Beef Chili Verde

Beef Chili Verde

I had a dear friend pass this recipe to me the other day. While I fleshed out the directions, this is basically the same recipe she gave me.

One beef rump roast, about 3 pounds, diced into half inch cubes

Ten mild green chilies( Anaheim or poblono), seeded

between 5 and 10 seeded jalapeno chilies

two medium sized yellow onions, peeled and diced

one bulb of garlic, peeled and minced

five pounds of tomatillos, finely diced

two quarts beef stock

one Tablespoon salt

one teaspoon cumin

one teaspoon oregano

one teaspoon chili powder

First, roast the chilies. One way to do this is to spread out the chilies on a baking sheet in a 475 degree oven for fifteen minutes and then turn them over and roast them for 15 minutes longer. This should blister the skins of the chilies, making them easier to peel. Let chilies cool and peel them. Using rubber gloves at this point to protect the eyes and skin from possible chili pepper irritation is wise. If a person is very cautious with the handling and immediately washes their hands thoroughly with soap and water, they might avoid problems. As an aside note, most jalapenos sold in stores are more mild than they used to be, or than the ones grown in a backyard garden.

Once the chilies are roasted, cooled and peeled, chop finely. Brown the beef cubes with the onions and garlic. After the beef is browned, add the chilies and tomatillos. Add two quarts of beef stock and the spices.

Cook the chili verde for about twelve hours at a low heat. This is important to develop the flavors of all the ingredients together. The beef will magically tenderize, the tomatillos will become sweet and the chilies will soften their heat and complement the other flavors. The end result should be a very thick sauce that is green and rich. Use to smother other Mexican dishes or just eat it with some tortillas out of a bowl. I used some to make enchiladas and passed some back to my friend who sent me the recipe.

Fish Chowder

After putting it off for a month, I will address the issue of the Fish Chowder.  Okay, it wasn’t chowder because the recipe used had no bacon or pork fat in it.  However, the results were much appreciated by the fifty people who ate it and, after avoiding recording the recipe for four weeks, I will attempt to recreate it.

Fish Chowder

About 3 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dices
I bundle celery, chopped finely
3 onions, chopped finely
2-3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
1 cup butter

Saute all of these vegetables in the butter until the onions and potatoes are clear.  This will take about ten minutes.  Add:

3 quarts chicken stock or water
Salt to taste(about 1 Tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon Thyme
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
Cook until potatoes are soft, about ten minutes.  Add:

2 pounds whitefish (I used tilapia) cut into pieces about 1/2 inch square
Cook until fish is done, about 5 minutes.  Add

1 pint half and half
1 cup cold milk with 1/4 cup flour mixed in until lumps disappear.

Bring to a simmer and cook until the flour has thickened the soup.

Check seasonings. I also added two pinches of hot red pepper, it really brightened up the soup.

Some notes:
Use a big pot.  Stir often to prevent burning.  The fat from the butter, half and half or cream is really yummy, but can be reduced somewhat.  A cup or two of fresh or frozen corn can be added if you like that.  Serve this to a crowd and they will consume it rapidly.  Alterations to the amounts can be made, this is not a precise recipe and can be tailored for your family’s tastes.  The flour can be omitted if you want a thinner soup, it is good both ways.

Brownies

A good brownie recipe is a valuable asset. Especially when you get some of those impossible chocolate cravings and you need it taken care of right NOW! Brownies can be very simple to make if you know some of the secrets to simplicity. This recipe can be made in one bowl, without melting any chocolate. The use of cocoa powder combined with the oil makes a passable substitute for melted unsweetened chocolate. If you are willing to try something a little bit new, you can substitute carob powder for some of the cocoa. The type of cocoa used isn’t like hot chocolate, its like dutch processed cocoa, unsweetened and bitter. This is a great brownie for sharing, but make sure you get a piece before the rest of the family eats them all!

Brownies

1 cup oil
1 cup cocoa powder
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
1-2 cups walnuts, optional

Heat oven to 350 F. Grease sides and bottom of a 9x 13 pan. Mix all ingediants well in a large
bowl until blended. Spread in pan Bake 40-45 minutes or until brownies pull away from sides of the pan. Cool completely in pan on cooling rack.

