22 posts tagged “recipes”

I hit the grocery store the other day, and bought a whole cart full of produce and other healthy ingredients.  I actually made a menu before I made my grocery list!!  I started out by making some tomato soup for Simon's lunch this morning, and then I actually had soup for breakfast because it is so good!

You try this tomato soup, and you'll never want the stuff in the red and white can ever again!

Tomato soup

You'll find the recipe here on my food blog!

I recently decided that I would like to have a food blog that is just food and also food.

I'm going to keep this Vox blog, and post about my food with links to the food blog, but I decided not to use Vox for the food blog because so many of my friends tell me that they hate the fact that you have to join Vox to comment.

I'm finally getting caught up on sleep and housework after working in the school cafeteria on Wednesday through Monday.  You'd think I would have done that over the weekend, but on Saturday I had a really good training seminar at church from 9:30 to noon.  After that, we went back over to Simon's school for a chili cookoff; and then we went to the birthday party of one of Simon's classmates from 2:00 to 4:00 pm. 

Sunday we had church, and then I got started cleaning stuff, but I woke up with a headache so I didn't get a lot done Sunday afternoon.  After working in the cafeteria on Monday I send Simon with Steve to play practice at the high school, then managed to fall asleep in the bathtub at 7:00 pm.  I realized that I was dozing off, so I got out of the tub and was actually in bed by 7:15 last night.

I woke up fairly chipper this morning, and got a few things tidied over the course of the day.  I also spent a lot of time today trying to get my mom's taxes ready to send out.  A gigantic thanks goes out to my sister Susan who printed forms and brought them over once I realized that our home is currently toner-free, and an even more gigantic thanks goes out to my niece (the birthday girl) who actually crunched the numbers and told me over the phone what to write in each blank.  A decent sized thanks also goes to Steve, who stopped by my sister's house on the way home to pick up the forms we didn't realize we'd need when she dropped off the original forms.  He also ran the completed envelopes to the post office, where the postal worker was just emptying the mailbox as Steve was driving up.  WHEW!!

Just as a little tease, I'll tell you that I have ice cream base cooling in my fridge right now.  I'm going to make the ice cream later on tonight, and I'll try to post the recipe and pictures tomorrow!

I kept seeing ads for Kraft's "new" salad dressing.  They make it sounds like they're 100% natural because they don't have any artificial preservatives.  (I'm not sure what "real" preservatives they've been replaced with, but ok.)

I googled to try to find out exactly what the ingredients are, but couldn't find them listed anywhere online. 

So yesterday, I was at the grocery and noticed them on the shelf.  I picked up almost every flavor, and all but one had high fructose corn syrup as the first ingredient listed. (I think the ranch flavor had hfcs listed as the second ingredient.)

Essentially, Kraft "Pure" dressings are high fructose corn syrup with a few other chemicals added to make it resemble actual salad dressing.

Just for you, here is a recipe for a quick and tasty ranch dressing.
(Adapted from the book Eat, Drink & Weigh Less.)

Ranch Dressing (1 WW point for a 2 tbs serving)
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
2 to 3 Tbs mayo (The canola kind has no hfcs, but has fewer calories than the regular version w/the same taste.)
1 tsp cider vinegar (I've also used white balsamic with good results.)
1/2 tsp onion powder (or to taste)
1/4 tsp garlic powder (or to taste)
1/8 tsp salt (or to taste)
a twist or two of fresh ground pepper

1. Combine ingredients, taste and adjust seasonings.
2. Refrigerate until you're ready to use.  (It gets better after letting the flavors meld for at least 14-20 minutes.)
3. Shake it before you use it.
4. It'll stay fresh for a week or more if you keep it tightly sealed in the fridge.

I have this newfound love of old kitchen gadgets.  You know how much I adore Steve's Grandma's yogurt maker, and today I pulled out the Veg-o-matic that I got from my Grandma years ago. 
(In the back ground, you can also see my Grandma's cannisters that I got at the same time.)

Look at this Veg-o-matic goodness!

