tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23781414120626944972024-03-05T16:18:02.794-08:00What Would Cyndi CookCyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-87904130780382612912011-11-15T08:49:00.000-08:002011-11-15T09:36:30.446-08:00Drunk Green BeansOK, that's not <i>really</i> their name. <div><br /></div><div>Except that it is for the sake of the recipe. </div><div><br /></div><div>In my family, from the time I was born until now, these have always just been referred to as "green beans". But I needed a way to differentiate mine from the people who just open a can of green beans, boil them in the can water, and throw in a pat of butter to finish them off. These are on a whole other level. They needed a cool name.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have no idea where the idea came from, but they became a staple in my family. My very first memory of green beans, and every green bean that my mom or grandmother ever cooked after that was drunk. I always assumed my grandmother brought the idea over with her from England. Maybe she had a friend here in the states cook them that way, and she stole the idea. Maybe she just invented it one day. Maybe my mom came up with the idea. I have no idea. Maybe I should ask.</div><div><br /></div><div>The drunk part comes from sherry. If you don't know what sherry is, it is wine fortified with brandy. It's fabulous! I adore sherry, especially in cooking. Please go out and get yourself a bottle of GOOD dry sherry. I've seen really good sherry for less than $5 a bottle at liquor outlets. Don't be afraid if all you are ever going to use it for is green beans. It lasts forever in your cabinet or pantry. Just don't use that <b>cooking</b> sherry stuff. Or if you do, don't tell me about it. Just like with wine, if it's not good enough to drink from a glass, you shouldn't cook with it.</div><div><br /></div><div>As with most of my recipes, this truly is a method. It can truly be a clean-out-the-fridge side dish, or it can be a well planned Thanksgiving dish that will become a tradition in your family for years to come. As for the onions.....I don't care if you use white, yellow, red or green. I don't care if you use Vidalias or pearls. Go fancy and use shallots. Heck, use chives. Just get the onion flavor in there. Typical week nights meals, I use yellow or green since those are what I always have on hand. Holiday meals I usually use shallot. Just cause it sounds fancier. </div><div><br /></div><div>And of course, (as my best friend in the entire world will be happy to hear), the water chestnuts are optional. Leave them out if you hate them as much as she does. Put them in if you want a unique crunch. Or if you want to make the meal look more complicated that it actually is. ;)</div><div><br /></div><div>All that really matters is that you get the green beans drunk. </div><div><br /></div><div>Well drunk, then cook the alcohol out. Unless you want the kids to sleep well!</div><div><br /></div><div>Drunk Green Beans</div><div><br /></div><div>2 pounds of green beans, stem removed & snapped (or whole if you like!)</div><div>3 strips of bacon</div><div>1/2 cup of chopped onion (or scallion, shallot!)</div><div>2-3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped</div><div>1 cup mushrooms, thinly sliced</div><div>1 can of sliced water chestnuts</div><div>2 tbsp of butter or olive oil (optional, you can use the bacon grease!)</div><div>1/2 cup of sherry </div><div>salt & pepper to taste</div><div><br /></div><div>Steam the green beans (steaming retains nutrients, you can boil them if you like) 5-6 minutes. You want them completely cooked, as they will continue to cook as you cook everything together. While the beans are steaming, fry your bacon to the crispiness of your liking. Drain bacon well on paper towels.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here is where you have a decision to make. If you want the bacon flavor absorbed into your mushrooms, use the bacon grease. As heavenly as bacon-soaked mushrooms are, I prefer more caramelization on my mushrooms than you will get if there is any salt in the pan, so saute' mine in a separate pan in a mixture of unsalted butter & olive oil. This takes patience and time, but I cook them slowly over medium heat until they are well caramelized. You can cook the garlic & onions with the mushrooms, or be cooking them in the bacon grease in your other pan (this is my favorite option as it maximizes the flavor of both the onions AND the mushrooms!).</div><div><br /></div><div>Combine green beans, onions, garlic, mushrooms & water chestnuts in one pan (either the one with the bacon grease or the one with the butter....which ever is larger!). Heat together over medium high heat til everything is hot and coated in the grease/butter. Holding pan off of an open flame, add the sherry. Scrape the pan well to deglaze. Continue to cook until the sherry cooks down. You don't want it completely dry, but you want a thicker sherry/butter/bacon grease sauce that just lightly coats everything. Salt & pepper to taste. Add crumbled bacon. And most importantly......ENJOY!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-21316262146013135152011-11-06T08:09:00.000-08:002011-11-06T08:43:41.538-08:00Harvest OatmealWell, I supposed I should start with (yet again) another apology for slacking on this thing. Life has been incredibly busy. Cooking all these yummy meals takes up what little spare time I have, leaving me zero time to write about it. I know I still owe many of you recipes and I promise to really, really try to get caught up as soon as possible. How's that for open-ended? :)<div><br /></div><div>Oatmeal. It's one of those things that I have a hard time thinking of as good food. My mom is not a fan of oatmeal, so as a kid, oatmeal came out of those little packets. And you added boiling water. As much as I loved those little packets, when I grew up, I still tended to think of oatmeal as a quick & easy breakfast for kids. Good quality, whole-grain oatmeal was an ingredient to make really yummy apple crisp and add a unique texture to muffins. It really wasn't a stand alone breakfast. </div><div><br /></div><div>I still made it from time to time when I needed a quick, easy, HOT breakfast. However, I always just mimicked my favorite brown sugar-cinnamon flavor from childhood. I'd follow package directions, add a clump of brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon, a pat of butter, and a splash of milk. Stir and eat. Good? Yes. But I still didn't really think of it as a quality breakfast.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then I had kids. As a baby just starting to eat solids, my oldest got that baby oatmeal and some homemade fruit baby food. Then he got a little older and liked more flavor and texture. So I would make my standard oatmeal and mix it with a little homemade chunky applesauce or some finely diced apples. My thinking: cinnamon-apple is one of the flavors in the little packets that kids love so much. And over time when my family was having oatmeal for breakfast, it became a healthy version of those little packets.....lots of cinnamon, fresh apples and raisins mixed in.</div><div><br /></div><div>Then one day we walked into a bakery in a suburb of Dallas that we'd never been to. On the breakfast menu was "Swiss Oatmeal". Since I'd never really thought of oatmeal as something fancy that anyone would really order out, I'd always ignored it on the rare occasion I'd actually seen it on a menu. But this sounded different. Along the lines of what had become my standard homemade oatmeal at home, but better. A combination of all my favorites fall goodness, but things that had never really occurred to me to add to my oatmeal at home. It was chalked full of apples, craisins, raisins, and nuts and served.......are you ready for this??.......COLD. That part made me squeem a little bit. Cold oatmeal? Um, not.</div><div><br /></div><div>But I tried it any way. Everyone in line ahead of us was ordering it and it looked so good. And it was. The granny smith apples were tart. The raisins sweet. The craisins sweet-tart. The nuts crunchy. And the brown sugar, spices, and milk just make it sweet, creamy and warming. Even if it was cold. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now I knew that I'd never make it ahead of time at home so it would have time to get cold. Who really makes oatmeal the night before, unless you're cooking it all night in a crockpot? But I still decided to make a mock version of it at home, even if it was hot. After all, it really wasn't that much different than what I'd been making for years.</div><div><br /></div><div>Over time I've created my own version and called it "Harvest Oatmeal". It always involves my favorite fall flavors, even if it isn't exactly the same every time. This oatmeal really is more of a method than a recipe. I don't ever make a special trip to the store to make sure that I have the exact ingredients to recreate the restaurant version. After all, when you have a gala apple at home to use up, are you really going to miss the tartness of the granny smith? Well maybe, but you decide if it's worth running out in the cold. </div><div><br /></div><div>Harvest Oatmeal</div><div><br /></div><div>4 servings of prepared oatmeal (make your favorite according to package directions)</div><div>1 large granny smith apple, cut into bite-sized pieces</div><div>1 pear, cut into bite-sized pieces</div><div>1/2 cup raisins</div><div>1/2 cup craisins</div><div>1/2 cup walnut pieces</div><div>3/4 cup dark brown sugar (more or less to taste)</div><div>1 tsp cinnamon</div><div>1/2 tsp ginger</div><div>1/2 tsp allspice</div><div>1/4 tsp cardamon</div><div>milk, half & half, heavy cream</div><div><br /></div><div>Easiest directions ever - stir all ingredients, except the milk (H&H or cream) together in the pot you cooked the oatmeal in. Spoon into dishes. Serve with a splash (or two) of the milk of your choice (I say the creamier the better!!) You can always chill for later if you want to try the restaurant version. :) And remember, use your favorite apple/pear combination (or whatever you have on hand!) and omit anything you don't like. </div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-28748024285218009702011-05-02T08:44:00.000-07:002011-05-05T16:40:17.451-07:00The whole enchilada!<div><br /></div><div>Enchilada sauce....It's something that almost everyone is guilty of just opening a can or mixing up a packet of spices to use in their "homemade" enchiladas.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yeah, me too. I always took the short cut. It just always seemed like an "ingredient" you buy at the store to me. After all, the enchiladas are homemade. The sauce doesn't need to be, right?</div><div><br /></div><div>Then I tried my hand at homemade sauce. I'm not even sure where the inspiration came from. Probably an episode of a cooking a show. Perhaps a recipe I came across on a blog or in a cookbook. Who knows. But I decided it had to be better with fresh ingredients and not dehydrated, powdered, and reconstituted spices and a little preservatives mixed in. Yeah it tastes good.......but, ICK!</div><div><br /></div><div>I mentioned on FB that I was making my own homemade enchilada sauce, and the requests started pouring in. I apologize that it took this long, but my life went crazy right after that. I was in charge of the school's jog-a-thon, my son was turning 6, Spring cleaning time arrived, and the usual end-of-the-school-year madness started. Not trying to make excuses (yeah, ok, I am), just stating why time for writing is hard to come by.</div><div><br /></div><div>And as I mentioned in my last blog post, I decided that a series of posts using my homemade stock would be a great idea. That way you've got all the recipes close together. Make the stock, then use the stock & the chicken for some really yummy meals. I also thought that would make it easier to whip out a blog post every day, or at least every other day. Easier said than done. </div><div><br /></div><div>So in this post, you technically get 2 recipes. Or 20 depending on how you look at it (remember, I'm all for you taking my ideas and substituting ingredients til you come up with your own perfect recipe!). The enchilada sauce recipe can be used for any enchiladas you like. And I'll give you my "sneaky mommy" version of enchiladas you can be proud to serve -- chalked full of veggies and super healthy! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Ancho-Chile Enchilada Sauce</div><div><br /></div><div>-4 dried ancho chiles (I usually use one entire 1 oz package)</div><div>-1/2 cup water</div><div>-1 small red onion, chopped</div><div>-2 cloves of garlic, chopped</div><div>-2 tsp canola or vegetable oil</div><div>-2 cups chicken stock (I use <a href="http://whatwouldcyndicook.blogspot.com/2011/04/taking-stock.html">my homemade stock</a>)</div><div>-1 14.5 oz can fire roasted tomatoes</div><div>-1/2 tsp dried oregano</div><div>-1 tsp cumin</div><div>-1 tsp coriander</div><div>-1 tsp smoked paprika</div><div>-1 tsp salt</div><div>-1 tsp sugar</div><div><br /></div><div>Reconstitute the ancho chiles in 1/2 cup of water for approximately one hour. Carmelize onion and garlic in oil. Add the reconstituted chiles (reserve water), sugar and spices and saute about 10 minutes longer. Add the water from the chiles and tomatoes to the pan. Allow to cool (or be very careful, adding only small amounts at a time to the blender!) Transfer to blender and blend til smooth. Pour back into pan and add chicken stock. Cook on low until heated through.