Fish Tacos a laingenuo

Fish Tacos Ingenuo 

Ingenuo means both naive and candid or simpleminded. These tacos are very simple to make and especially tasty when eaten with someone you love. The recipe can be varied like I did today with some beef chopped finely and cooked until done on the stove top. Eating them, standing around the kitchen waiting for the next tortilla to be done is a nice way to have your family interact with your cooking. If you are cooking for one, its pretty straightforward and simple to cook as well.

Fish Tacos Ingenuo

frozen fish fillets or sticks

corn or flour tortillas

cabbage

tartar sauce or a mixture of ranch dressing and salsa

lime slice

If you live in the southwestern part of the United States, you can find tortillas at almost any grocery store. These are essentially a thin flatbread made by rolling out with either a wheat four based dough for the flour tortillas or a mixture of corn called masa for the corn tortillas. If you have gluten issues, the corn tortillas are going to be a good idea. Some people don't like using corn tortillas because they only have experience with them breaking as you try to wrap them. I learned a secret from my friend who was married to a Mexican(grew up in Mexico, not just born of Mexican ancestors like a lot of people I know): You have to heat the tortillas up before you use them or they will break. The way I like to do this is to place them one at a time on a hot skillet and flip them over after a few seconds. You can, however, heat a stack of tortillas in the oven or microwave wrapped in a clean, dry dishtowel. So, if you are using the Fish, first thing you do is to preheat the oven and cook them according to the instructions on the box. I like Van de Camps brand. Consistent quality and yummy. How many? Oh, if you are cooking for you and you want one taco, one fillet or three sticks. Multiply that out by the number of tacos that you need to feed your family and you will have a good idea. While the frozen fish is cooking, shred your cabbage as finely as you can manage. We are talking the thinnest shreds possible. The thinner they are, the more sauce they get per area cut and it makes the tacos extra easy to eat. It can be disconcerting to find a huge piece of cabbage just as you are trying to chew your taco. The voice of experience here. I made my own salsa last year from some tomatoes someone gave me. I canned it and haul it out when I want good sugar free stuff. Limes are optional, but they can be a great flavor note to add to your taco, just slice in wedges and squeeze one wedge per taco. Take out your fish, place on either one flour tortilla or two corn tortillas, place  some cabbage and sauce on top, squeeze lime wedge and eat. Its simple, and it might not sound yummy but it is. The aha point on this came for me when I realized all the taco places around here sell fish tacos for about $2 each, but use generic frozen fillets that they deep fat fry. I could buy my own frozen fish fillets, bake them, and save a lot of money and have better, less greasy tacos. I was especially flattered that a friend told my husband he followed my 'recipe' and was surprised that the tacos were really good. Simple and good. Try them.

Fat-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Fat-Free Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

I made these on a hunch. The hunch was that if I used vegetable purees instead of butter in a cookie like recipe, the result would be like the cookies I was craving from the store, but less fat laden and more nutritious. I was right, but the cookies were actually better than any other pumpkin chocolate chip cookies I had made before. Its saying a lot that they turned out as well, if not better. I baked them as a bar cookie; in a 9x13 pan. I think they would work as well formed on cookie trays.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

8 oz butternut squash puree

8 oz sweet potato puree

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp baking powder

2 cups all purpose wheat flour

1 cup rice cereal(baby food)

1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix purees, sugar and eggs together in a large bowl. Mix together the dry ingredients and add them to the wet ingredients. 
The finished dough will be thick. It can either be formed into balls and placed on a greased cookie tray or pressed into a greased 9x13 inch pan. Bake for 10-12 minutes for the cookies or 25 minutes for the pan. Allow to cool before eating, at least enough to not get burned. Trust me on this... Its pretty important. If you love pumpkin, you will love these cookies. Unless you hate chocolate like my little sister. I'm not sure if she is really my sister.... just kidding, I know you are my sister, you are too abnormal not to be :)

Pumpkin Flax Seed Granola

Pumpkin Flax Seed Granola

 

Sometimes I fall into a bit of a rut with breakfast. Lately, I have been eating eggs or oatmeal. Now I love both eggs and oatmeal, but I wanted to make something different. I had purchased a um, large bag of oatmeal, like 25 pounds, or 21 kilos a couple of months back. Abandoning the idea of steadily eating eating away at the fifteen pounds left is not really an option. So, what to do? GRANOLA! Now, while granola bought in the store is hideously expensive, making it at home is pretty easy and relatively quick. So, because I love the pumpkin flax seed granola from a great natural brand, I decided I would try to make up my own recipe. So, here it is. The amounts are approximate, but the results should be delicious even so. If this mix of seeds isn't really your thing, feel free to change it up.