Veggie Burger and Veg-o-matic Fries

I hit the grocery store the other night and got some great buys that I was going to use the past couple of days, but then yesterday I realized that it was Simon's half birthday so I switched gears and made his favorite Veggie Pasta Alfredo instead.   Today I have two pounds of sausage and a whole chicken that I need to use before they go south.  (I never trust meat in my fridge.  I always think it's going to go bad and poison us all.) 

I think on this snowy day, I'm going to throw some long simmering stuff like pasta sauce and chicken broth together so I can use them later in lasagna and chicken and dumplings.

Here's what I'm working on:

Red Sauce Prep

Red Sauce for Lasagna (or Spaghetti)

2 lbs Italian sausage (or ground beef if you prefer)

1 onion, chopped  

1 tbs minced garlic  

1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes  

2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste  

2 (15 ounce) cans tomato sauce  

2 cups water (Use more or less depending on how long you plan to simmer your sauce.)

3 tsp dried basil  

2 tsp dried parsley flakes  

1 1/2 tsp brown sugar  

1 tsp kosher salt  

1/4- 1/2 tsp  crushed red pepper flakes (I always go on the low end for my non-spicy family.)

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper  

1/2 cup red wine (Don't skip the wine, it makes the recipe!)

1. In large, heavy stockpot, brown Italian sausage, breaking up as you stir. (Drain off at least part of the grease.)
2. Add onions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until onions are translucent.
3. Add garlic, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce and water.
4. Add basil, parsley, brown sugar, salt, crushed red pepper, and black pepper.
5. Stir well and barely bring to a simmer.
6. Stir in red wine. (Put the wine in after it starts to simmer so the alcohol can burn off faster.)
7. Simmer on low, stirring frequently for at least an hour—longer is better.

Yield: 4 quarts

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 1+ hour(s)

1 recipe sauce

16 oz box lasagna noodles  

15 oz    ricotta cheese  

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese  

1 cup    grated parmesan cheese

1. Cook lasagna as directed and drain.  (I usually drain the noodles and lay them out in layers on waxed paper so they don’t tear or stick together while I’m putting everything together. When you're done you'll have a few extra noodles, but I like having insurance noodles in case some get ripped and Simon always volunteers to eat the extra noodles when I'm done.)
2. In 13x9x2" baking pan, spread about 1 cup sauce across the bottom.
3. Put 4 noodles across the bottom of the pan over the sauce—overlapping slightly.
4. Spread about 1/4 of the remaining sauce over the noodles.
5. Measure 5 oz. of ricotta and drop in little blobs around on top of the sauce.
6. Spread one cup of mozzarella over the top of that, and then sprinkle 1/4 cup parm on top of that.
7. Repeat those ingredients two more times to make three ricotta layers total. (Put the ricotta blobs in different places on each layer so you get some in each bite.)
   
8. On top of the third ricotta layer, put a fourth layer of noodles topped by the last 1/4^th of the sauce, the last of the parm, and the last of the mozzarella. (I’ve seen people sprinkle dried basil or Italian seasoning on top of that for decoration if you like that look.)
9. Bake at 350 for 40 to 50 minutes until lightly browned and bubbling.
10. Let it sit for 15 minutes to solidify a little, then cut into squares to serve.

Chicken in Every Pot

Copycat Cracker Barrel Chicken & Dumplings (6 servings)

-- Chicken and Broth --

3 quarts water  

4 1/2-4 lb chicken (cut up or not, your choice as long as it's covered by the water)

2 1/4 tsp salt (divided use)

1 1/2 small sliced onion  

3 stalks celery, roughly chopped  

1 1/2  clove garlic, peeled and quartered  

2 small bay leaves

2 Tbs dried parsley

1/2 Tbs freshly ground black pepper  

1 1/2 Tbs fresh lemon juice (bottled is yucky in this)

 
-- Dumplings --

3 cup flour (White Lily or other soft wheat flour makes awesome biscuits and really good dumplings.)

1 1/2 Tbs baking powder  

1 7/8 tsp salt  

1 11/16 cup milk  

1. Boil 3 quarts water in a large pot.
2. Add chicken, 1 1/2 t salt, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf and parsley and simmer uncovered for 2 hours. The liquid should reduce by about 1/3.
3. When chicken is cooked, remove it and set aside.
4. Strain stock and throw away everything but the stock.
   
