I am going to take a break from posting a meal plan for a while. I'm experimenting with creating a rotating meal plan that repeats either weekly, biweekly, or maybe over longer periods. I want to see if I can save significantly more money that way or if the savings are insignificant. For now I haven't come up with a menu that suits me. Rob and the kids, I am sure, will be content with repeat meals, but I am like my dad in that I like "something different!". So once I am happy with my experimental meal plan, I will post it here and continue to post other food related blogs.
Monday, April 27, 2009
What? No Meal Plan?
I am going to take a break from posting a meal plan for a while. I'm experimenting with creating a rotating meal plan that repeats either weekly, biweekly, or maybe over longer periods. I want to see if I can save significantly more money that way or if the savings are insignificant. For now I haven't come up with a menu that suits me. Rob and the kids, I am sure, will be content with repeat meals, but I am like my dad in that I like "something different!". So once I am happy with my experimental meal plan, I will post it here and continue to post other food related blogs.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
My 2009 Cooking Goal: Yeast Breads
When it comes to cooking, there is cooking and then there is baking. They are not the same. Cooking is usually pretty simple - assemble ingredients, heat it somehow and eat. Baking is different. I'm learning that there are several factors involved in baking that make it much easier to mess up! A couple of years ago I made it my goal to learn how to make biscuits from scratch - several batches of tough, mealy, flat biscuits later, I feel pretty confident in my biscuit baking. But yeast breads...ack! Therein lies a monster I was not ready to face...
Until now!
My 2009 cooking goal has been (and continues to be) to teach myself how to make yeast breads that are edible.
I've been working on two different kinds so far - a basic sandwich loaf and dinner rolls - particularly my Nanny's beloved recipe. Here are some things I've learned (mostly from watching Good Eats and reading Alton Brown's book on baking):
1. Use instant rise yeast. Rapid rise is the old fashioned kind. Instant rise is similar to rapid rise except it rises better because more of the yeast is alive. Another plus of instant rise yeast is that you don't have to use warm water, which for me was always trouble because I tended to make the water too hot...which kills the yeast.
2. Start the dough off by adding 1 cup of flour to the rest of the ingredients, mix well and then let the dough rest about 20 minutes before you add enough flour to make it the right consistancy. What's right??? ha! As if that could be put into words! But the "rest" - I noticed during my biscuit trials that if I let the biscuit dough rest while I prep-ed the pan and got my rolling area ready, the dough was less sticky and easier to pat out. The same thing here, the flour needs to absorb some of the liquid and it needs a few minutes to sort all that out.
3. Use bottled or filtered water, city water has stuff in it to kill little critters - yeast can be killed by city water too. **This has made the biggest difference for me**
4. Make a mini hot kitchen to rise the dough in - I suspect that Laura Ingalls Wilder didn't have trouble finding a warm place to let her bread dough rise, but my a/c filled kitchen isn't uncomfortably warm, so I put a pan of near boiling water on the bottom rack of my oven, then put the dough ball in a greased bowl on the top rack, cover the bowl and close the door.
5.Temp the baked bread:
Yes I'm using a meat thermometer. The idea is that you want to bake the bread to right at 205-210 degrees. 212 is where water evaporates and that makes your bread dry.
So far that's all I've got! I still really need to work on this skill. I'm not ready to bake a bunch of bread as gift loaves for friends! I'd like to work on making french bread too. But I'm making peace with yeast and I am happy with my improvement thus far.
Until now!
My 2009 cooking goal has been (and continues to be) to teach myself how to make yeast breads that are edible.
I've been working on two different kinds so far - a basic sandwich loaf and dinner rolls - particularly my Nanny's beloved recipe. Here are some things I've learned (mostly from watching Good Eats and reading Alton Brown's book on baking):
1. Use instant rise yeast. Rapid rise is the old fashioned kind. Instant rise is similar to rapid rise except it rises better because more of the yeast is alive. Another plus of instant rise yeast is that you don't have to use warm water, which for me was always trouble because I tended to make the water too hot...which kills the yeast.
2. Start the dough off by adding 1 cup of flour to the rest of the ingredients, mix well and then let the dough rest about 20 minutes before you add enough flour to make it the right consistancy. What's right??? ha! As if that could be put into words! But the "rest" - I noticed during my biscuit trials that if I let the biscuit dough rest while I prep-ed the pan and got my rolling area ready, the dough was less sticky and easier to pat out. The same thing here, the flour needs to absorb some of the liquid and it needs a few minutes to sort all that out.