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Now mind you, don't go looking for authentic enchiladas here. Yes, I know how to make them. And yes, I make them a lot. But, I'm super proud of there cause they deliver authentic taste while giving the kids (and the adults) plenty of veggies. So often with Mexican food (at least in the restaurants) you walk away hardly haven't had any veggies (unless you consider a small glob of guacamole and a little lettuce a serving of veggies!). But these deliver!</div><div><br /></div><div>Over all, these pack a medium heat punch. I love spicy, but this about as hot as the kids can handle for their actual meal. And as a mom, I have to put their tummies over my taste buds. But with my enchilada sauce, these definitely have that authentic flavor I grew up with in California. </div><div><br /></div><div>This recipe calls for "mild" chiles. And like I've always said......consider my recipes a method and not bible. You can substitute jalapeños or habaneros for all I care. If you want to go the easy route (and don't mind a few preservatives and occasionally tinned can flavor), feel free to use canned chiles. It's your meal! :) I'll never have my feelings hurt if you change things up, or in this case, omit all the extra veggies so you have something much more authentic. It's all good. And if you make a change and create something fantastic - let me know. I may like your version better.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Chicken (and lots of veggies for the kids!) Enchiladas</div><div><br /></div><div>-Tortillas (I typically make 8 big enchiladas, but you could always make 10-12 smaller ones)</div><div>-1 cooked chicken, shredded (from your homemade stock, baked with Mexican spices, or store bought rotisserie - it's all good!)</div><div>-1 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed</div><div>-2 red bell peppers</div><div>-1/2 cup mild chili peppers (or a can of fire-roasted mild chiles or up the heat if you like!)</div><div>-1 small red onion, diced</div><div>-2 cloves of garlic, minced</div><div>-1 tsp oil</div><div>-1 tsp cumin</div><div>-1 tsp smoked paprika</div><div>-1 tsp coriander</div><div>-1 tsp salt</div><div>-4-5 grinds fresh cracked black pepper</div><div>-1/2 cup cilantro, chopped</div><div>-1 batch of ancho-chili sauce (from above)</div><div>-1 1/2 lb (or more!) of shredded cheese (of your choice - I prefer 1/2 sharp cheddar and 1/2 pepper jack)</div><div><br /></div><div>Blister/roast the bell peppers & chiles on the grill. Remove skin and finely chop. Saute' peppers, chiles, onion & garlic in oil for about 10 minutes. Add spinach & spices and cook for another 10 minutes. Add chicken and stir together well.</div><div><br /></div><div>Spray a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Put about 3/4 cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish. Smooth it around to form a thin layer of sauce over the entire dish. Dip 1 tortilla in enchilada sauce (here's where you get nice & messy!). Place about about 1/2 cup of filling and spread it lengthwise in your hand thru the tortilla. Cover with a handful of the shredded cheese. Roll the tortilla over the filling, place in dish seam side down. Repeat until your dish is completely full of enchiladas. Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas (using a spoon to help get it to go down in between them). Cover the entire dish with shredded cheese.</div><div>Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes, til the cheese is completely melted and the enchiladas are completely warmed through. </div><div><br /></div><div>Serve with salsa, fresh cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, shredded lettuce, additional sauce, sliced green onions, or anything else your heart desires.</div><div><br /></div><div>NOTE: I will edit this later with some pictures. I just wanted to type it all out while the measurements & ingredients were fresh in my head and make sure it got posted on Cinco de Mayo :) </div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-45720647698179660372011-04-11T13:26:00.000-07:002011-04-13T13:48:11.055-07:00Taking stock.....How often do you use chicken stock? Think about it. You add a 1/2 cup here and there. Maybe a full can from time to time. You've probably even converted to the boxes of stock so you can keep the leftover in your fridge without having to dirty up any tupperware.<br /><br />Now think about how great your meals come out with a good stock. So much better than when you just use water right? Now imagine if the stock you were using was a lot more flavorful. Chocked full of fresh (preferably organic) veggies that you hand picked. Imagine that chicken stock being cheaper than you can even buy it on sale with a coupon at the store. Imagine being able to use the chicken that simmered away with all those veggies.<br /><br />Stock is so easy to make, yet so many people I know don't make their own. Why, when it's so easy to just grab a box at the store, right? Believe me, I'm guilty of that too. It's so easy to be out and about and decide that a big pot of soup sounds good. So, you hit the store and buy some stock. Easy. But believe me, anything you make will be so much better with a good, flavorful stock that you made at home.<br /><br />And the best thing about stock is it's hard to screw up. I know it may seem difficult. And believe me, for the longest time I was certain it would surely taste better if someone else was being paid to make it for me. Or there had to be some magic trick to getting it to turn out right. But I was amazed at how easy it was to make. Literally by the second time I made it, I didn't even need to look up any tips or tricks. It was that simple. Chicken bones. Veggies. Seasoning. Cover it all with water. Cook it til the water doesn't taste like water anymore, but like a really good soup. That's it folks.<br /><br />I know so many people want me to hand them a recipe for everything. And I promise, at the end of this post, I will. But believe me when I say that once you get the basics down, feel free to change it up as much as you like. There really isn't a veggie you can't put it in it. If you have veggies you want to use up, they'll only add more flavor to the stock. Stock starts with the basic mirepoix (onion, carrots & celery), but the possibilities really are endless. <br /><br />And I want to present a challenge to each of you. Whether you follow my recipe or someone else's.....make you some stock. Or, fine, take the easy road and go buy yourself some from the store. But have some really good stock on hand. And have yourself a cooked chicken on hand too (a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store will work if you choose not to make my stock). Know why? Because my next few blog posts will be a series on what to do with your yummy homemade (yes, I'm still encouraging you to make you own!) stock. Like -- my enchiladas from the other night. You know that ancho-chile enchilada sauce so many of you have asked me for the recipe? And how does chicken & dumplings sound? Maybe some yummy soups? Many of those recipes I've talked about on facebook that so many of you have asked me for, but I just never got around to typing it out ----- they'll be showing up shortly.<br /><br /><br /><br />Basic Chicken Stock<br /><br />1 whole chicken, rinsed<br />1 large onion, peeled & quartered<br />4 carrots, cut into 2 inch pieces<br />4 celery stalks, cut into 2 inch pieces<br />1 whole bulb of garlic, cloves peeled and smashed<br />10-12 peppercorns<br />2 bay leaves<br />1 tsp of dried thyme<br />water (amount will vary)<br /><br />Place all ingredients in a large stock pot or dutch oven. Add enough water to completely cover the chicken & veggies. Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Turn the heat down to low, and keep at a simmer. Use a stainer to skim the "scum" that rises to the top every 10 minutes or so for the first hour. Cover the pot. Add water as necessary to keep the chicken and veggies covered. Skim any additional scum. Let cook another 2-3 hours. <br /><br />Strain stock through a mesh strainer into another container. I usually use large tupperware bowls & containers and put the lids on after they are full. Put in fridge overnight. Remove the solidified fat from the surface. Can be stored in the fridge for a couple days or frozen for up to 3 months. <br /><br />At this point in time I usually carefully measure the stock into freezer bags. I freeze it in 1 cup, 2 cup, and 4 cup portions. That way I have 1 cup if I just need it for a quick pan sauce, 2 cups for making rice, and 4 cups for a big pot of soup. <br /><br />Let the chicken cool and remove the meat from the bones. You now have a bunch of cooked chicken ready for any recipe!<br /><br />And other one of my "never waste anything" tricks.......you can save the veggies. I often take the carrots, celery, onions and garlic and put it in a freezer safe tupperware dish. These can be ran through the blender or food processor and added to your next spaghetti sauce, tomato soup, or any other recipe you desire. It's quick and easy flavor and hidden veggies! <br /><br />And like I said, from there, the possibilities are endless. I often add bell pepper or leeks to my stock. Or anything else I may have on hand that I want to use up. And another trick I like to use for an even richer stock: next time you buy a rotisserie chicken at the store, freeze the carcass. You can use it AND your whole chicken in your pot of stock. All that rotisserie flavor makes your stock even better. And if you ever want to make stock but don't have a whole chicken on hand, you can follow the above recipe using just the carcass instead. Works like a charm.<br /><br />So there you have it. A simply way to take a been-sitting-on-the-shelf-for-a-really-long-time pantry staple and turn it into a made-by-your-own-two-hands, fresh, healthy freezer staple that you can be proud to add to your next recipe.<br /><br />And don't forget....stay tuned for several recipes to use up all that great stock!Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-21305520278860744402011-03-29T08:37:00.000-07:002011-04-08T07:28:04.681-07:00An easy & healthy way to do fish!In my house, I'm always looking for ways to make my kids healthy food that they love. The healthier the better. The more fruits & veggies I can sneak in the better. And as I've said before, I'm lucky that my kids aren't really picky. I hope that comes from me changing up the menu as much as I do. I take flavors they like and mix it up to where they are happy, but I don't get bored. <br /><br />And you're always hearing about how we're supposed to eat more fish. But a lot of people think of fish as fried or covered in sauce. Now, while I love me some good ole fashioned English fish 'n chips, I do like to get lots of healthy fish into our diet. And let's face it, the healthiest way to eat fish is to simply grill or bake it......no added oils or sauces. But a lot of people consider that boring.<br /><br />So I've discovered a way to make a really healthy, really tasty fish dinner that my kids love. One that I can feel really good about serving. And the best thing is this works with any fish you like. However you like to cook it. I prefer salmon or mahi-mahi (I'm not a huge fish eater, but both of those go so good with this meal). And I cook it as simple and healthy as I can......baked at 400 with just a little sea salt & fresh cracked black pepper until the fish is done. And well honestly, I probably cook mine a hair beyond "done" cause to me that kills off any fishy flavor. <br /><br />And then comes the magic: My two weapons that can kick up just salt & peppered-no oil added-no sauce-having fish. These two secret weapons can turn any fish into an awesome meal that is fresh tasting, easy on the waist, and kid friendly. What more could you ask for?<br /><br />What are they? <br /><br />Cilantro-lime rice. Yes, cilantro-lime rice is the stuff at the bottom of your Chipotle burrito. The first time I tasted it I thought it was pure brilliance.......and SO easy. Easy enough that the recipe is in the name. And it takes rice, which a lot of people think of as fill-you-up, stick-to-your-ribs, "heavy" food and transforms it to something light and fresh tasting. <br /><br />And mango salsa. We're all mango freaks in my family. I actually created this stuff YEARS ago. Long before it was popular. Long before you started seeing it on store shelves everywhere. Long before (at least I ever noticed) it became a popular item on restaurant menus. <br /><br /><br />Trust me, these two secret weapons can make a fish dish awesome. And easy. It can be a 20 minute meal from start to finish if you're having a really busy day. Or you can make the salsa ahead and give it a chance to get even better (and make it even easier to fix come dinner time!) And if you don't think you like fish......try these two out with grilled chicken breasts. Or shrimp. Then work yourself up to a fish you kinda sorta like. Or trust me on the salmon or mahi-mahi. Just make sure they don't smell fishy at the store!<br /><br /><br /><br />Cilantro-Lime Rice<br />4 servings<br />(I usually double the recipe so I have plenty!)<br /><br />1 cup basmati rice<br />Juice of 2 limes<br />1 tsp butter or oil<br />4 tbsp chopped cilantro<br />salt to taste <br /><br />Melt butter in large skillet (that has a lid) or a dutch oven. Add rice. Coat rice in melted butter and continue to cook over medium-low heat until the rice starts to smell nutty and turn light brown. Add 2 cups of water and about 1 tsp of salt. Stir well and cover. Let simmer on low, 15-20 minutes until the water has been absorbed by the rice. Remove from heat. Add the lime juice and the cilantro. Lightly stir & fluff rice. <br /><br /><br /><br />Mango Salsa<br /><br />2 ripe mangos, diced<br />1 red bell pepper, diced<br />1/2 cup red onion, diced<br />1 jalapeño, finely diced<br />1 cup cilantro, chopped<br />3 tbsp apple cider vinegar<br />Juice of 2 limes<br />4 tbsp honey<br />1/2 tsp corriander<br />1/2 tsp cumin<br />1 tsp smoked paprika<br />salt & fresh cracked black pepper to taste<br /><br />Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Note: if you have someone who doesn't like spicy, leave the jalapeño out. Mix all other ingredients in a large bowl. Divide the salsa into two bowls and just add the jalapeño to the other bowl. Then you have mild & medium (you can always add more peppers or hotter peppers if you like a lot of heat!). And to make the salsa even healthier, use unfiltered, organic apple cider vinegar!