 

Pumpkin Flax seed Granola

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup honey

1 cup oil

1 cup water

5 lbs of oatmeal(this I did measure on a kitchen scale)

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup flax seed

1 cup sesame seeds

1 cup pumpkin seeds

 

Turn oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Melt the sugar, honey, oil and water together to make a syrup. I recommend doing this in a LARGE saucepan on the stove, under careful supervision. I opted for the microwave and it didn't really satisfy my desires to have it all melted together. The stove top works much better. Mix the oatmeal and various stuffs in a really big bowl. Yes, a really big bowl. I really should measure how big my bowls are, but I used the biggest one I had in my kitchen that was stainless steel. Then carefully pour the syrup over the oatmeal/seed mixture. Stir generously to coat as much as possible with the goodness of the syrup. The syrup is going to be your main prevailing flavor, so make sure it coats the oatmeal well.

 

Next, in some baking pans, spread out the coated mixture. This is going to be your granola after it bakes, so treat it with love and respect because it might be going into the oven looking kind of wet and sticky but it will emerge triumphant and proud and delicious! Stir carefully after 20 minutes and it will be done when it has baked for between 40 minutes to an hour. This range is because everyone has personal preferences. You might like your granola darker or lighter. When the granola is close to being done, it will start smelling awesome, so let the aroma be your clue to watch it carefully.

 

This granola will be so much better than anything you have ever had from a store if you don't burn it. It might still seem a bit moist, but it will continue to dry after it has been removed from the oven. Stir it well as it cools to remove any traces of moisture and then store in the freezer or refrigerator for up to six months. At room temperature, I can't say how long it will last because everyone in your house will eat it. This granola makes a great gift when you just want to show off to someone how totally cool you are. Or not, you can just eat it yourself.

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

Whipped Cream Cheese Frosting

 

Its the sweet stuff. Seriously, this is amazing frosting.

 

1/2 cup softened butter

8 ounces cream cheese

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup  heavy whipping cream

Cream butter and cream cheese together. Add powdered sugar and beat well. Then add the whipping cream and whip it up. The frosting will become stiffer than whipped cream but will spread easily.

 

Some issues to be aware of: this frosting has sugar and fat. Yes, I know, it is caloriffic! Just don't eat it every day for a week and you should be fine. Also, ideally, the cake should be refrigerated once it is frosted. If it lasts that long. This frosting goes well with just about any cake, but especially well with carrot, chocolate zucchini and raw apple.

 

 

Triple Ginger Chews

Triple Ginger Chews 

I published this recipe on a certain social networking site a while back, but the formatting got confused and made it tough to link to. Good recipe when you are feeling blue because of the B vitamins in the molasses. If you leave out the eggs, these are amazingly buttery.

Triple Ginger Chews 

2 cups all purpose flour 
2 cups oatmeal baby food, or finely ground oatmeal 
2 teaspoons allspice 
2 teaspoons ginger powder 
1 teaspoon salt 

12 oz butter (about 3 sticks), room temperature 
1/2 cup molasses 
1 1/2 cup sugar 
1/4 cup grated ginger 
2 eggs(well beaten) 
1 cup crystallized ginger, finely minced 

1/2 cup large-grain sugar like Turbino or sugar in the raw 

Mix dry ingredients. In separate, larger bowl, cream butter, molasses and sugar. Then add eggs, fresh and crystallized ginger and mix well. Gradually add dry mix to wet mix. Stir until flour is absorbed. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough into tablespoon sized balls. Roll to coat in large grain sugar, then place on baking sheet, spaced a few inches apart. Bake for 10 minutes. Cookies should darken, puff up and crack. Remove from oven, cool and serve. 


