January 23 - February 5, 2008

23 W – Skillet Fish with Spinach
24 R – Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Green Peas
25 F – Roast Chicken, Stuffing, Broccoli, Carrot Sticks
26 S – Curry Chicken Pot Pie
27 U – Pizza, Salad
28 M – Burritos (Old El Paso Dinner Kit), Salad
29 T – Broccoli Chicken Casserole
30 W – Clams*Rob’s Birthday*, Corn, Carrots
31 R – Turkey Wafflewiches, Potatoes
1 F – Lasagna, Salad, Bread
2 S – L.O. Lasagna
3 U – Hot Chicken Salad, Broccoli
4 M – Pizza, Salad
5 T – Meatloaf, Corn, Mashed Potatoes

How to Make Biscuits from Scratch

A few years ago, I wanted biscuits, but I didn't have canned biscuits and was out of biscuit mix, so I embarked on a journey to teach myself how to make biscuits from scratch. I discovered that it is not so easy as to follow a recipe's directions. Biscuit making has quirks and I'm proud to say that although my biscuits aren't always beautiful, they taste much better than I ever hoped. :)

Presenting...my son Caleb to demonstrate how to make biscuits from scratch:

First combine the dry ingredients:
1 3/4 cup flour
3 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

One of my first hurdles was flat biscuits. I had not mixed the dry ingredients well enough to completely incorporate the baking powder. The trick is to sift or wisk the dry goods briskly. I don't have a sifter, but a wisk is easier to clean anyway.

Next add the fat, I use 5 tablespoons of real butter, but you could add 4-6 tablespoons of butter or shortening or a combination of the two.

The trick with the butter is to get it into tiny pieces and let each tiny piece be completely covered with flour. Your butter has to be very cold. You could do this with two knives (hard) or use a pastry cutter (as Caleb is doing). You could even do this with your finger tips if you work quickly and don't have hot hands. The resulting mixture looks similar to cracker crumbs.

No picture, but the next step is to add 3/4 cup of milk. Stir it lightly 10 or less times, just get everything kind of wet. Then set the bowl aside while you flour the area where you'll be working the dough. The time lets the flour absorb some of the milk and makes the dough easier to work with.

Caleb's favorite! Pat pat pat! You don't knead biscuit dough. Form a ball and pat gently to about 1/2 inch thickness. Sprinkle on a little flour if it sticks to your hands (see mine?). Then fold it over in half and again in half so it makes a little square of dough, pat pat pat again and fold again. Do this only a few times. The folding lets the butter make layers, but working the dough too much will make your biscuits too tough.

Finally, pat out into a disk - 1/2 inch thick (or so), cut out biscuit rounds, place them on a baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray and bake at 450 for 12-15 minutes - voila!

January 8 - 21, 2008

8 T – Crumb Coated Tilapia, Yellow Rice, Black Beans
9 W – Spaghetti, Salad, Bread
10 R - Chicken Penne Casserole
11 F – Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Corn
12 S - Baked Chicken, Scalloped Potatoes, Green Beans
13 U – Papa Johns Pizza, Salad
14 M – Mediterranean Chicken, Couscous, Salad
15 T – Spaghetti, Salad, Bread
16 W - Rosemary Garlic Pork, Broccoli, Carrot Sticks, Biscuits
17 R – Lemon Teriyaki Chicken, Black Beans, Rice
18 F – Tacos, Refried Beans
19 S – Chicken Saltimbocca, Cannellini Beans and Tomatoes
20 U – Wing Stop
21 M – 2nd Meatloaf, Scalloped Potatoes, Corn

Meatballs with a Twist

You can thank Rachel Ray for these interesting and tasty meatballs:

Thai Shrimp & Pork Balls

4 scallions, trimmed
1 tsp ground ginger
2 garlic cloves
3 tbsp tamari (soy sauce*)
1 tsp basil
zest & juice of 1 lime
1 lb medium shrimp - shelled and deveined (raw)
1 lb ground pork

Combine scallions, ginger, garlic, tamari, basil, and lime zest in a food processor. Pulse for 30 seconds, scrape down the bowl thne process for 1 minute. Add shrimp and pork and process until the shrimp is in really tiny pieces, but not totally mush. Roll into balls and cook as you would any other meatball. I'm not saying these are good with marinara sauce (RR suggests a curry sauce that includes coconut milk), but then again, maybe they would be good with regular spaghetti...I just know they are tasty meatballs!

*Tamari IS soy sauce, but it's not the same as what's labeled "Soy Sauce" when you see it on the grocery shelf. It's a little more expensive, but it is really really good.

December 12-20, 2007

12 W – Church Dinner
13 R – Peanut Chicken Stir-Fry , Rice
14 F – Taco Salad, Refried Beans
15 S – Pretzel Crusted Chicken, Corn, carrots
16 U – Spaghetti, Salad, Bread
17 M - Italian Roast, Alfredo Mashed Potatoes , Peas
18 T – Potato flake chicken , baked beans, biscuits
19 W – L.O. Spaghetti, etc.
20 R – Meat & Potato Soup

The 21st we hit the road for the ROBBINS FAMILY WORLD TOUR! Merry Christmas everyone!!!

