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***
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