I used the baby food as a dry flour because it works great as an additive to almost any baking and helps up the nutritional value of things my kids will eat without questioning if it is icky. To make an easy 'oat flour', blend oatmeal until powdery and fine, or just grind it if you have a wheat grinder. These cookies are also good with whole wheat flour. The molasses hides the darker color and again, makes these slightly healthier. :D

Lemon Poppyseed Cake

Lemon Poppyseed Cake

This recipe is altered from one from the Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone by Deborah Madison.  I altered it to be slightly more healthy and because I am feeling too icky to make a huge effort to do it her way.  Oh, yes, I got sick with something, fever, sore throat, achiness... I am thinking flu. However, ibuprophen is a great friend when you need it.  So I am up and about today.  We have an awesome store, not too far from where I live called WinCo http://www.wincofoods.com/  WinCo is new to this area, but I really like them. Last night I found lemons at 10 for a dollar so I got 10.  I have already used several to make a lemon honey tonic for my sore throat(mix the juice of one lemon with one teaspoon honey and a cup of hot water, stir to dissolve and drink it.) I have been thinking about this cake for a while and a friend mentioned she was making a lemon cake and I thought, what a great combination the lemon and poppyseed would be.  Also, I lost seven of those random ten pounds, so I am feeling better.  I am going to be working out with my husband and looking forward to it, after I get over this illness.

Lemon Poppyseed Cake

One cup poppyseed

1/2 cup milk

zest of one lemon

2 cups whole wheat flour

one teaspoon baking powder

one teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1/2 cup oil

juice from that zested lemon

1 cup buttermilk or sour cream

Mix the lemon zest into the hot milk and add the poppyseed. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix the dry ingredients throughly and then add the eggs, oil, lemon juice, sour cream or buttermilk and the poppyseed. Mix really good. In fact, you can beat it on medium speed with your mixer for 2 minutes if you want. Pour into a greased and floured 9 inch spring-form pan, bundt pan or 9x13 inch pan or two 9 inch cake pans. Or cupcake liners, it would be about 24 cupcakes. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes for the bundt and spring-form pans, 45 minutes for the 9x13 and 30 for cupcakes. Remove from oven when the cake is golden, firm and beginning to pull from the sides of the pan. Dust with powdered sugar or coat with a lemon glaze.

Raw Apple Cake

Raw Apple Cake

 

I have been gaining weight lately. I think there are multiple reasons, and probably eating too much sweets has contributed some of it. Finding a way to balance my current raging sweet tooth with things I should be eating more of, like fruits and vegetables, is my current challenge. I was strongly considering a short term dietary shift, but due to some setbacks, I have not implemented it yet. I will be blogging about what I am eating when I do that along with recipes. Anyway, this cake, along with the zucchini chocolate cake and the carrot cake, made up the triple layer cake I baked for my oldest son's first birthday. Frosted with whipped cream frosting, the cake was a huge success. Even when each of these cakes are served separately, they are a delicious healthy treat. But maybe just once a week, not every day? Yeah, I am looking for some new recipes for healthy, portion controlled treats. With millions of recipes out there, I am sure I will be able to tailor one or two to my personal tastes :)

 

 

Raw Apple Cake

4 cups of chopped fresh apples

2 cups of brown sugar

1/2 cup cooking oil

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

 

Mix all ingredients to moisten and place in a greased 9 inch by 13 inch pan or 2 round 9 inch cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees F for one hour.

Ok, it seems really simple to make, and it really is. No need for frosting, and it makes a good breakfast or brunch cake. I think this is my mother's favorite recipe for cakes and she makes it not nearly often enough. It will have big chunks of apples unless you chop them really fine, but that is part of the charm of the cake. This recipe was altered from the Kitchen Magic cookbook, a cookbook about using your food storage every day. It has some other 'healthy' recipes I want to try later, after I figure out if there is some other reason I gained 10 lbs in 2 months.

