Peppermint Patty Sandwich Cookies

I am not a big fan of peppermint on its own, but mix it with chocolate and you've got me interested.  These cookies are super yummy and easy to make.

For the cookies:
1 package devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
granulated sugar

For the filling:
4oz cream cheese, softened
4 TBSP butter, softened
1 tsp peppermint extract
2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  Mix cookie ingredients in a large bowl and blend well.  Shape into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on baking sheets.  Flatten each cookie with the bottom of a glass dipped in granulated sugar.  (They are super sticky, so you will need a good coating of sugar on the glass.)  Bake for 7-9 minutes or until tops are cracked.  Cool slightly before removing to wire racks.

Combine cream cheese, butter and and peppermint in a bow and beat, slowly add the powdered sugar.  I made mine green because I thought it looked minty :)  I used my 1 1/2 disher (not quite filling it) and put a mound of filling on the bottom cookie, then I placed the top cookie over the mound and pressed down while twisting.  Alternately, you could spread it with a knife, but I think twisting is more fun (and faster).

Refrigerated in an air tight container.  Makes 18 sandwich cookies.

November Eatz

Clearly there will be some amending of this meal plan on the 4th week.   (We are on week 2 already.)

1st and 3rd

M - Cuban Sandwich, Black Beans, Rice
T - Bean Soup with Sausage, Homemade Bread
W - Red Beans & Rice, Carrots
R - Fish Tacos, Refried Beans
F - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Peas
S - Pizza, Salad
U - Pot Roast with Carrots and Potatoes

2nd and 4th
M - Pork Chops, Baked Potatoes, Carrots
T - Chicken Black Beans Soup, Tortilla Chips
W - Chicken Curry, Rice
R - Mojo Chicken, Black Beans & Rice
F - Spaghetti, Salad, Texas Toast
S - Fried Rice, Egg Rolls
U - Pork Loin, Green Beans, Sauerkraut, Dumplings

A couple of weeks ago, spaghetti was on the meal plan and I had a sudden craving for Texas toast.  After investigating online I made a loaf of Challah/Egg Bread and sliced it, buttered it lightly, sprinkled it with garlic powder and toasted it - voila - it was sublime!  There is a neat trick to make garlic toast without butter - you just toast the bread and then cut a clove of garlic and rub it over the hot toasted bread - it really is super garlic-y that way.

September Eatz

1st & 3rd
M - Brazilian Chicken Curry, Brown Rice, Broccoli
T - Pork Chops, BBQ Lentils, Carrots
W - Chicken Riggies, Salad
R - Easy Ropa Vieja Stew, Tortillas, Carrots
F - Corn Dogs, Broccoli, Carrots
S - Mojo Chicken, Black Beans, Rice & Yellow Sauce
U - Pork Loin, Sauerkraut, Dumplings, Green Beans

2nd & 4th
M - Falafal with Yogurt Sauce on Pitas, Cucumber Salad
T - New Orleans Style Red Beans and Rice with Smoked Sausage
W - Kung Pao Chicken Stir Fry, Rice, Chinese Dumplings
R - Spaghetti, Salad, Rolls
F - Antipasto Salad, French Bread
S - Oven Fried Drumsticks, Garden Quinoa Salad
U - Slow Cooked Ribs, Macaroni Salad, Baked Beans

Brazilian Chicken Curry

I have a few experiments on this list - I'm not sure how the BBQ Lentils, Falafal, or Quinoa Salad are going to go over.  I've never made Chicken Riggies before either, but based on the ingredient list, I'm not expecting any dissenters! 

Over at Eat at Home Cooks, they are charging $7 for meals plans now!  It's 6 meals and one dessert (recipes included) with the shopping list provided.  So maybe that is worth it.  Meal planning is enough work that I'd like to get paid for it!  But it does really pay for itself.  When you compare the cost of eating at home to the cost of eating out, you can eat just about anything you'd like at home and save money.