November 28 - December 10, 2007

Well, I have finally had time to put together a real meal plan! After the first grueling days with a newborn, I ended up back on hospital fare (their picadillo was actually quite good) for another week. Since then I've managed to have "something" for dinner each night, but I have missed having a pre-planned menu to guide me! I know it won't last, but lately, Annalise has been taking a short, but well timed nap around 5pm - helpful! Here's what's cooking for the next two weeks...or until Annalise's schedule changes and we end up of frozen food again:

28 W – Southwest Chicken Foil Packet
29 R – Chili, Cornbread Muffins, Carrot Sticks
30 F – Cranberry Orange Pork Chops , Pasta side, Broccoli
1 S – Juicy Hamburgers, French Fries, Pickles
2 U – Hurricane Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
3 M – Parmesan Chicken, Green Beans, Scalloped Potatoes
4 T – Chili Dogs, Broccoli with Cheese, Carrot Sticks
5 W – Chicken a la King , Salad
6 R – Pizza, Salad
7 F – Polynesian Roast Beef , Mashed Potatoes, Carrots
8 S – L.O. Polynesian Roast Beef
9 U – Garlic Chicken Breasts , Couscous, Asparagus
10 M – Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Salad

October 3 - October 16, 2007

This meal plan is during the time our baby is due - and since we don't have a scheduled induction or c-section, who knows when that will be! So instead of a dated meal plan, here is a list of meals I plan to have everything on hand for:

Beef and Tomato Casserole, Salad
Lemon Chicken , Rice
Saucy Italian Pork Chops , Salad
Spanish Style Chicken etc. (RR 162)
BBQ Pork Sandwiches
Creamy Chicken , Broccoli, Carrots
Hodge Podge Soup, Corn Bread Muffins
L.O. Hodge Podge Soup, etc.
Pizza, Salad
Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Green Peas

My mom is coming tomorrow and we work pretty well tag-teaming dinner - that is, she has never liked picking out recipes, but doesn't mind cooking. So I've picked out food and she can cook it when I can't. I also allocated funds for eating out more (while the baby and I are in the hospital). I've learned the hard way that if you don't plan for unexpected meals, you spend way too much for them! For a family on a budget, that's a sure way to break it!

I also went ahead and made a meal plan for the following two weeks that we can draw from if little Miss Robbins is late. It is even more sparse, since my dad will be coming into town and I expect we will eat out more. I will probably not post another meal plan until November, by then I'll be back to typing with one hand :) but that's ok!

September 19 - October 2, 2007

19 W – Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs, Jasmine Rice
20 R – Spaghetti & Meatballs, Salad, Garlic Bread
21 F – BBQ Chicken, Baked Beans, Salad, Rolls
22 S – BCM Reunion
23 U – Pappas House - We're bringing Potato Salad
24 M – Saucy Parmesan Chicken , Buttered Noodles, Green Peas
25 T – Taco Meatball Ring, Salad, Refried Beans
26 W – Rosemary Chicken and Potatoes , Broccoli
27 R – Black Bean Chicken Tacos, Salad
28 F – Layered Enchilada Bake , Salad
29 S - Crab Lasagna Rolls Ups, Salad
30 U – Slow Cooker Tex Mex Chicken , Rice
1 M – Sloppy Joes, Broccoli, Mac & Cheese
2 T – Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Green Peas

Down on the Farm

I like having parties at my house. When I was in college, I spent 5 semesters living with a gal who loved to throw them as much as I did. We turned our dorm room into an place to welcome our friends several times. One Christmas we collaborated with our next door neighbors and threw a big party using our rooms and the area between them.

I also like to make cakes and cards. I've thought in the past that they might be good ways to generate extra income, but I've discovered that both take more effort than people are really willing to pay you for, so it's better to just save that effort for those I love most.

For Caleb's 2nd birthday I considered several possible themes, but finally settled on a barnyard theme inspired by one of his favorite books "Duck on a Bike". I bought several copies of "Duck on a Bike" on eBay to include in the goodie bags. Decorating was easy - I just rounded up all the barnyard related toys!

I made these barn cards for invitations.

I made cupcakes decorated like sheep, pigs, and chicks. I got the sheep pattern from Family Fun magazine and the pigs and chicks from Taste of Home.

Caleb's Little People Barn was a great backdrop for the cupcakes.

The whole spread: We had a "vegetable garden" tray, pumpkin roll ups (sun-dried tomato tortillas rolled with american cheese and a sprig of cilantro), and chicken salad.

This was pretty much my only completely original idea for the party - everything else was an assortment of things I found in magazines or on the internet. I made these goodie bags out of inexpensive burlap fabric and wrote on them with a sharpie. Inside were the books, farm stickers, some bubbles, and a cow lollipop.

The cow lollies were really easy to make. I bought a cow mold at a candy store.

Finally, Caleb helped me make these thank you notes. I did the big pig and he did the little ones. It's pretty tricky to work with a hot pink ink pad and a toddler, but we didn't make too big of a mess! The inside reads, "Thank you very much!".