The Best Way to Disguise Zucchini

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

 

The best way to disguise Zucchini is in baked products. While you might have had zucchini bread or muffins before, you might never have heard of zucchini chocolate cake. This treat is awesome not only because it uses 3 cups of shredded zucchini, but also because it tastes really yummy, just like chocolate cake should and because the zucchini offers a moisture to the cake that keeps it fresh longer. I know it isn't zucchini season currently, but I am using some zucchini one of my friends kindly insisted I take home last summer that I grated and froze. Zucchini is mostly water, so when it thawed, there was quite a bit of water that had separated from the vegetable flesh. Some of it I drained and the rest I added to the recipe, in place of the buttermilk(yes, I know the buttermilk was supposed to DO something, but I forgot at the moment of actual mixing) In case you can't tell, I am trying to rotate my food storage and get some things used up in fun ways. The original recipe called for all purpose flour, but the whole wheat I ground a couple of days ago worked great and was full of fiber and other nutrients that are classically lacking in commercially milled flour.This recipe was also borrowed from the Joy of Gardening Cookbook. My aunt used to cook this cake all the time when we had an excess of zucchini.

 

Zucchini Chocolate Cake

 

4 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate(I weighed out 4 oz of DARK chocolate chips because I was out of unsweetened)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups of whole wheat flour

1/3 cup cocoa

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup buttermilk or sour cream

3 cups of grated zucchini or summer squash

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour or line with parchment paper two nine inch cake pans. Melt chocolate and oil together. You can do this in the microwave or over very low heat on the stove to make sure it doesn't burn. Cream the butter until light, then add the sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat well.  Add the melted chocolate and mix well. Sift together(yeah, I always stir them thoroughly instead of sifting) the dry ingredients and then stir them into the batter with the buttermilk. (This was the point I just dumped the melted zucchini into the batter. Oops!) Mix good and then taste the goodness... Oh wait, that wasn't the end! Divide the batter between the two prepared pans. Bake in the center of the oven for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool completely before frosting. Cream Cheese frosting is a great match with this rich cake. This cake is SO good! You might not want to tell your family and friends what is in it, until they rave about it.

Healthy Carrot Cake

Healthy Carrot Cake

 

I would say this cake recipe is healthy because it does what many cake recipes do not: encourage your kids to eat vegetables. I have a bunch of recipes like this, just easier ways for me to help my children eat healthier. My children also like to eat carrots raw, so I guess they would eat them anyway. I have a variation on this recipe that I used for my baby's birthday to make a very rich cake. There are two ways I like to frost this cake, one with the traditional cream cheese frosting, and the other where I melt butter on top and then sprinkle cinnamon sugar generously over the butter. The butter and cinnamon topping makes the cake healthier, because it uses far less sugar. It also makes this cake more suitable to for a breakfast treat which is what we did today. This recipe is adapted from one in the Joy of Gardening Cookbook.

 

Healthy Carrot Cake 

4 cups of grated carrots

2 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon cinnamon powder

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white sugar 

 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. 

 

Blend dry ingredients together. If you want to take the time, feel free to run them through a sifter. Next add the eggs, oil and vanilla. Blend well and then add the carrots. Mix together and place in two greased 9 inch cake pans, 24 lined cupcake tins or a oiled 9 by 13 inch pan. Bake until done, this can be measured by inserting a clean knife or straw into the pan and having it come out clean. This will be about 30 minutes for the cupcakes, 45-50 minutes for the cake pans. It will smell very good when it is done because of all the spices. If you are going to frost with the butter and cinnamon sugar, spread the butter over the top of the cake while it is still hot. Mix one teaspoon of cinnamon into one cup of sugar to make the cinnamon sugar blend. It is also good on toast and spice cake.

 

A richer variation of this recipe calls for a substitution of 1/2 cup of ground sesame seeds for 1/2 cup of the flour  and of one cup of walnuts and 1/2 cup of raisins for 1 cup of grated carrots. Good stuff.

Completely Beautiful Bread

Completely Beautiful Bread  

 

I have made bread a bunch over the course of growing up and have had mixed results. Lately I have been trying different ways of making bread, most of which consisted of dumping my ingredients n my bread machine, turning on the dough cycle, removing the dough, kneading and forming a loaf, and then baking in a hot oven. Good breads have come from this, but I had a desire to make some loaves all at once instead of one at a time and to use freshly ground flour from the hard white wheat I have stored for emergencies. No time like the present to accomplish my goals! So today, I went into my storage area and wrestled the lid off of the bucket of hard white wheat, got out about ten pounds and took it upstairs to run through the donated Magic Mill to make flour. First off, the people who sealed that bucket did not want the lid to be easily removed. I had stupidly left the bucket in a comprised situation on the exterior of my house and even though the outside of the bucket was dirty from having got wet, the inside was completely clean. Good to know. Please store your grain more responsibly in a cool, dark, dry location. Also, hard WHITE wheat cooks up like hard RED wheat in theory, but truthfully acts more like regular bleached Bread flour. I was able to make 100% whole wheat bread that was light and even fluffy with none of the hardness and coarseness I usually find in whole wheat bread.