3. Use bottled or filtered water, city water has stuff in it to kill little critters - yeast can be killed by city water too. **This has made the biggest difference for me**
4. Make a mini hot kitchen to rise the dough in - I suspect that Laura Ingalls Wilder didn't have trouble finding a warm place to let her bread dough rise, but my a/c filled kitchen isn't uncomfortably warm, so I put a pan of near boiling water on the bottom rack of my oven, then put the dough ball in a greased bowl on the top rack, cover the bowl and close the door.
5.Temp the baked bread:
Yes I'm using a meat thermometer. The idea is that you want to bake the bread to right at 205-210 degrees. 212 is where water evaporates and that makes your bread dry.So far that's all I've got! I still really need to work on this skill. I'm not ready to bake a bunch of bread as gift loaves for friends! I'd like to work on making french bread too. But I'm making peace with yeast and I am happy with my improvement thus far.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Gravy Train: Bordelaise Sauce
Although *real* Bordelaise Sauce is nothing like this recipe, the Pilsbury Complete Cookbook offers this enhanced gravy recipe as an alternative to plain brown gravy served with roast beef.
Bordelaise Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp minced green onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 carrot, shredded
4 whole black peppercorns
1 small bay leaf
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 cups beef broth
Melt butter in a skillet and add green onions, garlic, carrot, peppercorns, and bayleaf. Cook for a couple of minute and then sprinkle on the flour, salt & pepper cook until flour browns slightly and slowly add the broth. Bring to a boil to slightly thicken. Strain gravy to remove vegetables, etc. Serve warm.
I've got to say that this gravy really classes up some instant mashed potatoes!
Bordelaise Sauce:
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp minced green onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 carrot, shredded
4 whole black peppercorns
1 small bay leaf
2 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 cups beef broth
Melt butter in a skillet and add green onions, garlic, carrot, peppercorns, and bayleaf. Cook for a couple of minute and then sprinkle on the flour, salt & pepper cook until flour browns slightly and slowly add the broth. Bring to a boil to slightly thicken. Strain gravy to remove vegetables, etc. Serve warm.
I've got to say that this gravy really classes up some instant mashed potatoes!
Sunday, April 12, 2009
How To: Roast Peeps
It is Easter and like millions of other Americans we have Peeps in the house! Our kids took one taste...
and rejected this classic sugar coated marshmallow.
But Rob suggested, what if you roasted a Peep, like you would a marshmallow, hmmm, so, having no campfire, we broiled them instead.
The results were pretty noteworthy, I think the taste was much improved. Here are the before and after results:
To broil a Peep, place Peep or Peeps on a cooling rack and place the rack over a cake pan (in case of drips). Position top rack so that the Peep will be about 5 inches from the broiler. Heat broiler to 500 and pop in the Peep. Watch closely for the sugar to caramelize, serve immediately.
and rejected this classic sugar coated marshmallow.
But Rob suggested, what if you roasted a Peep, like you would a marshmallow, hmmm, so, having no campfire, we broiled them instead.
The results were pretty noteworthy, I think the taste was much improved. Here are the before and after results:
To broil a Peep, place Peep or Peeps on a cooling rack and place the rack over a cake pan (in case of drips). Position top rack so that the Peep will be about 5 inches from the broiler. Heat broiler to 500 and pop in the Peep. Watch closely for the sugar to caramelize, serve immediately.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
April 7 - 20, 2009
T 7 – Beef Curry over Rice, Green Peas
W 8 – Roast Chicken, Stuffing, Corn, Carrots
R 9 – Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole (JLG 77)
F 10 – Ham & Bean Soup (JLG 5), Corn Muffins
S 11 – L.O. Ham and Bean Soup, etc.
U 12 – Pizza, Salad
M 13 – Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread
T 14 – Fried Chicken (JLG 70), Sweet Potatoes, Broccolini
W 15 – Fried Rice (LFRR 345), Egg Rolls
R 16 – Picatta Chicken (PCC 168), Cucumber and Onions in Sour Cream Sauce (LFRR 420), Dinner Rolls
F 17 – Roast Beef with Bordelaise Sauce (PCC 94), Baked Potatoes, Carrots
S 18 – L.O. Roast Beef, etc.
U 19 – Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Tomato Soup
M 20 – L.O. Spaghetti, etc.
I think this will be one of those shifting meal plans since Sunday is Easter and the 14th is our anniversary (8 years!). Some of my meals certainly seem more Easter-ly than frozen pizza! But I try to pick super easy meals for Sundays, regardless of where they fall in the year.
PCC (on R16) is a Pilsbury cookbook I have, but never listed on the side bar. There is a website for Pilsbury and I would have searched for the recipe there, but for some reason their website is not responding tonight.