<br /><br /><br />There you have it! The perfect (in my opinion!) fish dinner. Especially when you want a light meal in the summer. Serve with a salad or any veggie of your choice and you have a complete meal!Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-4626414326136996702011-03-19T09:35:00.000-07:002011-03-23T17:09:39.094-07:00Waste not......I can spend quite a bit of money on food. Like most people trying to raise a family on one income in this economy, I try to buy everything when it's on sale. But even limited funds don't stop me from buying an expensive cut of meat.....just because it sounds good. I'm a well rounded foodie - expensive or cheap, I make the best of every ingredient. <div><br /></div><div>But truth be known, I am extremely frugal by nature. I hate throwing anything away that can be used. Almost to a fault. I have a hard time throwing ANYTHING away. But I'm the worst when it comes to food. Yes, I throw away the stuff that's gone bad. But I never toss something just because there really isn't enough left in the bottom of the box/bag/jar/what have you. I always assume there is something I could do with it.</div><div><br /></div><div>The one thing that I really have a hard time throwing away is all the broken bits of cereal at the bottom of the package. You know the stuff that looks like this:<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6wmkwszDLLtdvmriUIBg77MYFe918mTmo_cTRcovNY66J1bQMPp2uXoElc3MdxXGKwTFGLBEUWzBXoa5lDB2y_pxZ9v_aEgbzYnW44YpbJJmRLFOvEnFfbYdd9Itstm5g5WVQtHH8bs/s1600/IMG_1095.JPG"><img style="float:none; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-6wmkwszDLLtdvmriUIBg77MYFe918mTmo_cTRcovNY66J1bQMPp2uXoElc3MdxXGKwTFGLBEUWzBXoa5lDB2y_pxZ9v_aEgbzYnW44YpbJJmRLFOvEnFfbYdd9Itstm5g5WVQtHH8bs/s320/IMG_1095.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587324569309603234" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br />I mean seriously......think of all the "corn flake coated chicken" recipes out there that call for you to put perfectly good cornflakes in a bag and beat them to a pulp with a rolling pin! Surely, there is a use for all those crumbs left in the bottom of the bag, right?</div><div><br /></div><div>I remember using the broken cornflakes to coat chicken & french fries with my mom as a kid. I remember using various cereal crumbs in muffins & streusel toppings. But it wasn't til one time I had bought a box of shredded wheat with my own money and saw that literally HALF the package was reduced to tiny little crumbs in the bottom of the bag, that I realized how wasteful it would be to throw it away. And no, eating it in a bowl with honey & milk like I do the big shredded wheat was not an option. That is way too mushy for my tastes. :)</div><div><br /></div><div>So I decided to use those crumbs as the "flour" in some muffins. They were so yummy & healthier than using all-purpose flour. And it made me feel like I wasn't throwing away a lot of money simply because the cereal wasn't useable in it's intended form.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've made these muffins a variety of ways. My absolute favorite is cranberry orange. Those flavors just go really well with the the texture of the shredded wheat. But feel free to take this recipe and use your own add-in choices (believe me, I've probably made them all from blueberries to blackberries to apple cinnamon to chocolate chip........the possibilities are endless!) I've even made just the base recipe without any "flavor" and served it along side a big bowl of fruit salad in the summer.</div><div><br /></div><div>And bare with me......I actually planned ahead and took a couple pics. This is my first experiment with prettying up the recipe! I hope to get better & more creative as time goes on!</div><div><br /></div><div>Cranberry-Orange Shredded Wheat Muffins</div><div><br /></div><div>1 cup flour</div><div>3/4 cup of broken shredded wheat (frosted or not)</div><div>1 Tbsp baking powder</div><div>1 tsp salt</div><div>1/2 cup brown sugar (possibly a little less if using frosted shredded wheat)</div><div>1 egg</div><div>1 tsp vanilla</div><div>3/4 cup of milk</div><div>1/4 cup applesauce or canola oil</div><div>1 cup chopped fresh or frozen cranberries</div><div>zest & juice of one orange</div><div>1-2 Tbsp sugar</div><div><br /></div><div>Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients just until moistened. Spoon into muffin cups, about 2/3 full. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with a little sugar (I used my homemade vanilla sugar - recipe to follow!). Bake for 20-25 minutes.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcM7xK9lDzJkbQ4HyG3789uiO28OR9lb2YQd4EOG9d-BMRko7MCaMEN0WNnC-bW6t3A0xdumdayb09SzAIQCfNk3eSYn1F4RwklfFYPEFwYLC7nbyuq1aJcOjYkWtEFPGL1S0gM43ptCg/s1600/IMG_1097.JPG"><img style="float:none; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcM7xK9lDzJkbQ4HyG3789uiO28OR9lb2YQd4EOG9d-BMRko7MCaMEN0WNnC-bW6t3A0xdumdayb09SzAIQCfNk3eSYn1F4RwklfFYPEFwYLC7nbyuq1aJcOjYkWtEFPGL1S0gM43ptCg/s320/IMG_1097.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587324150046970434" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Vanilla Sugar</div><div><br /></div><div>1 vanilla bean, scraped (or whole if you desire!)</div><div>2 cups of sugar</div><div><br /></div><div>And what better time to include my vanilla sugar recipe than a blog about not wasting anything. Next time you use a vanilla bean for a recipe, don't throw away the bean after you scrape out the seeds. Put it in an airtight container with 2 cups of granulated sugar. Shake the container from time to time. Can be used right away, but is better after a week or so. That simple! I keep it in my spice cabinet and use it in my coffee, cereal, or for sprinkling desserts & muffins. Enjoy!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_hyphenhypheni4AsjZtEfxJo0qgxPLC_bR9eRztWQBCEqe846IAHKTfcgZ0VkLZz81CNBXiGhcBrBTygNBQx0zxQaQ_y4gS82WhBFMqeWm9t0rdsUPd_BsTYIHaizNyEoTbVL9-Y3Q33JEXpeocY/s1600/IMG_1096.JPG"><img style="float:none; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_hyphenhypheni4AsjZtEfxJo0qgxPLC_bR9eRztWQBCEqe846IAHKTfcgZ0VkLZz81CNBXiGhcBrBTygNBQx0zxQaQ_y4gS82WhBFMqeWm9t0rdsUPd_BsTYIHaizNyEoTbVL9-Y3Q33JEXpeocY/s320/IMG_1096.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587326167760816194" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br />To make another variety of muffin omit the cranberries, orange juice, and zest. The muffins are great by only using the first 9 ingredients, or you can use your imagination for other varieties. These muffins can get very crumbly, so you may need to adjust the wet ingredients if using whole wheat flour, or adding a lot of wheat germ, oat bran, flax seed, and other healthy stuff. </div><div><br /></div><div>I hope this recipe inspires you the next time you start to throw away something that can be used in a different way! :)</div><div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-52244901677188432062011-03-14T09:04:00.001-07:002011-03-14T09:30:09.126-07:00Changing just one ingredient.....Sometimes a great recipe is as easy as playing around with a recipe that you already love. Or changing up a new recipe that you saw on a cooking show but didn't like one of the ingredients on the list. Cooking is a fun way to try something that takes your favorite ingredients and makes it great.<div><br /></div><div>Yesterday, my mom was coming over for dinner. I make way too many desserts as it is, but I always make a dessert when I'm having company for Sunday dinner. It completes the meal. I had asked the kids if they had a preference for dessert for Gramma. All 3 wanted cheesecake, which I found funny since it had been a really long time since we'd had cheesecake of any kind.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well, it was a bit late in the day to make a real cheesecake, and I really wasn't in the mood for a frozen one. So I started thinking about various no-bake cheesecakes that I had made before. And the more I thought about it, the more I started to crave peanut butter pie. </div><div><br /></div><div>For those of you who don't know what peanut butter pie is --- it's basically peanut butter, cream cheese & cool whip whipped up together and thrown in a graham cracker crust. Of course, there are numerous recipes out there, and you can make it a lot more complicated than that (I usually make my own whipped cream or use Dream Whip instead of cool whip). I rarely eat make peanut butter pie, so I have no idea where the craving came from. But I figured since it is mostly cream cheese, I could call it a "cheesecake" to make the kids happy. </div><div><br /></div><div>But then I saw the Nutella in the pantry. And I decided that sounded even better. I'm notorious for making up a batch of brownies and icing them with Nutella when I want my chocolate-hazelnut fix. But Nutella is the same consistency as peanut butter. And it is basically the same thing -- only better. </div><div><br /></div><div>Now, had I had more time I could have made this better, I'm sure. I could have taken the time to make a homemade toasted hazelnut crust (or chocolate graham cracker crust). I could have made my own whipped cream. I could have made it two layered or who knows what else. But by keeping it simple -- taking a very easy recipe that is probably in everybody's family cookbook (or at the very least can be googled to yield 8000 various recipes) - and changing up just one ingredient, I made something great that I could call my own. Maybe another day I will fancy this up and repost. But for now, my intention was to show you how easy it is to make something super simple, super fabulous!</div><div><br /></div><div>Nutella No-Bake Cheesecake</div><div><br /></div><div>1 8oz package cream cheese, room temperature</div><div>1/2 cup of powdered sugar</div><div>1 tsp vanilla</div><div>1 cup Nutella, microwaved for about 10 seconds</div><div>6oz Cool Whip</div><div>1 store bought chocolate pie crust</div><div><br /></div><div>Whip cream cheese, powdered sugar & vanilla together until smooth. With a spatula, combine cream cheese with the Nutella until well blended. Carefully fold in the cool whip. Pour into pie crust. Freeze for about 2 hours. Slice & enjoy!</div><div><br /></div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-70921587713342412812011-03-08T20:07:00.000-08:002011-03-08T20:54:05.778-08:00Taking the ridiculously simple and kicking it up a notch....I'm all about REALLY easy. I've been a working mom. I've had one of THOSE days where I wasn't home long enough to take something out of the freezer to thaw, let alone figure out what I wanted to cook. I've had those days where I didn't feel like cooking. I get why so many of you don't cook. Or don't enjoy it. Or can't be bothered. I really do.<div><br /></div><div>One dinner that I was notorious for back before kids (heck, probably even when my oldest was a baby and I was still working full time with an hour and half commute each way to work) was store bought refrigerated tortellini and a jar of sauce. It always tasted good. It was impossible to screw up. Even if the tortellini burst and I bought a different sauce that wasn't quite up to par with the sauce I normally bought, it still tasted good. It was still hearty, filling, and <i>fairly</i> nutritious (doesn't Ragu even claim to give you a full serving of veggies in every serving?)</div><div><br /></div><div>One of my favorite sauces for pasta is pesto. I LOVE the stuff. There is something ridiculously fabulous about the combination of basil, pine nuts & garlic. I've never come across a store bought brand that wasn't edible, and as long as you don't way too much garlic in it, homemade is fantabulous. And let's face it, some refrigerated/frozen tortellini and some store bought pesto is simple & delicious.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, I have made my own tortellini in the past. But for a quick weeknight meal, that ain't happening. So yes, I do buy the refrigerated or frozen ones to help keep me sane. And since nowadays you can even find whole wheat pasta pre-made, it's even better. </div><div><br /></div><div>I came up with a fantastic homemade pesto, so I don't bother with store bought anymore. If you haven't made your own, you must. It's so easy and SO much better. It's even a much prettier color green than the stuff you buy at the store. Feel free to adjust the amounts to suit your own tastes, but I've received many compliments from this recipe:</div><div><br /></div><div>Pesto</div><div><br /></div><div>2 cups fresh basil leaves (tightly packed)</div><div>1/2 cup parmesan cheese (I usually buy the block and just cut off chunks for this)</div><div>2-3 garlic cloves (2 large is usually perfect, remember smaller cloves are stronger)</div><div>1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (toast in pan or oven until lightly brown)</div><div>salt & freshly cracked black pepper to taste</div><div>Extra virgin olive oil til the right consistency (usually about 1/3 of a cup)</div><div><br /></div><div>Directions:</div><div><br /></div><div>Allow pine nuts to cool slightly once they are toasted. Pulse pine nuts, garlic & parmesan in food processor until it's the consistency of peanut butter. Add basil, pepper and salt (You may want to skip the salt until you see how salty the end result is. The cheese will add quite a bit of saltiness.) and process until well blended. Stream in olive oil until the pesto is the consistency you desire. </div><div><br /></div><div>I use this pesto in many dishes. It is great on salmon or chicken. It's really good mixed with cooked penne & roasted chicken. I've mixed it with cream cheese for a dip. I've added it to hummus. The possibilities are endless. And if you omit the cheese, you can make large amounts of this pesto and freeze it in 1 cup servings. Then you always have pesto ready to use. You can either add fresh grated cheese to it after it thaws, or just put lots of fresh grated cheese on your pasta after you mix it with the pesto. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Now you can just add that sauce the the pasta of your choice. Add a grilled chicken breast and a side of veggies and call it a meal. But last night I decided to raise the bar on flavor and nutritional value. </div><div><br /></div><div>I've always searching for ways to get good veggies into my family without always having a side of veggies on the plate. I'm blessed with kids that aren't really picky and will typically <i>eventually</i> clean their plate. But the veggies are often last to go. Often take some coercing to get into their tummies. And let's face it, when you want dinner to be really quick, you don't always have time to fix them in a way that would wow the masses. Quite often you don't get enough salt on them. Or they are over-boiled. Or something goes horribly wrong. So I love it when I get a great idea of a way to sneak in a veggie, without really affecting the flavor (at least not negatively) or appearance. </div><div><br /></div><div>I spent a large chunk of the day thinking of flavors that would go well with pesto tortellini. Cause let's face it -- pesto tortellini rocks all on it's own. I've seen numerous times on Food Network where someone makes a pesto that isn't pine nut-basil pesto. I've seen spinach-walnut pestos and arugula pestos. The limits are endless. But I rarely venture into creating a new pesto (or even trying one of their recipes) cause I'm a fanatic for plain ole tried and true pesto. But I figured since chopped spinach is often used in those other pestos and it sort of resembles pesto, it would blend into the dish well to boost the nutritional value.</div><div><br /></div><div>And I love bacon & onions with my spinach. And with my pasta and my cheese. And the final result was devoured by my children. All 3 kids asked for seconds. And my poor husband, who had to work late, said it was great even after having to warm it up in the microwave. And for an added bonus, I decided to wait to post this recipe until after we warmed up the leftovers for dinner. Yes, this is a meal you will not dread having leftovers of. It is that good. It heats up that good. I rarely cook the same thing very often. I just don't. But this may become one of those recipes that the kids request on a regular basis. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Bacon-Mozzarella-Pesto Tortellini</div><div><br /></div><div>2 (2.5 serving size) packages of whole-wheat cheese tortellini</div><div>Pesto sauce from above</div><div>3 slices of bacon, cut into small cubes</div><div>1 small yellow onion, diced</div><div>1 package of frozen, chopped spinach - thawed</div><div>1 cup fresh mozzerella (I used the tiny balls, or you could cut a large piece into cubes)</div><div>salt & fresh cracked black pepper to taste</div><div><br /></div><div>Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain well.</div><div><br /></div><div>In a dutch oven, fry the bacon & onions over medium heat. Once the onions are translucent, add the spinach. Continue to cook until the water from the spinach has cooked out. Add the tortellini and pesto sauce to the pot. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally (gently so you don't break up the tortellini) until the pesto is coating everything evenly. Add the fresh mozzarella, and additional salt & pepper if you desire. Keep on heat until the cheese starts to melt.</div><div><br /></div><div>I think this dish would have been great with a pinch of red pepper flakes, but I omit it as to not get things too spicy for the kids. But as much as I love my spicy food, I'm such a pesto fanatic, I didn't miss it. :)</div><div><br /></div><div>It's that simple. So without much effort at all, you have improved upon a simple pasta dish. </div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-69057149698328805502011-01-31T10:14:00.000-08:002011-04-17T07:02:08.967-07:00Pumpkin Take 2OK, we've already established that I'm a pumpkin freak. And way back in one of my first posts on this blog we established my love of Yorkshire pudding that I inherited from my grandmother. I discovered a way to combine the two.<div><br /></div><div>I love Dutch babies. They are basically a light, fluffy, baked pancake. They are NOT anything I invented. Sometimes I follow a tried & true Dutch baby recipe because I'm craving their Yorkshire pudding like texture. I've also been known to have my regular pancake batter all mixed up and literally just throw it in the oven so I don't have to stand there flipping pancakes (you know those mornings where you can't even find time for THAT!) </div><div><br /></div><div>I've been making Dutch babies a lot recently and changing them up each time. Sometimes I throw a couple handfuls of fresh or frozen blackberries or blueberries (or both!) into the pan right before I cook them. I've also mixed applesauce and cinnamon into the batter. Sometimes I make a plain one and then use homemade sauteed cinnamon apples as the "syrup". I've even been known to throw in a few chocolate chips. Once I did a bananas foster Dutch baby. Yeah, all it needed was a scoop of ice cream to make a fabulous dessert! Like with most of my inventions, I just take a recipe that sounds good and make it my own. And as I've said before, I never miss an opportunity to add fruits or veggies to something my kids like to up the nutritional value. </div><div><br /></div><div>But I have discovered my new favorite breakfast.......PUMPKIN SPICE DUTCH BABIES! Yum. I had opened a big can of pumpkin (yeah, shoot me, I'm out of my stash that I roasted and froze back in the fall!) the day before to make pumpkin spice muffins. I had quite a bit left and didn't want to forget about it, so I was thinking of what else I could do with it for Sunday breakfast. I was craving a Dutch baby, but I really wanted to use up the pumpkin. So I decided to try my hand at a pumpkin one. I still can't believe how incredible it came out!</div><div><br /></div><div>If you've ever been tempted to have a slice of pumpkin pie for breakfast, but just couldn't bring yourself to do it, this is the perfect breakfast recipe for you! </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Pumpkin Spice Dutch Babies</div><div><br /></div><div>2 eggs</div><div>1/2 cup of milk</div><div>1 tsp vanilla</div><div>1/2 cup pumpkin puree</div><div>1 cup all-purpose flour</div><div>1 tsp baking powder</div><div>1 tsp cinnamon</div><div>1 1/2 tsp ground ginger</div><div>1/2 tsp nutmeg (fresh grated preferably!)</div><div>1/4 tsp cloves</div><div>Pinch of salt</div><div>2 tbsp butter</div><div>1/4 cup maple syrup</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Directions:</div><div><br /></div><div>1) Spray oven safe skillet (cast iron or stainless) with cooking spray.</div><div><br /></div><div>2) Put the butter in skillet. Place pan in oven and preheat to 375.</div><div><br /></div><div>3) Mix all ingredients together in a blender. Let sit for about 10 minutes while the butter melts and your pan gets good and hot.</div><div><br /></div><div>4) Remove skillet from oven (careful, it will be HOT!) and pour batter into the pan. Return </div><div> skillet to the oven.</div><div><br /></div><div>5) Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.</div><div><br /></div><div>6) Remove pan, slice and serve warm.</div><div><br /></div><div>7) Serve with hot maple syrup (or what I did was pour the maple syrup over the whole thing </div><div> before slicing, and let it sit for about 10 minutes before a cut into it.)</div><div><br /></div><div>Note: This recipe has more flour in it than a traditional dutch baby recipe. I've used less, but I like the consistency that the extra flour and the pumpkin gives it (not to mention I'm feeding 5 mouths that LOVE Dutch Babies!) Feel free to use less flour if you want a more traditional, lighter result.</div><div><br /></div><div>My only regret is that I didn't think to take pictures! I promise one of these days I'll plan ahead and start taking pics of my food! And maybe even throw in a few of my kids helping! :)</div><div><br /></div><div>Enjoy!</div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-25449857178143460202011-01-28T13:38:00.000-08:002011-01-28T14:12:13.694-08:00Life, excuses, and bread!I know, I know. I keep saying I won't slack on this blog. I keep posting statuses on Facebook to discuss what I'm cooking, then fail to share the recipe. That's what happens when you get busy. I keep my phone charging next to the stove. So I can spare a minute to let you know what I'm cooking, while I wait for water to boil or butter to melt or for my daughter to dump a cup of flour into a bowl. I can't always spare the time to come share some heartfelt back story to how or why I came up with the recipe that sounds good in my status, but may have actually end up burnt or lacking salt because I was actually too busy to keep an eye on the food.<div><br /></div><div>So, yes, I'm busy. For those of you who don't know, we just spent the last 2/3 of a year building a brand new house. We moved in a week before Christmas. Let me state for the record, moving into a house the week before Christmas when you LOVE a decorated house and have 3 little kids is a task. It barely leaves time to breathe, let alone find time to share the recipe for the awesome rib roast you pull off for Christmas dinner or the Christmas cookies that surprising turned out really well at an altitude of 7000 feet. </div><div><br /></div><div>We had enough time to move about 85% of our belongings and get the tree up. Then I spent hours unpacking so I could find the necessities to live life and have a nice Christmas. Once Christmas was over, we had 6 days --- 6 very short, very busy days --- to get everything out of our rent house and get it cleaned up so we could surrender the keys by the 31st. Unaddressed Christmas cards sat on the desk (where they still sit......so yes, if you didn't get a card from me and were expecting one, I haven't forgotten you!!) and my new house got stacked floor to ceiling with boxes that I had no desire to unpack since I had just spent countless hours taping them up. My cooking slacked.......as least the the point where I didn't feel anything I made was special enough to share the recipe. (Of course, now I need to go back and rethink that since in my intro post I told you that one reason I wanted to do this blog was to share all my quick & easy meals for those of you who think you don't have time to cook!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Then the new year hit. I realized I hadn't actually sat down except to drive between the new house & the rent house, or to eat a meal with my family. My body longed to just sit, but my brain was too sleepy to form coherent sentences. In fact, it was still too sleepy to come up with fancy recipes. School was back in session and it was time to get used to our new schedule. Our schedule that actually allowed me 3 extra hours a day to think about what to cook. And blogging about what I cooked. But more importantly, time to unpack, organize and think about paint colors. Three things I'm still doing and obviously, by the look of my house, not doing enough of. Because those were also 3 hours a day that I could allow myself time to do the stuff that I needed to be doing in my life the last 5 months but didn't have time. Like sit down and do puzzles with my 5 year old. And plan & make healthy after-school snacks instead of grabbing fries in the McD's drive-thru since school doesn't get out til almost 4 and we still had the long car ride back to the rent house. And write......</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, I've been cheating on this blog......errrrr....writing something else. A story. No clue if it will become a novel, or a movie, or simply just my random thoughts on paper where I can sit down and re-read them when I'm 80. But hopefully someday I'll have something more than recipes to share with you all. Maybe. We'll see. But that's a tangent I'm not ready to discuss. </div><div><br /></div><div>Back to food. I've statused (is that a real verb yet? LOL) about my honey-oatmeal-flaxseed bread quite a bit recently. I LOVE fresh bread. And I really love it when I come up with a good bread that is both good broken into pieces and either covered in butter or dipped in a good soup AND also works as a good sandwich bread. And I have found it in this bread.</div><div><br /></div><div>Several of you (and yes, I still know who each of you are!) have asked for the recipe. I apologize for not immediately taking time to just comment on my status with it, but I knew it would work as a good recipe for this blog.....when I found the time. And hopefully, I will finally get back to blogging regularly! So without further delay.......</div><div><br /></div><div>Honey-Oatmeal-Flaxseed Bread</div><div>(Bread Machine Recipe)</div><div><br /></div><div>1 1/4 cups lukewarm water</div><div>1/2 cup honey</div><div>2 tbsp canola oil</div><div>2 cups bread flour</div><div>1/2 cup whole wheat flour</div><div>1 cup oats</div><div>1/2 cup wheat germ</div><div>3/4 cup whole, dry roasted flax seeds</div><div>1 1/2 tsp salt</div><div>2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast</div><div><br /></div><div>Place ingredients in order into your bread machine pan. Back on basic (or regular) setting.