 

 

 

 

Soft whole wheat bread recipe

2 cups of very warm water

3 tablespoons of yeast

1/4 cup brown sugar

 

Mix together in a one quart or larger bowl. Set aside.

 

3 cups of freshly ground whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon of salt

1/4 cup of brown sugar

 

Mix together in a bowl big enough to hold your one year old. J/K The bowl was a bigger stainless steel one that is about 16 inches in diameter and probably holds two gallons of water, easy.

Add the bubbling yeast mixture. Stir to make a wonderful thing called batter. This batter is why this recipe totally is the best one I have ever made! Let the batter sit and rise for about twenty minutes. Don't do what I did and leave your fork in it. That was dumb on my part because I had to fish it out from all the bubbly batter.

 

Now, add about 3 more cups of flour to the batter. This addition will make it look like all the moisture has been absorbed. If you really rock, you will have done all this stirring and stuff in a Kitchenaid mixer and the next step is even more simple: Stir all the flour into the batter to make the dough and knead for five to ten minutes. I used my hands and got them really covered in the dough. It is fun. Now, oil the bowl liberally, place the kneaded dough back inside, flip over to coat the dough with the oil, cover the bowl and let rise for 45 minutes to an hour in a warm place. After the dough has risen double or even triple in size(literally, mine filled the bowl that I was describing earlier), turn it out on a clean surface, like a counter. Now knead. Pretend the dough is one of your kids, spank it, punch it a few times. Work it over and make it bend to your will. After you get your aggression out on the dough, you will have kneaded it for about ten minutes. You are welcome to knead it less, but I cation, do not add more flour. With the dough having been oiled and kneaded before, it should resist sticking to the surface and the addition of more flour will make it very heavy and stiff. Divide the bread in half, place each half into a well oiled 9 by 5 inch bread pan and let rise in a warm place. I put mine over the oven as I preheated it to 350 degrees F. Let rise until about doubled(this was about 20 minutes), then place in the oven for 30-35 minutes. The resulting bread should be softer than you expect so don't do something lame like pounding on the top of the loaf to check if it is done. What you can do, if you have doubts about what your nose and eyes are telling you is an amazing loaf of bread, is to measure the interior of the loaf with a meat thermometer. Please be sure it is clean and not crusted with the remains of your last steak or Thanksgiving turkey. It should read 205 to 210 degrees F.

 

Eat and enjoy with lots of butter or apple butter or apple plum butter or pumpkin butter that you previously canned. Also makes great sandwiches and remember, this bread will be softer than most breads baked at home. It should still have a great crust, but be careful when cutting it or it will smash like the bread from the supermarket. 

 

 

Oil Pie Crust

Pie Crust
 
Alright, pie crust is a loaded topic. Many people would prefer to only use things like shortening and lard to make it, but I say nay. I have always preferred using natural oils to make my pie crusts. Sometimes I will go overboard and use some butter. However, butter must be kept cold or the crust will be too sticky to handle. This is my standard oil-based pie crust mix. If you prefer to have a crust that is more like a commercial one that incorporates solid fats like lard and shortening, try using either palm or coconut butter.
 
Oil-based Pie Crust

2 cups flour (I use unbleached all purpose flour, but whole wheat pastry flour works good too.)
1 teaspoon salt(even if the crust is for a dessert)
1/2 cup oil (Soybean or other type, depending on the use of the crust and your personal tastes)
1/4 cup very cold water(yes, COLD is important in this)

Blend flour and salt. Add oil and cut it into the flour until the mixture is crumbly and resembles something like Bisquik mix. Bisquik has fat in the mix and this is what make is have a different texture than self rising flour.
 