W 8 – Roast Chicken, Stuffing, Corn, Carrots
R 9 – Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole (JLG 77)
F 10 – Ham & Bean Soup (JLG 5), Corn Muffins
S 11 – L.O. Ham and Bean Soup, etc.
U 12 – Pizza, Salad
M 13 – Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread
T 14 – Fried Chicken (JLG 70), Sweet Potatoes, Broccolini
W 15 – Fried Rice (LFRR 345), Egg Rolls
R 16 – Picatta Chicken (PCC 168), Cucumber and Onions in Sour Cream Sauce (LFRR 420), Dinner Rolls
F 17 – Roast Beef with Bordelaise Sauce (PCC 94), Baked Potatoes, Carrots
S 18 – L.O. Roast Beef, etc.
U 19 – Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Tomato Soup
M 20 – L.O. Spaghetti, etc.
I think this will be one of those shifting meal plans since Sunday is Easter and the 14th is our anniversary (8 years!). Some of my meals certainly seem more Easter-ly than frozen pizza! But I try to pick super easy meals for Sundays, regardless of where they fall in the year.
PCC (on R16) is a Pilsbury cookbook I have, but never listed on the side bar. There is a website for Pilsbury and I would have searched for the recipe there, but for some reason their website is not responding tonight.
Thursday, April 02, 2009
On The Side: Hot Swiss Scalloped Potatoes
We invited a family over for dinner one night this week and I decided to roast a pork loin for the occasion. I planned to make oven-fried potato wedges as a side, but the wedges need to cook 100 deg. hotter than the loin for half an hour, so I started scouring for another dish that would fit better with the cooking time-table.
I discovered this recipe in my little cookbook Just Like Grandma Used to Make. It is so good that I think that if I hadn't made a chocolate chip pound cake, I might just have had potatoes for dessert!
Hot Swiss Scalloped Potatoes
1 1/2 c. Swiss Cheese, shredded and divided
1/2 c. green onions, sliced
6 T. butter, divided
2 T. flour
1 tsp salt
1 c. milk
1 c. sour cream
4 large potatoes, cooked, peeled & sliced
3 cups cooked ham, diced
1/4 c. fine dry bread crumbs
Combine 1 c. cheese and onions, mix well and set aside. Over medium heat, melt 2 T butter; stir in flour and salt; gradually add milk. Cook and stir until thickened, remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Grease a 3 quart casserole and line the bottom with 1/3 of potato slices, then 1/2 of the ham, and 1/2 of the cheese/onion mixture. Repeat layers and top with last 1/3 of potatoes. Melt remaining 4 T butter and mix with bread crumbs and reserved cheese. Sprinkle over casserole and baked uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
In hindsight I might have used 4 red potatoes or Yukon golds (I usually don't buy the Yukon potatoes b/c my grocery store only sells them in a big bag and they go south much faster than other potatoes, but they are good!). I used 2 reds and 2 baking potatoes. After boiling the potatoes, the baking potatoes were impossible to slice, so I crumbled them up and mixed them with the reds' slices. It was very yummy. I also used whole milk and regular sour cream. This was no diet-dish. This recipes makes a lot of servings (at least 10) and reheats well.
I discovered this recipe in my little cookbook Just Like Grandma Used to Make. It is so good that I think that if I hadn't made a chocolate chip pound cake, I might just have had potatoes for dessert!
Hot Swiss Scalloped Potatoes
1 1/2 c. Swiss Cheese, shredded and divided
1/2 c. green onions, sliced
6 T. butter, divided
2 T. flour
1 tsp salt
1 c. milk
1 c. sour cream
4 large potatoes, cooked, peeled & sliced
3 cups cooked ham, diced
1/4 c. fine dry bread crumbs
Combine 1 c. cheese and onions, mix well and set aside. Over medium heat, melt 2 T butter; stir in flour and salt; gradually add milk. Cook and stir until thickened, remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Grease a 3 quart casserole and line the bottom with 1/3 of potato slices, then 1/2 of the ham, and 1/2 of the cheese/onion mixture. Repeat layers and top with last 1/3 of potatoes. Melt remaining 4 T butter and mix with bread crumbs and reserved cheese. Sprinkle over casserole and baked uncovered at 350 for 30-35 minutes.
In hindsight I might have used 4 red potatoes or Yukon golds (I usually don't buy the Yukon potatoes b/c my grocery store only sells them in a big bag and they go south much faster than other potatoes, but they are good!). I used 2 reds and 2 baking potatoes. After boiling the potatoes, the baking potatoes were impossible to slice, so I crumbled them up and mixed them with the reds' slices. It was very yummy. I also used whole milk and regular sour cream. This was no diet-dish. This recipes makes a lot of servings (at least 10) and reheats well.
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