</div><div><br /></div><div>Please note, getting the dough right at this altitude and/or dry climate has proven difficult. I've tried following a few exact recipes and have needed a good 1/2 cup extra liquid. I'm posting this one because I have now had it work out perfectly several times and the quantities are still somewhat close to other recipes I have success with at normal altitudes. Hopefully it works for you. But please remember to check the dough after 5 minutes for consistency. You may need an extra teaspoon of flour or water.</div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-90512185966052875792010-11-09T19:58:00.000-08:002010-11-09T20:48:45.317-08:00The Perfect Autumn Breakfast!Hi! I'm Cyndi, and I'm a pumpkin freak!<div><br /></div><div>I always have been, always will be. I LOVE all things pumpkin. I don't think I've ever met anything pumpkin I didn't like. Heck, I've even started making my own pumpkin spice lattes at home which involves LITERALLY putting pumpkin in your coffee. Sounds gross, but tastes delish! And I've been eating the heck out of the pumpkin salsa I found at Whole Foods a few weeks back. I may even try to come up with my own homemade version!</div><div><br /></div><div>I've been making pumpkin pancakes for as long as I can remember. Pancakes are great -- add pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, & ginger and they are even better. In the beginning, it was a dollop or 2 of pumpkin added to good ole Bisquick pancake batter, and then seasoned to taste. It wasn't wasn't very special - Bisquick did all the hard work.</div><div><br /></div><div>Occasionally, I made my own pancake batter, but I usually started with a mix. It left less room for disaster. If I started off with a tried and true mix, the only thing that could go wrong was not having enough spice, or having too much. And then there was always the fact, that for whatever reason, pumpkin added to your pancake mix makes it take twice as long to cook. I can't explain it and I still don't really have a magical fix for that. One time they turn out perfect and the next I feel like I have to overcook them on the outside in order to have the middles done.</div><div><br /></div><div>After I had my first child, working extra fruits & veggies into just about every single meal became priority number one. Adding pumpkin to just about everything I baked was an easy fix for that. So what was once something I did about half the time in the fall, became something I did every time I made pancakes. Zach loved them, and I loved that he was getting the extra nutrients. It was a win-win.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once he got a little older, I started calling them "pumpkin pie pancakes". Granted, he ate every last bite when I left the word "pie" out. But something about being a mom and making breakfast sound like dessert was so much fun! To me they sounded more appetizing to a 2 year old. And from there the old standby of Bisquick with a couple spoonfuls of pumpkin thrown in at the last minute....evolved.</div><div><br /></div><div>If I was going to call them "pumpkin pie pancakes", they should at least have all the same ingredients, right? I mean, would pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving taste just as good if it were made out of skim milk instead of evaporated milk? And it would have to be brown sugar instead of white. And I always prefer my pumpkin pie to be a little heavier on the ginger than the other typical spices found in "pumpkin pie spice". So shouldn't MY pumpkin pie pancakes be a little gingery? </div><div><br /></div><div>My recipe has probably changed as least half as many times as I've made them. As most of you know (and as I've even stated in this blog), I'm horrible about measuring stuff. I'm even worse about writing down what I did and keeping it in a safe place so I can recreate any dish that my family ends up going ga-ga over. In fact, a lot of you have asked for this recipe. And I bet between all of you who have it, there is at least 3 different variations going around. It's the way I roll. I try to perfect stuff and I give out the latest version. My apologies for not passing out versions 1.2 and 1.3 to those of you who were giving the original.</div><div><br /></div><div>And just like many cooks today, I have made efforts to make things healthier. I'm always searching for ways to get more nutrients into my family, while cutting out calories and fat. And most importantly, without sacrificing taste. I do all I can to make my cooking healthy, but at the same time I whole-heartedly believe in "all things in moderation". </div><div><br /></div><div>Since we've been having autumn weather for over 2 months now, the pumpkin pie pancakes have been made many a time recently. So I've had plenty of time to tweek. And plenty of time to keep track of the ingredients, and even the quantities I used! So here is the latest version of the recipe. Feel free to tweek it yourself. I probably will next weekend. You can always ask me if I've made any changes for the better!</div><div><br /></div><div>Pumpkin Pie Pancakes</div><div><br /></div><div>1 cup all-purpose flour</div><div>1 cup quick cooking oats</div><div>1/2 cup wheat germ</div><div>1/4 cup flax seed</div><div>2 tsp baking powder</div><div>1 1/2 tsp cinnamon</div><div>1 1/2 tsp ginger</div><div>1/2 tsp fresh ground nutmeg </div><div>1/4 tsp cloves</div><div>1/2 cup brown sugar</div><div>1/2 tsp salt</div><div>1 cup pumpkin puree</div><div>1 cup evaporated milk</div><div>1 egg</div><div>2 tsp vanilla</div><div>1/4 cup melted butter</div><div><br /></div><div>In a large bowl, mix together flour, oats, wheat germ, flax seed, baking powder, spices, and brown sugar. </div><div><br /></div><div>In another bowl (or what I usually do, is measure the milk into a large 4 cup measuring cup, then mix the rest of the ingredients into the measuring cup. This way, you can use the measuring cup to pour the ingredients on to the griddle!), mix together the pumpkin, milk, egg, vanilla & butter. Combine wet & dry ingredients (you do not need to mix until there are no lumps!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Melt a pat of butter on griddle over medium-low heat (or spray cold griddle with non-stick cooking spray). Pour about 1/4 cup of batter at a time onto the heated griddle (I usually make about 4 pancakes at a time). Let cook until bubbles form on the top of the pancake, then flip. Cook another 2 minutes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Serve with REAL maple syrup. It is SO worth it. :) </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, I realize the sight of brown sugar, REAL BUTTER, and even eggs may make some of your hearts go pitter-patter. And I also realize that some of you would never eat "health food" like wheat germ and flax seed. Believe me, there isn't much you can do to this recipe to either make it healthier or less healthy that I haven't done. So let your imagination run wild. You can simply omit the "healthy" stuff, just note you will probably need a little less evaporated milk. And yes, the brown sugar can be substituted with white, or even honey, Splenda or omitted entirely. The butter can easily be replaced with applesauce (which I do a lot, especially if the dinner the night before was a little high in cholesterol!) The egg can even be omitted (you may want to add extra baking powder, or a little baking soda.) If you want a more normal pancake consistency, you can use just 2 cups of flour and no oats. Or 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose, and 1/2 cup of whole wheat (or even 1 cup of each!)</div><div><br /></div><div>Since I want the masses to enjoy my recipes, I posted the version that comes out the tastiest, while still having some of the healthy stuff that is important to me. Feel free to adjust the recipe as you see fit. Most importantly, have a great autumn morning!</div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-42053785705244875862010-06-21T15:59:00.000-07:002010-06-21T16:22:23.642-07:00Healthy Muffins<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I've been thinking about posting the base muffin recipe that I've been using recently for a long time. But today, I actually had TWO different friends ask for muffin recipes, so I figured what better time to blog!</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">There really isn't a backstory to this recipe, with the exception of me wanting a healthy breakfast choice for my family since I make muffins at least twice a week. So this post will be short & sweet.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">I'm not even sure where I got the original recipe, as I've been using which ever one I found and tweeking it for years. I have added bananas and fresh/frozen berries to this recipe and it always comes out great.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;">You can easily substitute whole wheat flour (I often do, or at least substitute half whole wheat/half all purpose). But note, you will need some additional liquid (either another splash of orange juice or a little milk.)</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Enjoy!</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family:verdana, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><div style="font-weight: bold; margin-bottom: 7px; margin-top: 15px; font-size:11pt;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Orange Honey Muffins</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://www.mrbreakfast.com/c.gif" alt="" width="5" height="2" /><br /></span><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 cup all-purpose flour</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 cup rolled oats</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">1/4 ground flax seed</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 cup orange juice </span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1/2 cup honey</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1 large egg</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">3 Tablespoon vegetable or canola oil</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">2 teaspoons baking powder</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></li><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract</span></li></ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Prepare a regular 12 muffin tin with muffin papers or a light coating of cooking spray.<br /><br />Preheat oven to 400 degrees.<br /><br />In a large mixing bowl, mix together the flour, oats, flax seed baking powder, and salt.<br /><br />In a small bowl, beat the egg and add to the dry ingredients. Add juice, honey, oil and vanilla. Mix ingredients until just combined and moistened.<br /><br />Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 full.<br /><br />Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out dry<br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><img src="http://www.mrbreakfast.com/c.gif" alt="" width="5" height="7" /><br /><br /></span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, helvetica, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><img src="http://www.mrbreakfast.com/c.gif" alt="" width="5" height="7" /></i><br /></span></div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-87860039378827022672010-05-05T12:18:00.000-07:002010-05-05T12:51:31.920-07:00Gyoza!OK, I feel a little silly talking about Japanese dumplings on Cinco de Mayo, but I got a request so here goes!<div><br /></div><div>Japanese potstickers, or Gyoza, have been one of my favorite foods for as long as I can remember. Fortunately, my kids and husband love them too. They have become one of my favorite things to cook with the kids. They love mixing up the filling and even making the dumplings themselves. Granted, they don't end up being the fanciest looking little things when they are done, but they are still VERY tasty.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like I'm sure you're figured out about me, I don't always follow the recipe. I have the ingredients memorized, but sometimes I just throw them together using varying amounts. And you can easily eliminate some of the ingredients if you're not a fan of certain flavors.