Now, add your COLD water carefully to the oil/flour mix. Gradually stir it together until you can make a ball of the dough and have it hold together. If your pie has two crusts, you will need two balls, so divide it in half. Now, prepare a surface to roll the crust out. Make sure it is clean so nothing funky gets into your crust. Then apply a small amount of flour over the surface and over your rolling pin. This will prevent the crust from sticking as you roll it. Alternatively, if you have a wonderful invention like a Silpat or even just parchment paper(the baking kind that is pretty sturdy), using these can help as well. I do not recommend using wax paper, but some people do. Flatten your ball of dough as much as possible with your hands before using your rolling pin. Then roll it to be as thin as you need, or think your crust should be. Some people use a set of measuring bands on their rolling pins to be sure of the thickness, but that is more than I do. Once your crust is rolled out, double check the size using your pie pan you were going to use for the pie. If it is a little bit too small, roll it out more until it fits right. Then(and this IS the tricky part), carefully transfer the crust to the pie pan. I like to carefully scrape the crust from the counter, folding it over in half and sometimes once again, into fourths using a awesome pancake turner. If you have a Silpat, the crust is easily moved from the counter to the pan. I really should get one of those...
 
Anyway, after the crust is in the pan, put your yummy filling inside and top with the other crust. If you are making a pumpkin or open faced pie, this recipe will make TWO pies! How cool is that? So, to review, mix the oil with the flour, add the water, then make into balls and roll into crusts. If your dough is a little bit sticky, add a tablespoon more flour. If it is too dry, add a tablespoon more water.
 
Bake as per your pie instructions. This will normally depend on the type pf recipe. I made Beef pot pie and cooked it for 400 degrees F for 30 minutes. Fruit pies are about the same time. Custard pies, like pumpkin, require special attention in the oven and normally two separate temperatures.
 
 
Optional
For a dessert pie, you can add a small amount of sugar in the flour like 1 or 2 tablespoons.
 
 

Midnight Snack Mac N Cheese

Ok, I made it at 6 pm, but then I ate it again at midnight...

Mac N Cheese
1 lb Macaroni
4 oz butter
1/4 c flour
1 c milk
2 TBSP mustard(I used plain old yellow already mixed up)
4 slices American Cheese(Its a processed cheese food!)
About a cup of Colby and Jack cheese mixed
1/2 c Cheddar cheese

Okay, toss the macaroni in a pot of salted water(abt 1 TBSP salt in the pot) and let it cook.
Meanwhile, melt the butter, add the flour and then milk to make a basic white sauce. Add the mustard, cheeses and salt to taste. Drain pasta, mix with sauce and taste. Add more cheese if it needs it. Salt and pepper. And then its good with turkey bacon and peas. Just trust me:D

Slowcooking Posole

1 28 oz can hominy
2 chicken breasts
2 15 oz cans tomato products(I used some diced with garlic and onions)
2 cans chicken broth(about 32 oz)
1 can diced green chilies
2 TBSP mild chile powder
1 tsp cumin
1 TBSP salt
Place in slow cooker. It can cook all day and still be great. Seriously, for 12 hours or more. I started mine the night before it was to be eaten. I also cooked it on low, on high it would be faster.

Serving suggestions: Cheese: shredded or crumbled Mexican cheeses, Jack, Cheddar; chopped radishes, green onions, salsa, pico de gallo, crema, sour cream, chips... Its kinda like chili toppings, whatever you think would go good with a Mexican food.

Variations: Sometimes I will cook an entire chicken and use a gallon can of hominy. Basically quadruple the recipe.

Skillet Stroganoff

This is a very simple recipe. I'm sure there are endless variations out there, but I really like this one. Its kind of like Hamburger Helper, but not...


Skillet Stroganoff

1 lb hamburger
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 pound pasta
1 quart water
1 can mushrooms
1 tsp salt

Brown meat. Add everything else. Cook until pasta is done. Turn off heat and let rest for 5 minutes. Done.

I like to make this when I want a hot meal and don't want to spend much energy or brainpower making it. Like after a long day trying to get my car inspected and licensed or shopping.
Variations: Do something else. Leave out the mushrooms. Change the kind of meat, use 2 cans of tuna instead, or 1 lb chicken. Change the kind of soup. Try it with rice or potatoes instead of pasta. It goes pretty good with a tomato sauce too.