5. Put the stock back into the pot and add the pepper, 3/4 t salt and lemon juice and reheat while you mix dumplings.
6. For dumplings, mix flour, baking powder, 1-1/4 t salt and milk in a medium bowl.
7. Stir until smooth, then let dough rest for 5-10 minutes.
8. Pat dough onto a floured surface to about 1/2 inch thickness.
9. (Handle the dough as little as possible for good, fluffy dumplings.)
10. Cut the dough into 1/2 inch squares (I use a floured pizza cutter) and drop each square into the simmering stock.
11. Use all of the dough.
12. The dumplings will first swell and then slowly shrink as they partially dissolve to thicken the stock into a white gravy.
13. Simmer for 20 to 30 minutes until thick, stirring often.
14. While the stock is thickening, the chicken will have cooled.
15. Tear all the meat from the bones and remove the skin.
    
16. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces, and drop them into the pot.
    
17. Cook for another 5 to 10 minutes, but stir carefully so you don't break up the chicken.
    
18. When the gravy has reached the desired consistency, ladle four portions onto plates and serve hot.

I was just thinking about what treat I would make Steve and Simon for Valentine's Day.  I'm thinking seriously about trying my hand at homemade marshmallows this year.  (I might talk myself out of it, but right now it seems like a good idea.)

Last year I made Reece's Squares, and they were a big hit.  I was telling a friend about them earlier, so I thought I'd post the recipe.

Reece's Squares
1 1/2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
16 oz confectioners sugar
1 1/2 cups peanut butter
1 cup butter, melted
1 (12 oz) bag chocolate chips

1. Combine sugar, peanut butter and graham cracker crumbs.  Mix well.
2. Stir in melted butter until well combined.
3. Press mixture evenly into a 9x13 pan.
4. Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or in a double boiler.
5. Spread over peanut butter layer.
6. Chill until firm and cut into bars.

Steve's 40th birthday is the first week in March, and I've already reserved the clubhouse for the party.  Since we aren't rolling in money, I decided to make a casual buffet for 40 of our closest friends.  We'll be having pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, homemade baked beans, carrot and celery sticks, chips and dip, ice cream and cake.  To drink, I'm seriously considering serving lemonade and iced tea.  (I'm still trying to decide if I want to make a huge pan of homemade mac and cheese or not.)

I decided to hit the Super Bowl sales last week, and got twenty pounds of pork butt for $.98/lb.  I let half of it cook all day Wednesday in a low oven.  Wednesday night I pulled it, poured the pan broth over it, and threw it in a baking pan in the freezer.  Today I threw the uncooked half of the pork in the oven, took the frozen pork from the other day and put it in a Food Saver bag, and then tonight I pulled the rest of the pork and put it in the freezer so it will freeze into a nice rectangle to nicely fit into its own Food Saver bag. 

I decided to keep out about a pound pulled pork for us to have for dinner tonight, so I had to make coleslaw and pig pickin' sauce for sandwiches.  I decided to make a pan of homemade mac and cheese to go along with it--just because it sounded good.   Since I hadn't planned in advance, I couldn't make homemade baked beans today, but I just put beans in to soak so I can throw them in my dutch oven tomorrow before we go to church.   I'm also making some homemade onion dip tonight so the flavors can meld overnight and we can have it tomorrow with lunch.  I'm sure we'll be sick of pulled pork by tomorrow's dinner, so I also bought a pound and a half of ground round for meatloaf.  (Because Steve is always asking for meatloaf.)

I'll post the mac and cheese and meatloaf recipes on this post, then I'll post the other recipes I'm planning for the party in another post. 

Shaye's Baked Mac & Cheese

1 lb    pasta (Medium shells or large elbows are both good for this.)

1/2 cup   butter  

1 tsp    salt  

1/2 tsp    pepper  

1/2 cup    flour  

12 oz    evaporated milk  

2 cups    milk  

10 oz    sharp Cracker Barrel cheese  

6 oz    Velveeta cheese  (I said it was good, I didn’t say it was healthy.)