Homemade Microwave Popcorn

Rob likes to eat popcorn - I mean he likes to eat popcorn every day!  Microwave Popcorn is pretty unhealthy and expensive, so I made him eat the kind that comes in a big bag of kernels.  Unfortunately, stove-top popcorn is best popped in my pasta pot and finding my pasta pot with popcorn popping residue in it every morning was starting to get old.  I mean, this is the TWENTY FIRST CENTURY!  This has to be another way!

And there is!

Place 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels in

1 paper lunch sack

and fold over the sack firmly about 3 times.

Place the sack in the microwave and microwave on high for 3 minutes.  Remove when popping stops, season as desired.

I thought this was the neatest trick the first time I did it - but it took a little tweaking to perfect.  It is not sufficient to pour melted butter into the bag and salt won't stick to dry popcorn.  So we found the following modification to make popcorn adequate for every day consumption:

1/4 cup kernels in

1 paper sack

add 2 teaspoons oil

and 1/4 teaspoon popcorn (fine) salt

fold over

shake vigorously

microwave as directed

Rob says he will still make it in the pasta pot for movie nights, but this new trick is making us both happy!

August Eatz

Fear not - we did eat in July - but for one reason and then the next and the next July was anything but normal!  So here it is August already!

1st and 3rd:
F - Fresh Corn & Tomato Pasta
S - Speedy Tacos, Carrots
U - White Chili, Tortilla Crisps
M - Spaghetti, Salad, Rolls
T - Grilled Chicken, Marinated Vegetables
W - Italian Garden Pea Soup, Bread
R - Fish Tacos, Refried Beans

2nd and 4th:
F - Hero Pasta Salad, Rolls
S - Spinach Pizza/Sausage Pizza, Salad
U - Red Chili, Corn Bread Muffins, Carrots
M - Bean Chicken Salad, Bread
T - Skillet Lasagna, Salad
W - Black Bean Salsa over Eggs
R - Ground Beef Spiral Bake, Salad

We're already several days into this meal plan.  The Fresh Corn and Tomato Pasta was super yummy - it is from Taste of Home, but is "subscriber only" so let me know if you'd like the recipe.

June Eatz

If you are wondering where the May Eatz went, I did not make a month's meal plan for May.  There was so much left over from January to April, I mostly planned meals out of the pantry so that I could free up some room.

June 2013

1st & 3rd
M - Portabella Pasta Bake, Salad
T - Sausage Pizza, Salad
W - Beefy French Onion Pot Pie, Salad
R - Chicken in Tomato Caper Sauce, Pasta, Cucumbers
F - BBQ Mini Meatloaves, Mashed Potatoes, Carrots
S - Grilled Shrimp Scampi, Rice, Corn on the Cob
U - Pork Loin, Sauerkraut, Green Beans, Dumplings

2nd & 4th
M - Lentil & Mushroom Spaghetti, Rolls
T - BBQ Sandwiches, Garden Bow Pasta Salad
W - Chicken Enchilada Bake, Salad
R - Cuban Sandwiches, Black Beans, Rice
F - Fish Tacos, Refried Beans
S - Beef over Savory Polenta, Cucumber Salad
U - Bean Soup with Ham, Crescent Rolls

The Month of the Mushroom continues!  I told the kids it would go on until May 15 and after that mushrooms might pop up unexpectedly, but not with so much frequency.  I've not really been trying to hide them in food.  Annalise is very game to try new things and usually likes it.  Caleb tries it obediently, but with undisguised disdain.  Natalie is the sort of eater that picks every topping off a slice of pizza, eats the cheese and leaves the entire base of the crust and declares herself "full", that - in some form or fashion - is how she approaches most food.

The Month of the Mushroom

I have a theory that kids like familiar foods best regardless of taste.  If there's one food my kids have been convinced they don't like, it's mushrooms.  And the truth of it is, I don't cook with mushrooms very often.  So...I proposed that we make May the Month of the Mushroom - eat mushrooms several times and see if that didn't help our negative attitudes towards mushrooms.