Sometimes Sadness

I was going through some of the things I have let slide for a while in my kitchen lately. When Baby H showed up, it had been a hard month for me before and its been easier but still difficult since. I found a stash of fruit I had forgotten about. I remembered what was in it, but I haven't been able to remember WHERE it was for a month! Needless to say, most of it had gone bad. Some of it was still fine though. The pomgranate and apples were ok. The avacados and bananas were not.
It made me stop and think about some things I had kind of forgotten about. Some relationships I have let drop for the time being. I have a good friend I sometimes see whose birthday was couple of weeks ago. I neglected to call her and wish her well. We both have four children so its more difficult to get together than it used to be. Even though she only lives a few miles away, I try not to drive when its so icy in the winter. Many excuses for just not taking the time to say happy birthday. Sigh. I want to do better, but I actually have to BE better. Sometimes I forget that too.
I had another friend remind me that I am not perfect. Of course, I am not perfect, but in that moment before she said that, I was celebrating a small acheivement I have been putting off for a long time. I felt completely successful until she said that. Now with the feeling that she conveyed it feels like there isn't any point. Grr, MY SUCCESS, MY CELEBRATION!
So a reminder, celebrate you own successes and don't let anyone steal them from you. Don't let them tell they aren't good enough or what you should be doing. Do what you feel YOU should be doing, not someone else.

Epic Chili

I think every person with Texas roots has their own variation of chili. My father, who was born and raised in Texas, refused to eat beans in his chili. But the chili that is beanless in my neck of the woods is just a sauce, not a meal. My mother, who was born and raised in Kansas City, had a different version. Guess who cooked?

EPIC CHILI

1 lb beans, black, red, pinto, kidney, whatever you like in your chili
1 lb meat, ground or cubed(again, I'm partial to buffalo, but beef is good, too)
16-32 oz tomato products(salsa, diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, etc)
an onion or two, diced finely
3-6 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
diced green chilies(I use a small 4 oz can)
1/4 cup mild red chili powder
oregano
Salt to taste

First cook the beans. Its a popular misconception that they must be soaked first. Not true. Put them in about a gallon of water and cook for 2-3 hours. Cook them until they are starting to get tender. Then brown the meat with the onion and garlic in a separate pan. Add to the beans when browned. Add the tomatoes, green chilies, oregano and chili powder. If you have other seasonings you like to add at this point, go right ahead, like cayenne or something like that. Let cook for 30 -60 minutes longer until the beans are soft. Now, you can eat it now or allow it to continue cooking until the beans fall apart. The longer you let it cook, the more the flavors will meld and the better it will be. Serve with cheese, sour cream, crema Mexicana, rice, chips, tortillas, cilantro, radishes, green onions, or anything else you like to to doctor your chili with. Some people like to serve it with baked potatoes or cornbread. Again, what ever sounds good. Life is about feeling good about what you eat. This is a good meal because the beans are high in fibers that reduce the risk of colon cancer and illness over all.

Hamburger Gravy

Truely, this I believe is just a variation on the sausage and cream gravy of the South and Midwest. It is a family recipe and I know its simple, but it is quite good to feed to picky eaters. Variations are to add vegetables that your family will enjoy, onions, garlic, green peppers, etc.

1 lb hamburger
1/2 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 tsp salt
black pepper to taste
any other spices you feel to add

Brown meat. The cheaper, fattier 70/30 works really well here because what you are going to do is turn the grease into a roux. Add the flour gradually and whisk it until all the grease is absorbed. If there is too much flour left, add a TBSP of vegetable oil. Let brown briefly and then add the milk. Start with one cup, mix it in well, and then as it thickens, add the second cup. Keep mixing until the gravy has no lumps. It will look a bit runny at this stage but will become very thick in the next 5-10 minutes. When it looks to be as thick as you want it, turn off the heat. We would serve it with mashed potatoes or rice. Even bread makes a good choice. Of course, any vegetable side would go well along side this. Peas, green beans or corn were a favorite choice.

If you want to make it more like a sausage gravy, use sausage or make your own by adding herbs and spices to a ground meat of your choice. Follow directions as for hamburger gravy.