1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs  

2 tbs  butter, melted

1. Cook pasta according to package directions and drain.
2. Melt butter in the pasta pan and let it bubble for a minute or two to burn off the water in the butter. Add flour and cook for a few minutes until it just starts to turn golden. Add salt, pepper and the milks and boil 1 minute.
3. Take off heat, add cheese and stir to melt/combine.  (Sometimes you have to leave it on low heat for the cheese to melt.)
4. Add pasta back in and pour into greased 9x13 pan
5. Combine breadcrumbs and 2 tbs melted butter and sprinkle on top of mac mix.
6. Bake a 350 for 20-30 min until the breadcrumbs are golden and the sauce is bubbly.
7. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

1 package  Knorr Vegetable Soup Mix  

1 1/2 lbs   ground beef (preferably round or chuck)

1 cup    seasoned breadcrumbs  

1    egg  

1/2 cups    water  

1/4 cups    ketchup  

1. Preheat oven to 350°
   
2. Combine all ingredients with a gentle touch so it doesn’t get tough.
   
3. Mix lightly.
   
4. Place in loaf pan.
5. Bake until the internal temp is 160 (About 45 minutes.)
6. Let sit 15 minutes before slicing.

Steve and Simon picked up my mom from the nursing home on the way home from school tonight, and then we all had pizza for dinner.  (Steve is taking her back to the nursing home now, so I'll go ahead and post the yummy recipe while I'm waiting for him to get back.)

I'm posting the original crust recipe, but of course I tweaked it to suit myself. 

Original Pizza Crust Recipe
2 1/4 tsp yeast (1 packet)
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 c. warm water (about 110 F)
1 tsp salt
2 tbs olive oil
3 1/3 cups AP flour

1. Dissolve the brown sugar and yeast in the water in a large bowl, and let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Stir in the salt, and then mix in about 2 1/2 cups of the flour.
3. Turn dough out onto a well floured surface and knead in more flour until the dough is no longer sticky.
4. Put the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a cloth, and let rise until double.  (About 1 hour.)
5. Punch down dough, form a tight ball, and let the dough relax for about 5 minutes before you roll out.

My Tweaked Pizza Crust Recipe for the Bread Machine
1 1/2 c. warm water (about 110 F)
2 tbs olive oil
3 1/2 (+/-) c. AP flour (I'll sometimes use bread flour if I have it.)
1/2 tsp. brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 1/4 tsp. yeast

1. Put the water and oil in the bottom of the bread machine. 
   
2. Add flour in a mound in the middle of the liquids. 
   
3. Put the salt on one side of the flour and put the sugar on the other. 
   
4. Make a shallow hole in the top of the flour mound and put the yeast in there.
5. Turn the bread machine on the dough setting and come back when it beeps.

(If your bread machine directions have you put ingredients in in a different order, follow your manufacturer's directions.)

I make this pizza on a 15" diameter round baking stone, and the crust is still fairly thick.  (Not quite thick like pan pizza, but a little thicker than hand tossed.)  If you're using a smaller stone, you might want to divide the dough in half and make two pizzas. 
Fresh, summer garden tomatoes are absolute heaven in this recipe, but if you're stuck with buying winter tomatoes, pick them by smell. (If they have no smell, they'll have no taste.)  I like the ones you can buy on the vine, but I can also occasionally find decent Romas, too. 

Basic Tomato Pizza

Pizza Dough (see above)
2 cups shredded mozarella or Italian blend cheese (preferable all white)
3 or 4 tomatoes, sliced  around 1/4 thick
kosher salt
dried basil
olive oil

1. Preheat your oven to 400 F.
2. Put about a tablespoon of olive oil on your 15" baking stone and spread it all over the top.
3. Dump the dough from the bread machine onto the baking stone, and mush it down until it's pretty even all the way across.
4. Dump the shredded cheese directly on top of the crust and spread it out all across the dough.
5. Place the tomato slices on top of the cheese so that the tomato slices are fairly close together, but not touching.
6. Sprinkle salt and then basil on top of the whole thing.
7. Drizzle olive oil on top of the tomatoes and a little on the cheese.
8. Bake in the 400 degree oven until the top is golden brown.  (I have no idea how long this takes because I never think to look at the clock.  Maybe 15-20 minutes?)
9. Let sit on a heatproof surface for about 5 minutes before cutting and enjoying.

I served it with a basic salad.