We have made a late start of it.  Last night I made Jamie Oliver's Sizzling Cheesy Portobello Mushrooms.

I used green pepper instead of red, but the rest was the same.  They were good and Annalise - who is not a finicky eater at all - ate two.  Caleb was not so convinced, but we chopped up the 3 that did not fit in the dish and added them to a calzone we made tonight and he ate that and liked it.

A note about the calzone - Caleb did all the kneading of the dough!  It turned out very nice and I am seeing the potential for more homemade bread in our future!

Last night I also made yuca for the first time ever!  They had these vegetable recipe cards at Publix and I picked up the one for yuca.  Even at Pollo Tropical I have not been overly impressed with yuca, but the recipe sounded good.  Yuca is super cheap, so I gave it a try and it was extremely good!

Buttered Yuca with Olives

If you are not familiar with yuca (also called cassava) - it is an ugly brown root vegetable.  When you peel off the thick brown skin, there is a pretty purple color just between the brown part and the pale inside.  To cook it you cut it into big chunks and then split the chunks and remove the core.  You cover it with water and boil it for at least 30 minutes.  Once it's very tender, you can get more creative.  At Pollo Tropical they serve it both boiled and fried and serve it with a garlic sauce.  The fried version looks a lot like a twinkie!  Also, dried yuca is the source for tapioca.

Moist Cocoa Lentil Cake

I'm not a huge fan of lentils - or more likely - I haven't found a recipe that makes them taste good yet.  Or I hadn't...until today:

I still haven't discovered a savory recipe that makes me crave lentils, but this cake was very good, very moist, and totally did not taste like lentils.

Moist Cocoa Lentil Cake

2 cups boiling water
2/3 cup washed lentils
1/4 tsp salt
----------------------------
1 cup oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla
 4 large eggs
2 cups sifted flour
4 TBS cocoa
1 1/2 tsp soda

1/2 tsp salt

Add lentils and salt to boiling water. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid. Add 1/2 cup liquid back to lentils. Make puree in blender or food processor. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. Mix sugar, oil, eggs and beat well for 2 minutes. Add vanilla and pureed lentils to creamed mixture. Sift and add remaining ingredients. Beat for an additional 2 minutes. Pour into prepared cake pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Cool and frost.

April Eatz

1st and 3rd

T - New Orleans Red Beans and Rice, Carrots
W - Pizza, Salad
R - Mojo Chicken, Black Beans & Rice, Yellow Sauce
F - Skillet Lasagna, Salad
S - Fried Rice with Ham, Egg Rolls or Miso Soup
U - Pork Loin, Baked Potatoes, Broccoli
M - Tostadas, Mexican Rice

2nd and 4th

T - BBQ Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Green Peas
W - Hearty Sausage and Beans, Salad
R - Garlicy Beef & Tomatoes, Salad
F - Fish Tacos, Refried Pinto Beans
S - Pork Chops, Baked Beans, Baked Sweet Potatoes
U - Bramble Beans, Salad
M - BBQ Ham, Savory Polenta, Broccoli

We have gotten a little off schedule already!  Tonight I made the Mojo Chicken and while it was on our "grill" (aluminum roasting pan with perforations topped with our old grill's grate), Mako pulled the grate off the coals, knocked the lid off (another aluminum roasting pan), and ate six pieces of half cooked, bone-in chicken.  He is lucky to be alive.

I've made refried beans a couple of times now and it is easy and sooooooo good!  First you finely dice some onion and garlic and saute that in a little oil.  Meanwhile puree or mash your beans to your desired consistancy.  Add spices (cumin, chili powder, salt) to the beans and then add the bean mixture to the pan.  You stir to mix in the onions and cook over low for a little while.  I don't think it really matters how long because the beans should already be cooked, you just want it hot.  If it gets too dry you can add some bean cooking broth to rehydrate it.