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here is my base recipe. It is a culmination of 2 recipes -- one that was in a cookbook that I received from a Japanese friend and another was given to me by a friend. And then I tweeked it a little to my own tastes. This recipe is heavier on the ginger & green onions than either of the two original recipes and I know garlic isn't a very common ingredient in gyoza. So again, feel free to adjust or eliminate ingredients to suit your own tastes:</div><div><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;"><br /></span></b></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:Verdana;font-size:12px;"><ul style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; position: relative; z-index: 0; "><li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; list-style-type: disc; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">1/2 pound ground pork</span></b></li><li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; list-style-type: disc; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">3/4 cup Napa cabbage, shredded</span></b></li><li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; list-style-type: disc; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">1/2 cup carrot, shredded</span></b></li><li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; list-style-type: disc; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">2 green onions, diced</span></b></li><li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; list-style-type: disc; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">2-3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled & grated</span></b></li><li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; list-style-type: disc; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">1-2 cloves of garlic, grated</span></b></li><li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; list-style-type: disc; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">1 egg, beaten</span></b></li><li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; list-style-type: disc; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">2 tablespoons soy sauce</span></b></li><li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; list-style-type: disc; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">1/2 teaspoon sesame oil</span></b></li><li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; list-style-type: disc; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">gyoza or wonton wrappers (typically 30-40 are needed for this recipe)</span></b></li><li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; list-style-type: disc; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">2 tablespoons vegetable oil for frying (additional may be needed)</span></b></li><li class="ingredient" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 18px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; list-style-type: disc; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">1/2 cup of water, plus 1-2 teaspoons of soy sauce per cooking batch</span></b></li></ul><h3 id="rP" style="font-family: inherit; font-size: 12px; font-style: inherit; margin-top: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">Prep:</span></h3><div class="instructions" style=" font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; font-family:inherit;font-size:12px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the shredded cabbage for 3-4 minutes. Remove and place into a bowl of ice cold water, remove once cooled and drain on paper towels.<br /><br />In a bowl, combine the ground pork, cooked cabbage, carrot, green onion, ginger, garlic, egg, soy sauce, and sesame oil.<br /><br />Put some water in a finger bowl. Put one gyoza wrapper on prep surface in front of you. Wet all the edges with water. Place about a teaspoon of filling in the middle of the wrapper. Fold the sides up, and then pinch the edges to seal. If using gyoza wrappers you'll have semi-circles, and if using wonton wrappers, I usually just pinch all four corners together making a little purse. Continue with the rest of the wrappers until the filling is gone.<br /><br />To cook, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. Add approximately 12 gyoza and cook for 2 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom.<br /><br />Add 1/2 cup of water & 1-2 tsp of soy sauce to the pan. Cover the dumplings and let simmer until the water is absorbed (5 to 7 minutes). Repeat until all gyoza are cooked.</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;"><br /></span></div><div class="instructions" style=" font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; font-family:inherit;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">One shortcut I have found I like better is to put the carrot, green onion, ginger & garlic into the food processor and grind it all up together. It saves the hassle of grating/shredding/chopping everything individually. This mixture mixes in with the ground pork more smoothly in my opinion. </span></span></span></div><div class="instructions" style=" font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; font-family:inherit;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;font-size:16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#66CCCC;">These dumplings are awesome served with a Thai Peanut dipping sauce. </span></span></span></div><div class="instructions" style=" font-style: inherit; font-weight: inherit; margin-top: 1.5em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1.5em; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; text-decoration: inherit; font-family:inherit;font-size:12px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Georgia, serif;font-size:130%;color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: normal;font-size:16px;">Enjoy!</span></span></div></span></div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-5605664207858188752010-04-12T08:18:00.000-07:002010-04-12T08:52:39.743-07:00Greens the kids will love!All 3 of my kids like vegetables (for the most part). I've never had a problem getting them to munch on fresh veggies, especially with some yummy dip. While each has had their moments where they don't seem to want a certain veggie, it's not a general dislike for vegetables. The boys have each had a phase where they flat out insisted they didn't like a vegetable: Zach hated peas from birth until very recently; Gabe quit liking cooked carrots about the time he turned 3 1/2. <div><br /></div><div> Zach also had a major dislike for all things potato (with the exception of french fries, of course) from birth until just the last 6 months or so. And Gabe, being the perfect little brother, has decided that sounds like a cool dislike to pick up right where Zach left off. Words cannot describe how aggravating it is for Mommy to have to sit and watch him push what used to be one of his favorite foods around his plate, refusing to even try it. Grrr.....</div><div><br /></div><div>But fortunately, my kids have veggies they absolutely LOVE. Funny enough it's the veggies that most kids don't like til they are adults, if even then. All 3 go nuts for roasted asparagus, which surprises me to no end (I know some kids like them, but as a collective whole I hear about kids that won't touch any veggie at all except raw carrots & celery, so it surprises me to know end that all 3 love them!) And they will all ask for spinach. Yes, spinach. And without Mommy having to mention Popeye's name (ok, bad example, I doubt they'd even know who Popeye is!) They love creamed spinach and especially something we call "Spinach Squares".</div><div><br /></div><div>Spinach Squares are something I discovered long before I had kids, and are without a doubt one of my favorite ways to get my greens. A co-worker brought them to a potluck, and they reminded me of something that I'd made before (but had lost the recipe). They were such a hit at the potluck, I think everyone demanded the recipe.</div><div><br /></div><div>Over the years, I have changed up the recipe slightly to fit my own tastes (would it be on my blog if I hadn't changed it up a bit???) and I've made several variations over the years to fit the menu. But one thing never changes, all 3 kids will eat way more than their fair share. And it does my heart good to see the veggies disappear! </div><div><br /></div><div>Spinach Squares (original recipe)</div><div><br /></div><div>1 stick of butter or margarine, melted</div><div>3 10oz packages of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed & drained</div><div>1 pound of jack cheese, shredded</div><div>1 cup of all-purpose flour</div><div>1 tsp of baking powder</div><div>3 eggs</div><div>1/2 cup milk</div><div>1/2 tsp salt</div><div><br /></div><div>Preheat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients well and put in a greased 9x13 casserole dish. Bake for 35 minutes. Let cool 30 minutes before cutting. Cut into 2 inch squares.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, like I said, I change it up a little to suit my tastes. I never make them without a little fresh ground black pepper - I'm not really sure why it wasn't included in the regular recipe. I always add some fresh ground nutmeg, something I always do with spinach or cheese dishes. And I have found I actually prefer the flavor if there is some cheddar in there. I've made them with the mexican blend shredded cheese (usually the cheddar/jack blend), all sharp cheddar (probably my favorite), 1/2 a pound of jack & 1/2 a pound of cheddar, all colby jack, and even mozzarella. You really can't screw them up. </div><div><br /></div><div>If I'm taking them a potluck or serving as an appetizer or buffet item, I typically cut them in bite size squares. I also have a tendency to throw in a little crumbled bacon if I've taking them to a party/bunco, just to get that little extra yumminess! </div><div><br /></div><div>I have cooked these in a throw away pan and taken them to friend's who have had a baby more times than I can count. And as some of you know, this is the perfect freeze-ahead item when you are having a baby! Those of you who have been pregnant with me, know that I make about 12 batches of these and freeze them so I've got ready made side-dishes for when I'm too busy with a newborn to care about cooking! And even if you aren't expecting, they are a great addition to your meal plan if you like to freeze ahead. (Note: When I freeze ahead, I typically split the recipe into two 8x8 throw away pans so we don't have quite so many to eat at once.)</div><div><br /></div><div>The possibilities are endless! Hope your kids (and you) enjoy them as much as my family does.</div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-85129556034259662172010-03-09T12:17:00.000-08:002010-03-12T12:09:57.136-08:00A little Irish for St. Patty's Day.....Sorry for neglecting the blog. Between illnesses and house-hunting, I haven't been doing a lot of fancy cooking. When I'm always throwing stuff in the crockpot or cooking my easy, standby meals, it's hard to find inspiration to share with all of you. But I've been meaning to get back on track!<div><br /></div><div>I've had several requests for my corned beef & cabbage recipe in the last couple weeks. I think most of my friends know that I always make corned beef for St. Patrick's Day and New Years Day, as well as several other times a year. It's without a doubt one of my favorite meals. And with the exception of Gabe possibly having a "I don't like cabbage day" (thankfully those are rare), all 3 of my kids will even ask for seconds when I fix it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now for the record, I'm not Irish. At least not much. My great-grandfather's last name had a "Mc" in it, so quite possibly there is a little in the mix. But not enough for me to claim Irish heritage. My love of corned beef comes from my grandmother from England -- "Nanny" -- as I discussed in the yorkshire pudding post. Or maybe my mom. Which ever one first decided to make corned beef the traditional New Year's meal in our family. </div><div><br /></div><div>Sorry to disappoint, but I don't usually corn my own beef. I have before. And I probably should every time (to eliminate preservatives, nitrates and all that yucky stuff). But I don't. One of two things happens when I buy a corned beef: I either forget to buy one til the last minute (when it's too late to do one myself) or I find one on really good sale. The latter is the case this year. Whole Foods had theirs on sale last week for a too-good-to-be-true price last week. And with the 'no preservatives', 'no nitrates', 'no growth hormones', 'no antibiotics' label, I figured it was a great alternative to trying to have my own done in time. Especially when St. Patty's day falls on a Wednesday this year.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Corned Beef & Cabbage</div><div><br /></div><div>1 3-4 lb corned beef (including the spice packet)</div><div>10-12 red potatoes, cubed</div><div>1/2 pound of baby carrots (or regular carrots, peeled & cut into sticks)</div><div>1 small onion, diced (optional - I've left it out and didn't really notice a difference)</div><div>1 small head of cabbage, cored & chopped</div><div><br /></div><div>First I trim off quite a bit of the fat. You certainly don't have to, but I figure I'm not going to eat it, and it is just as flavorful without letting the meat & veggies boil away for hours in all the excess fat. Give the beef a good rinse (if using a prepackaged one, it will be covered in this hot pink colored jelly stuff that, believe me, you won't want to cook). Put beef in the bottom of a good stock pot (I use my good Le Creuset pot). Add cold water to cover the beef. Add the seasoning packet (note: you can use less if you like your veggies a little less flavorful or you can leave it out entirely if you like a little bit easier clean-up!) Bring to a boil. Let it cook at a heavy boil for about 10 minutes, then use a spoon to skim off the "stuff" that cooks out of the meat. Then reduce heat, cover, and let cook for about 2 1/2-3 hours (or recommended time on our package). Remove meat and place it on cutting board. Add cabbage, potatoes & carrots, and cook until potatoes & carrots are fork tender. Slice corned beef. If you want the meat HOT, place the meat back in the broth with the veggies til ready to serve.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, it's that simple. :) Without a doubt to easy to not enjoy it several times a year.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have corned my own beef a couple of times. The last time I used Alton Brown's recipe from Food Network <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/corned-beef-recipe/index.html">http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/corned-beef-recipe/index.html</a> It was long enough ago that I honestly don't remember if I eliminated or changed any ingredients. But I do remember that it was a really good alternative to going the easy route. </div><div><br /></div><div>Enjoy!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-77152467607010050862010-02-09T20:04:00.000-08:002010-02-10T09:16:42.795-08:00Speaking of letting the kids create their own recipe.....It's funny that my last entry was about my mom letting me take the reins in the kitchen, since yesterday my kids took charge of the cupcakes.