tortellini with Pesto, Shrimp, and tomatoes (Tortellini and Shrimp from the freezer)***
Apple sauce
Friday
Rotisserie Chicken (Defrosted from freezer)***
Mashed Potatoes
Carrots
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