Garlic Magic

I made 40 Cloves and Chicken for dinner this week - a recipe which calls for 40 whole cloves of peeled garlic.  I've made it before and tediously peeled each garlic by hand, but I figured there had to be a better way.

And there is!  And it is unbelievably easy!  I put all my garlic cloves in a big lightweight aluminum pot and put the lid on and shook it has hard as I could.  When I took the lid off - at least half of the cloves had fallen out of the peel.  I shook some more and more came out.  The website where I got this technique did it with two big metal bowls - one holding the garlic and one upside down as a lid.  I know there is some scientific explanation for how it works, but it seemed like magic to me!

March Eatz

1st & 3rd...
W - Hearty Sausage & Beans, Salad
R - Minestrone Soup, Crusty Rolls
F - Santa Fe Black Bean Salad, Bread Sticks
S - Spaghetti, Salad, Rolls
U - Red Chili with Beans & Corn Muffins
M - Mojo Chicken, Black Beans, Rice & Yellow Sauce
T - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Tomato soup

2nd & 4th...
W - Bramble Beans, Salad
R - 40 Cloves & a Chicken, Broccoli, Carrots
F - Shepherds Pie
S - White Chili, Tortilla Crisps
U - Pork Shoulder, Dumplings, Sauerkraut, Green Beans
M - Carnitas, Refried Beans
T - BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Baked Beans





I am really starting to like this 4 week mean plan thing.  For one, it really does save money, but for another, it really saves a lot of time thinking.  It also helps me see more clearly how long my staples last.  In typing this out, I see I have a lot of bread the first week and next to none the second.  Well, I guess we will see how that goes. 

The bean eating is going well, the bean cooking is a little tedious, mostly because it requires thinking!  I get tempted to buy canned, but those dry beans are so stinking cheap!  They lure me back.

Cinnamon Candy

I made the cinnamon candy for Rob.  I used the same method as in the lollies except I used cinnamon oil for flavoring and poured the melted candy into little canals in the sugar to make long ropes.  I cut the ropes into bites when they were pliable and the ones in the picture are how the better ones look.  I used 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon oil and they were pleasantly cinnamon-y - a few of them were fire-hot.  Rob prefers them fire-hot, so next time I will use a full teaspoon.

Hummus

The bean saga continues!  It hasn't been that long since I became brave enough to even try hummus and now here I am making it.  It turns out that my little bean lady (Annalise) loves the stuff and it has grown on me as well.  I've bought 8 oz. of prepared hummus for about $3 - and because it calls for an ingredient (tahini) that not everyone keeps in their pantry - this is probably a reasonable price.  I saw a homemade cost of 85 cents and I think that is a stretch.  I think 8oz comes closer to $2 and if you are only going to make it one time, it's going to cost a lot more.  I am going to make it until I get the the bottom of my pound of tahini and not waste one drop!

That said, making hummus is ridiculously easy.  Step one: prepare the chickpeas in the usual way.  Either soak them in water (4/1 ratio) overnight or do a "quick soak" (boil 2 minutes and let set covered 1 hour).  Then drain and recover with fresh water and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours. 

I used 1/2 cup dry chickpeas.  In general bean volume doubles after cooking, so this is the same as 1 cup canned.

Step 2 - the only even slightly difficult part:  Peel your cooked chickpeas.  It is much easier to peel them if you put them in ice water right away.  Stir gently and some of the skins will come off on their own.  The others come off easily by squeezing the beans.  If you wait until they are completely cool, the skins will not come off as easily.  (I learned this the hard way.)

You *can* make it with the skins on, but it will be gritty and I liked it less that way.

Step 3:  Put all desired ingredients in a food processor and puree.

They had exactly 1 brand of Tahini in Publix.  $7+ for 1lb. 

I think making hummus is akin to making potato salad, it is not necessary to follow a recipe to the letter.  You may like more or less tahini, garlic or lemon juice.  We added roasted red peppers.  Usually this is a light lunch for us and an extra serving of beans!  Happy bean eating!!