<div><br /></div><div>My oldest came across a cake mix in the pantry yesterday and wanted to make cupcakes. So as I was pouring the dry mix into the bowl, my just-turned-3-year-old picks up the box and counts the eggs in the picture. Then says, "One egg for Zach, one for Gabe, and one for me!" Now, I've never been one to let my kids crack eggs very often (those organic eggs get expensive!), but I figured in the spirit of making cupcakes together on a snowy day......sure why not.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I helped her crack hers, then let the boys do their own. It was about the time Gabe dumped his egg in the bowl that he announced he wanted strawberry cupcakes. Almost instantaneously, Zach said he wanted cream cheese frosting. Well, no matter how I stretched my imagination, I just couldn't come up with a way to make strawberry cupcakes from ingredients in the house. So I offered the compromise of making chocolate-cream cheese frosting since the cupcakes were going to be boring old yellow (well, butter-recipe yellow, but still just yellow to my little dessert lovers.) </div><div><br /></div><div>Gabe suddenly changed gears and asked for orange juice, just as I was measuring the 2/3 cup water to put into the cake batter. So I stopped to get him some oj, and he said, "Orange juice has water in it, can we put it in the cupcakes?" And I thought that sounded like a brilliant idea. </div><div><br /></div><div>So after all the kids chiming in, our butter cupcakes turned into orange vanilla cupcakes. And I figured since our cupcakes were turning into an experiment, I would do the unthinkable and use the <b><i>whipped</i></b> "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" that I had on hand. This was technically my daughter's suggestion who grabbed the tub when I said I needed butter, and refused to accept that hers wasn't what I needed. </div><div><br /></div><div>Yes, like all bakers, I have REAL unsalted butter on hand. But to be honest I've used enough real, unsalted butter in my cooking recently that my cholesterol level has probably gone from "very healthy" to "one foot in the grave" just since Thanksgiving. So I figured why not play around and see what happens. After all, I'm still learning to bake at an altitude of over 6500 feet, now is the time to play around.</div><div><br /></div><div>So in went the orange juice, vanilla extract (dangit - I just remembered I have actual vanilla beans I should have used!) and tub butter. (OK, sidebar, are any of my Grey's Anatomy friends now envisioning Izzie eating an entire tub of butter right now?? LOL) And the 4 of us took turns whipping them up as I fully expected a disaster to come out of the oven. I even took the advice of a friend who told me to never, EVER bother with high altitude directions. That part certainly makes life easier.</div><div><br /></div><div>Much to my surprise, we created the absolute moistest cupcakes I have ever put in my mouth. Granted it was probably a fluke -- some strange combination of the altitude, sub-freezing temps and massive fluffy snowflakes saturating the air around the house that attributed to this experiment actually turning into something heavenly. But hey, I'll take it. </div><div><br /></div><div>And it just goes to show that you can always doctor up a cake mix to make something your own. It's easy to feel like you've made something homemade just by changing one ingredient.</div><div><br /></div><div>Orange Vanilla Cupcakes</div><div><br /></div><div>1 box Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Yellow Cake Mix</div><div>2/3 cup orange juice</div><div>1/2 cup tub margarine (please, feel free to use the REAL stuff!!!)</div><div>3 eggs</div><div>1 Tbsp vanilla extract</div><div><br /></div><div>Mix & bake according to package directions.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And if you desire......</div><div><br /></div><div>Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting</div><div>(I usually double this recipe)</div><div><br /></div><div>1 8oz package cream cheese, softened</div><div>1/2 stick REAL unsalted butter, softened</div><div>1 cup confectioner's sugar</div><div>1 tsp vanilla</div><div>1/3 cup dutch cocoa powder</div><div><br /></div><div>Whip together til fluffy</div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-64802866381057307912010-02-08T07:52:00.001-08:002010-02-08T12:21:07.885-08:00My Very First Actual RecipeYears ago, when I was like 8 or 9 (maybe 10), I was helping my mom make dinner for my dad for his birthday. She had bought some chicken leg quarters. She pulled down ALL the spices from her spice cabinet. She let me sit there smelling them & tasting them til I created my own recipe for the chicken. I'm not really sure how long it took me, but I do vividly remember standing there at the counter intently deciding what spices made the best combination for my dad's special meal. After much consideration, I decided on "Rosemary Coriander Chicken".<div><br /></div><div>My mom and I then covered each piece of chicken in salt, pepper, rosemary & coriander. Then she pan fried them in a little oil & butter. The chicken was incredible and my dad LOVED it. It quickly became a staple in our house after that. </div><div><br /></div><div>The funny thing about my recipe is it never got referred to as just "chicken". I never asked "What's for dinner?" and had my mom reply "Chicken" or "chicken quarters". It was always called "Rosemary Coriander Chicken". </div><div><br /></div><div>I have made it several times for my family, especially at our last house in Texas where we grew a rosemary bush in the front yard. But I didn't realize til this week that I had gotten out of the habit of calling it by it's full name. </div><div><br /></div><div>In fact, I hadn't even decided on how I was going to cook the leg quarters until I opened my spice cabinet and saw the brand new bottle of coriander that I bought a couple weeks ago and I suddenly craved it. Eating it always gives me the chance to think about my childhood and remember my dad. I knew I'd have to tell the kids we were having "Rosemary Coriander Chicken" for dinner. Zach especially got a kick out of the fact that I wasn't much older than him when I created the recipe all by myself.</div><div><br /></div><div>Now, I don't dare google it. I'm sure somebody out there somewhere has come up with the same idea. I'm sure somebody has coined it as their recipe. So my apologies to whoever if this comes out sounding like I straight plagiarized it. But I do know I created this from my heart. So if someone else has created the same exact recipe, well that just means they have really good tastes. :)</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><b>Rosemary Coriander Chicken</b></div><div><br /></div><div>4 chicken leg quarters (chicken/thigh combos)</div><div>salt, pepper, rosemary & coriander to taste (enough to sprinkle & cover both sides)</div><div>2 Tbsp of olive oil</div><div>2 Tbsp of butter</div><div>1/2 cup white wine (optional)</div><div>additional pat of butter (optional)</div><div><br /></div><div>Remove skin from chicken quarters (you can leave them on, but I remove them in an effort to be a little healthier). Rinse chicken in warm salt water, then rinse again in clean water. Pat the chicken dry. Evenly sprinkle the chicken with coriander. Sprinkle rosemary on the chicken and salt & pepper to taste. Heat the oil & butter over the stove in an oven safe pan. </div><div><br /></div><div>Place chicken in the pan. Cook til the bottom side is nicely browned. Then flip to brown the other side (5-6 minutes each side). Once both sides are browned, put a lid on the pan. You can either turn down the heat and continue to cook it on the stove, or transfer the pan to a 350 degree oven. Cook for an additional 30-40 minutes. Chicken can be served as is or with the following pan sauce.</div><div><br /></div><div>Deglaze the pan with a 1/2 cup of white wine. Scrape up all the 'bits' off the bottom of the pan. Allow wine to simmer til it cooks down by about half. Turn off heat. Stir in a small pat of butter. Sauce goes great over roasted potatoes if you desire!</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-11278098778686892622010-01-28T19:24:00.000-08:002010-01-29T09:06:29.981-08:00Batter Pudding anyone?Or as you Americans probably call it, Yorkshire Pudding. <div><br /></div><div>Funny, even though Yorkshire is the proper English name for it, my very proper English grandmother always called it <i>Batter</i> pudding. In fact, I have to force myself to call it Yorkshire pudding when I'm talking to "yanks" about it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Growing up, I always thought I was the only kid who had Yorkshire pudding on a semi-regular basis. After all I was the one with the grandmother who was actually born and raised in England. That always made me feel a little different, a little special. It still amazes me to learn how many of my adult friends actually like Yorkshire pudding. </div><div><br /></div><div>My grandmother was an incredible cook, which probably makes all of you who know anything about English cooking laugh a little. Yes, I know English cooking has a reputation for being bland and not worth the price of admission. But Nanny, as she was known to me, could make food delicious. While she could do just as good on American fare, she would still make her old English favorites all the time. While my mouth still waters for some of her fish & chips or her bacon pudding, I must admit I don't miss the jellied tongue she made every year for New Year's. </div><div><br /></div><div>She grew up during the depression. She was forced to drop out of school at 14 and get a job to help keep the family afloat. And it was while preparing meals for her mom, dad and two little sisters that she learned to cook so well. And I can still hear her voice, with her English accent telling me how much her Daddy loved her batter pudding. How even as a teenager she could make the best he'd ever tasted.</div><div><br /></div><div>She had been making them for so many years by the time I came around, that she would laugh if I ever actually asked her for a recipe. I made the mistake one time of asking her for the recipe for her "baby's head" (the English terminology for a steamed suet pudding) and it took her almost an hour to give me approximate ingredients and a visual of what consistency I was aiming for. Then she had to call me back when she remembered she actually had a recipe of sorts written down.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, sans recipe, she made her batter pudding by "feel". And that's the way she taught my mom. And it's the way my mom explains it to me every time I want to make one and call her up and ask her about specific quantities. So I have finally given up on looking at a recipe, and I just go by feel. And in an effort to not risk screwing it up, if my mom happens to be here when I want one for dinner, I let HER make it. </div><div><br /></div><div>The important thing to remember about Yorkshire pudding is that they will not always be consistent. Even my grandmother would occasionally complain (or more appropriately shout, "Ah, bloody hell!") about the fact that hers fell, or never rose in the first place. My mom still jokes every time she puts one in the oven that crossing fingers & hoping it rises is the most important ingredient. </div><div><br /></div><div>So bearing that in mind, I can give you the "recipe" that worked for me tonight. TONIGHT, I paid attention to how much flour, salt, etc I put in the bowl so I could share the recipe without simply googling someone else's recipe for you. But as I learned from my Nanny and my mom, I can't promise results. </div><div><br /></div><div>Yorkshire (Batter) Pudding</div><div><br /></div><div>1 cup all-purpose flour</div><div>1/2 tsp salt</div><div>1 tsp baking powder</div><div>3/4 cup of milk (probably could have used a splash or two more)</div><div>1 egg, beaten</div><div>1-2 Tbsp meat drippings</div><div><br /></div><div>For the batter, mix ingredients in a bowl thoroughly (you want it to be the consistency of very thin pancake batter). If you happen to have an egg beater (the little hand mixer with the handle that you manually turn), use it and make my grandmother proud. But if you're like me, just use a fork. :) Set the bowl aside for at least 30 minutes to an hour so it can rest and come to room temperature. </div><div><br /></div><div>Once your meat is done and removed from the oven, spoon drippings into a glass pie dish. (Note: pie dish is the right size for this amount of batter, you can always increase the ingredients and make a larger pudding.) Place dish in a 450 degree oven for about 10 minutes to get it hot. Remove dish from oven and pour in the batter. Return to oven and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Let cool slightly, cut into wedges and serve immediately.</div><div><br /></div><div>Note: If you're fancying Yorkshire pudding, but aren't making a roast, you can use shortening or oil in the bottom of the pie dish instead. And if you want individual popovers, you can always make them in muffin tins.</div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-55959746641970331552010-01-28T10:41:00.000-08:002010-01-28T11:43:59.088-08:00Adding a few twists......OK, so years ago I had this great idea for a cookbook. I thought it would be a lot of fun to write a cookbook (and maybe even sell a few). But I really truly have always believed my recipes are just tweaked versions of other people's recipes. Now I know Simon Cowell preaches you should always "make it your own", but I couldn't see having Emeril Lagasse or Rachael Ray sue me because my recipe was just a wee bit too much like theirs. So my idea for the cookbook was to give people<i> ideas</i> versus <i>recipes</i>. <div><br /></div><div>But it got too convoluted. There was no actual THEME to the book. I just couldn't see making it marketable since it wouldn't really appeal to the crowd that wanted to cook everything in less than 30 minutes or to the crowd that was so in love with butter they only wanted Paula Deen type recipes. I had a million random tips I wanted to share and I wanted it to make sense.</div><div><br /></div><div>My first idea for the book was to show frugal shoppers how they could plan ahead and incorporate some time saving into that 10-pound family pack of ground beef they bought to save money. It would involve freezing some raw, making some freezable meals, and cooking a meal now that would allow some leftovers. In fact, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a cooking show than a cookbook.</div><div><br /></div><div>But of course, all my random ideas were still a bit too convoluted for a cooking show. There wouldn't be a theme whatsoever. Show #1 would be the ground beef idea. Show #2 might be about making homemade baby food (something I did for all 3 of my kids). Show #3 might be about incorporating lots of veggies into a meal (bare in mind this was a few years before Deceptively Delicious came out). Show #4 may be about how to make homemade chicken stock, how to freeze it, and a good soup recipe to make at the same time that could utilize some of that freshly made stock. Show #5 may be "do ahead steps" for stay-at-home moms who were very hands on with their kids, yet wanted to put a good meal on the table. See.........way too convoluted. So I finally just gave up on the idea.</div><div><br /></div><div>But since I now have this blog, and a few of you have already asked me via email for some of my tips, tricks & stock recipe, I figure I can finally do what I thought about doing years ago. And it might actually be appreciated in this format. Random tips intermixed with recipes. There won't be any rhyme or reason to it. Posts will probably still coincide with what I'm making in my kitchen that day or questions I get asked from friends.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sorry, for rambling. Not exactly a recipe is it?</div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-35192668799310100532010-01-26T20:04:00.000-08:002010-01-27T11:51:28.883-08:00Chicken Tortilla Soup<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-size:11px;"><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;">Well since I mentioned it on FB, I thought I'd add the recipe (no pics since I managed to mess up my ankle before cooking dinner last night. Cooking with all my weight on one foot is difficult enough without trying </span></h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size: 13px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:11px;"><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;">to take decent pics at the same time! LOL)</span></h3><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></div></span></h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;">I make this soup a lot since we have a lot cooler nights than I'm used to. Soup really warms you up on a cold, snowy night, and it's something you can add some spicy salsa to in order to really heat you up. And most importantly the kids like it (even though Gabe will invariably take 2 hours to eat a small bowl, acting like it's going to eat him, yet saying, "Mmmm" after ever bite. Go figure!)</span></h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;">Here is my original "recipe". I wrote this down years ago after I made it for a neighbor who had a baby and she wanted the recipe. I kept it on hand in case I was ever drawing a blank or was making a special trip to the store for specific ingredients. Thankfully I did since I've given it to at least 3 friends on FB recently. </span></h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;">But like I said in my last post, I don't really 'do' recipes. So every batch I make is tweaked usually. I am a firm believer in make do with what you have and don't rush back out to the store because you are missing one ingredient. And I'm also a firm believer in chalking recipes full of veggies for nutritional value. You'd be amazed how a kid may start to like a veggie they "hate" just because it tasted really yummy in a certain meal. Just don't tell Gabe I sometimes hide a finely chopped carrot in there.</span></h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;">This is the crockpot version. This recipe fills a programmable crockpot to the brim, so you'll have to adjust accordingly based on the size of your crockpot. However, I usually make it in my Le Creuset stockpot and let it simmer. I'll give you those instructions as well.</span></h3><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></div><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></h3><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;">Chicken Tortilla Soup (Crockpot)</span></span></div><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px;"><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br />1 lb boneless/skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces<br />1 lb boneless/skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces<br />2 15 oz cans diced tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted)<br />2 15 oz cans ranch-style beans (if you substitute regular pinto beans, additional spice will be needed)</span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br />1 zucchini, diced<br />1 onion, diced<br />2-3 cloves garlic, minced<br />1 bell pepper (I usually use red to add some color & sweetness), diced<br />3-4 tsp chili powder<br />1-2 tsp cumin<br />bunch of cilantro, chopped<br />4 cups chicken broth<br />10 oz box frozen, chopped spinach (just put in frozen)<br /><br />Throw all ingredients in the crockpot and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low all day.<br /><br />Serve with shredded mexican blend cheese, sour cream, fresh cilantro & crushed tortilla chips (or hot, fresh tortillas from a local mexican restaurant. Believe me, the special trip makes a BIG difference!)</span></span></span></h3><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></div><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; font-size:13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-size: 13px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; "><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;">Stockpot version:</span></span></span></h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-size: 13px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-size: 13px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; "><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;">Sautee chicken in oil. Remove from pan. Sautee veggies about 5 minutes (if spinach is thawed add it at this point, if still frozen add when you add the broth). Add tomatoes & beans. Cook another 2-3 minutes. Add broth, spices & meat. Put lid on it and simmer about 45 minutes.</span></span></span></h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-size: 13px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></h3><h3 class="UIIntentionalStory_Message" ft="{"type":"msg"}" style="font-size: 13px; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; font-weight: normal; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; "><span class="UIStory_Message"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;">There are many other options as well. This recipe works GREAT with a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Or leftover roasted chicken from another meal. What I do most often is just use the chicken that I used to make my homemade chicken stock, also using this fresh, homemade stock for the soup. And the veggies are optional as well. If you aren't feeding kids (or if they like things really spicy) you can always throw in a jalapeño or two. Tonight I threw in some celery & carrot since I had it on hand. Like I said, Gabe isn't too fond of cooked carrots and will use that as an excuse to not eat. So I take the time to chop it really, really fine.</span></span></span></h3><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#CCFFFF;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div></span>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2378141412062694497.post-66228843204577481872010-01-26T12:53:00.000-08:002010-01-26T15:07:14.064-08:00What Would Cyndi Cook?That seems to be a question I get asked a lot. Whether it's asking me to post a recipe for something I mention on Facebook or actually emailing me asking me for ideas, I don't think a day goes by that I don't help at least one friend out in the kitchen department.<div><br /></div><div>For starters, let me say I'm not an expert by any means. Just because my FB status says, "Cyndi is making pot roast for dinner", it doesn't mean that mine will taste as good as your grandmother's or that you'll even like my recipe. I do have failures. I do have flops. I do quite often find out that one of my kids apparently doesn't like the same stuff they liked the week before. But I love to cook, so I keep on cooking. And when the house smells really good, I tend to let all of facebook know what I'm fixing. </div><div><br /></div><div>The idea of a blog called "What Would Cyndi Cook" came from a conversation I had with a good friend, Sarah. It was on my FB wall, so some of you may have lurked as the conversation took place. Basically she told me what ingredients she had and asked for some ideas. I joked that if everyone saw it they would want me to start a website where they could ask me what they should fix for dinner. Now, as nice as it would be to be able to help everyone out like that, I can't risk getting 50 requests for a meal plan while I'm trying to simultaneously cook my family's dinner, referee for 3 hungry kids, observe homework, help put together a puzzle, and start another load of laundry. But the idea of having a weekly challenge or something is under advisement. We'll just have to see where the blog leads. </div><div><br /></div><div>But if you find yourself in a serious bind, you can still always ask as you have in the past. </div><div><br /></div><div>I don't really follow recipes, so don't always expect me to be able to give you perfect measurements. So don't be surprised if my entry doesn't always include a formal recipe (you can always respond and say, "Hey, give me the recipe!") Don't be surprised if you need to add more salt. As Rachael Ray always says, "this isn't a recipe, it's more of a method". I don't think I've ever followed a recipe to a T, unless it was something I was baking (I occasionally do stick to a cake or muffin recipe). So consider this blog more of a place to come for ideas - either for what to do with the chicken breasts you thawed out this morning or what to add to your shopping list for tomorrow. </div><div><br /></div><div><div>But in order to make this a true <i>cooking</i> blog, I thought I'd share a meal plan from last week:</div><div><br /></div><div>I was telling my husband what meat options we had in the freezer, and he thought a roasted chicken sounded good. So on Sunday, that's what I did. I didn't google any recipes, I just thought about different "methods" I'd seen on Food Network. I took about 1/4 stick of unsalted butter and heated it in the microwave for about 25 seconds. I basically wanted it the consistency of room temperature butter, but warmer. I added about 4 cloves of freshly chopped garlic, a couple pinches of Kosher salt, and several grinds of the peppermill. Then with my hands, I smooshed (yeah, not a word, but you get my drift) all over the chicken -- up under the skin and on the outside (trying to get all the garlic under the skin so it didn't brown too bad during the cooking process). Then I hit the outside with a little more salt & pepper. I baked it in the oven at 375 for about an hour & a half. The skin came out really crispy. Actually it came out TOO GOOD. I've never been a chicken skin girl, even when I wasn't watching my waistline, but I ate about 1/2 the skin while I was waiting for the chicken to cool off enough for the kids to eat it. It was THAT good.</div><div><br /></div><div>I served it with roasted broccoli & roasted potatoes (both tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper & chopped garlic.......and the potatoes with some diced onion as well).</div><div><br /></div><div>I also took advantage of knowing I'd have leftover chicken and planned ahead for Monday's meal. I bought some fresh pizza dough (or you could use the refrigerated in a tube if you want). I sauteed up some onions, garlic, & red bell pepper in olive oil. I rolled out the pizza dough, covered it with some pizza sauce, cut up left over chicken from the night before, the sauteed veggies & some mozzarella cheese, folded it over and made calzones for dinner. They were a huge hit with the kids, who needed a kid-friendly meal after humoring Mommy and pretending to love roasted broccoli the night before.</div><div><br /></div><div>In the future if I'm actually posting a real recipe, I'll try to plan ahead and take pics as I cook. You know, so it looks like some of those more widely followed cooking blogs. :) But for now I just thought I'd throw out an idea, so you can see how easy it is to plan 2 meals from 1 chicken, and even get the chance to use up some ingredients from your fridge. After all, the calzone would be just as yummy if it had been a mushroom, spinach & cherry tomato one!</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Happy Cooking!</div><div><br /></div>Cyndihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06139888265686235763noreply@blogger.com3