Valentine Lollipops in the Microwave

The plan was to make cherry heart lollipops for our friends for Valentine's Day...and although ours did not turn out as cherry as we hoped, the rest of this project worked very nicely.  It is so much easier than boiling sugar in a pan.

Step 1:

Prepare a mold - I put A LOT of powdered sugar in my biggest sheet pan and spread it as flat as I could.

You would think with 2 little girls in our house we would have a plethora of heart shaped objects, but none surfaced, so I had to make a heart of cardboard.  I hot glued a Scooby Doo pencil on the end to use as a handle and pressed hearts into the powdered sugar (leaving room for sticks).

I tried both putting the sticks in before adding the candy and putting them in at the end.  Both work ok, but the sugar sets up quickly, so the last few don't go in as nicely if you wait.

Step 2:

In a 4 cup bowl, mix 1 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 cup light corn syrup.  Cover with plastic wrap and microwave on high for 3 minutes and 15 seconds.  Uncover (away from your face) and stir with a clean spoon.  Recover (with new plastic wrap, although this goes without saying b/c the first sheet will be toast) and microwave again on high for 3 minutes and 15 seconds.  Uncover and stir again with a clean spoon.  When it stops boiling, add food coloring and flavoring as desired.

I added 1/2 tsp of cherry extract.  They taste like a cotton candy Dum Dum.  The extract I have is from the baking aisle and not specifically for candy.  Maybe that would have made a difference.

Step 3:

Pour the sugar mixture into the mold immediately.  Allow to cool a few minutes before removing.  The recipe made a whole pan's worth.  After I removed the lollies,  I spread the sugar again and pressed the mold again, then I sifted the sugar at the end and I think I can reuse most of it.

Voila!

The look nice and clear and the color is perfect.  Rob really likes cinnamon hard candies, so that is a future project for us.

Arroz con Gandules

I mentioned before that my cooking goal for 2013 is to increase our bean consumption.  Beans are one of those foods that seem like magic to me.  You soak them and they double in size, you mash them and they make a creamy sauce, they cost next to nothing, and they're good for you on top of all that.

One of the recipes for this month is Bahamian Style Peas and Rice - this recipe is not unique to the Bahamas.  In Spanish it is Arroz con Gandules and is credited to Puerto Rico.  I think I've seen this dish at a church potluck, but I'd never knowingly eaten a Pigeon Pea.

Standard bean prep - overnight soak in 4:1 water/bean ratio - or same ratios boiled for 2 minutes and let set for 1 hour.  I use the quick soak at least 3/4 of the time.  After the soak, drain them, re-water (same ratio) and gently boil them for 1.5 to 2 hours and then use as you would canned beans.  I think the main benefits of dry beans are the price and the ingredient control.  Canned beans taste fine to me!  But if you are extremely careful about salt intake, dry beans may be the way to go.

My peas and rice in my caldero - I have never known what to call this pot  - sort of an aluminum dutch oven.  Evidently it's a Caribbean style pot.  It came with Rob, he got it when a roommate moved out, it is of unknown origin.

Bahamian Peas and Rice (14 servings)

3 slices of bacon, diced
1 onion, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1/2 green pepper, you got it - diced
1 can of Pigeon Peas (or about 1/2 cup dry pigeon peas prepared as I noted above)
1 cup ham, diced
1 tsp thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
1/4 cup tomato paste
5 1/2 cups water
1 can coconut milk
3 cups brown rice

Cook the bacon in a large pot (caldero if you've got one).  Drain bacon bits on a paper towel and reserve 1 TBSP bacon fat in the pot.  Cook the onion, celery and green pepper in the fat.  Add bacon bits, peas, ham, thyme, tomato paste, salt and pepper, water, and coconut milk.  Bring to a boil, add rice, reduce heat to simmer and cover for 50 minutes or until the rice is tender. 

She asked for thirds!

February Eatz

I am very happy with my January experiment.  I'm not exactly sure how much it took to feed us, but I know it was under our usual expenses by around $100.  And even though planning a frugal meal plan for 14 days is akin to preparing for a final exam, $100 is enough incentive to do it again!  Here's the plan for this month:

1st and 3rd
T - Skillet Lasagna, Salad
W - Broccoli & Cheese Potato Soup, Rolls
R - Bahamian Peas and Rice, Carrots
F - Bean Chicken Salad, Bread
S - Chicken Lo Mein, Broccoli Slaw
U - Chili, Corn Bread
M - Mojo Chicken, Black Beans, Rice, Yellow Sauce

2nd and 4th
T - Spaghetti, Salad, Rolls
W - Ham & Bean Soup
R - Swedish Meatballs, Egg Noodles, Peas
F - Pizza, Salad
S - Bramble Beans, Salad
U - Chicken Fiesta with Black Beans, Tortillas
M - Red Beans and Rice

This should last more than 28 days.  We have a lot going on this month - it is one of the nicest months to be in south Florida and there are a gazillion events on the schedule.  Some of them involve free food!  That also means food someone else cooks and cleans up after!  Hooray!

Pizza Sauce

Homemade pizza sauce is super easy to make.

Pizza Sauce (from Better Homes and Gardens)
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1.5 tsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 - 1/2 cup water

place all ingredients in a bowl and stir, use as desired

So easy a 2 year old can make it!

This is enough for 3 or more pizzas.  My homemade pizzas are comparable to a large Little Caesar's Pizza - and by that I mean in size, not taste!  Not that a well timed  "hot & ready" $5 pizza doesn't have it's place.  I'm glad they are there when they are needed.

January Eatz

Meal Planning, oh the drudgery!  Rob is the type that can eat the same thing repeatedly (providing it is in the meat and potatoes line of foods) and I just feel so blah eating the same things.  I am resolving to do something different for at least 28 days.  I made a 14 day menu and bought the non-perishables to make all the meals twice.  So we'll see how this goes.

The 1st and 3rd:
F - Spaghetti, Salad, Rolls
S - Blue Cheese Crusted Sirloin Steaks, Broccoli, Steamed Carrots, Rolls
U - Ham with Pineapple, Pan fried potatoes, Peas
M - Kidney Bean and Cheddar Cheese Soup, Bread
T - Swedish Meatballs, Egg Noodles, Broccoli
W - New Orleans Red Beans and Rice, Sausage
R - Tacos, Pinto Beans, Rice

The 2nd and 4th
F - Pizza, Salad
S - Baked Beans with Brown Bread
U - Chili, Cornbread, Carrots
M - Minestrone Soup, Rolls
T - Mojo Chicken, Black Beans, Rice, Yellow Curry Sauce
W - Skillet Lasagna, Salad
R - Country Style Pork Ribs, Baked Potatoes, Peas

The Steaks and Ham are Taste of Home, Spaghetti, Tacos, Pizza, Skillet Lasagna Chili, and Mojo Chicken are all just the way I make them.  For Pizza I use the Betty Crocker recipe for crust and a recipe I found in Better Homes and Gardens for sauce.  I ought to post it here, it is unbelievably simple and extremely good.  The Swedish Meatballs are from a Cooking with Kids cookbook, and I think all the rest are from a free Beans cookbook someone gave me at a health fair. 

My cooking goal for 2013 is to increase our bean intake.  I know what they say about beans......but I've also heard that if you increase your beans slowly it cuts down on that.  We already eat beans more than once a week pretty regularly.  I guess time will tell!

I also made macaroons for the first time yesterday.  I had some extra condensed milk from another recipe and two partial bags of coconut flakes.  They were scrumptious and beautiful and the kids drooled over them, took a bite and then rejected them on the basis that they "do not like coconut".  (Natalie's objection was they they were too pokey.)  Ha ha!  More for Rob and me!