I had a lot of fun getting all this together. I think we'll do it again...in a few years!

Snacking

Being pregnant means I'm hungry...oh about every 20 minutes. Sometimes I'm not proud of the choices I make, but I've found that if I get in a habit of picking a certain food attribute (calcium rich, high in fiber, etc.) at the same time each day, I snack a little better

One decadant and seemingly sinful treat I've discovered is The Skinny Cow Fudge Bars. They were voted best overall in a fudge bar comparison I read about in a magazine. There are plenty of "No Sugar Added" fudge bars out there, but this one is pretty note-worthy. In addition to only being 100 calories and 1 gram of fat, it has 10% RDV of Calcium! Wow!

Another snack I enjoy regularly is stove top popcorn. I started buying the stove top kind many months ago when I was looking for ways to cut back on our expenses. Now, even when microwave popcorn is buy one get one free, I opt for the old fashioned kind. Popcorn is a whole grain and high in fiber. If you make it on the stove top, you have complete control over how much fat and salt you add. I've found I like the way it tastes if I cook it in about 1 tbsp of oil (**Canola oil is cheaper and healthier than olive oil**) and salt the unpopped kernels with popcorn (fine) salt. Somehow it tastes slightly buttery even though I don't add butter. It isn't difficult to clean up. Add enough oil to your pan to coat the bottom and don't use more kernels than can cover the bottom one layer thick. Cook over medium heat and you'll keep from burning it. It takes a little practice to get (almost) every kernel to pop ;)

September 5-18, 2007

5 W - Mini Meatball Subs, Salad
6 R - Chicken & Broccoli Casserole, Salad
7 F - Out on the Town
8 S - Steak, Baked Potatoes, Carrots, Broccoli
9 U - Pizza, Salad
10 M - Catfish, French Fries, Hush Puppies, Pickles
11 T - Baked Chicken Supreme, Sweet Potatoes, Broccoli
12 W - Grilled Pork Chops, Mac & Cheese, Broccoli
13 R - Tacos, Refried Beans, Salad
14 F - Southwest Chicken Foil Packets
15 S - Teriyaki Chicken Kebabs (Pilsbury CB 172), Jasmine Rice
16 U - Caleb's Birthday Party (finger foods)
17 M - Spaghetti with Meatballs, Salad, Garlic Bread
18 T - BBQ Chicken, Baked Beans, Salad, Rolls

Homemade Starbucks

I usually don't see the rational in paying more than $3 for 10oz of coffee, but Rob babysat Caleb for me on Tuesday morning while I went to Publix and I wanted to suprise him with a Mocha - his favorite. While I was waiting in line I was tempted by the rows of fancy danishes and coffee cake. One option was Chocolate Cinnamon Bread - and it was calling my name! But I resisted and was rewarded, because at the pick up end of the counter, there were little recipe cards for Chocolate Cinnamon Bread. Caleb and I made it today and WOW! It's really not bread - more like a chocolate pound cake with a hint of cinnamon. Here's how to make it at home:

Chocolate Batter:
1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter, at room temp.
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 large eggs, at room temp.
1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup + 2 tbsp cocoa
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Cocoa-Spice Sugar Crust
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp coca
pinch ground ginger & cloves

Preheat oven to 350. Cream butter and sugar, add eggs one at a time - wait til each egg is no longer visible before adding the next. Combine flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, baking soda & baking powder - add to creamed mixture a couple of spoonfuls at a time until well mixed. Combine liquid ingredients, pour in and mix well. Pour batter into a loaf pan lined with parchment. Combine crust ingredients and sprinkle liberally over the batter. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick or skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool, remove from pan, serve slices with coffee - Starbucks, 7-11, I don't think it matters at this point. ;)

August 22 - September 4, 2007

22 W – Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread
23 R - Teriyaki Chicken Breast, Broccoli, Rice
24 F - Grilled Pork Chops, Mac & Cheese, Broccoli
25 S - Rob’s Random Choice
26 U – Hot Wings, Sweet Potato Fries
27 M - Sirloin Stir Fry, Rice
28 T - Baked Chicken Breast Supreme, Sweet Potato, Broccoli
29 W - Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread
30 R – Meatloaf, Salad, Biscuits
31 F – Curried Chicken Pot Pie, Salad
1 S – Chili, Corn Bread
2 U – Chili dogs, Green Peas, Carrots
3 M – Grilled Stuffed Pork Chops, Sweet Potato,
4 T -Hearty Chicken and Beans, Rice, Salad

For the record, grilled pork chops stuffed with cornbread stuffing is just about my favorite way to eat pork. I usually do not follow a recipe, I just put whatever sounds yummy (diced bell pepper, craisins, whatever), add enough chicken stock to make it perfectly moist and stuff the chops. This link does not describe the way Alton Brown demostrated how to make the stuffing pockets on Good Eats. Basically, using a boning knife, you make a small slit (1 - 1 1/2 inch) in the middle of the chop (Must be a bone in chop) and slowly sweep the tip up until you are near the edge (without cutting through), reverse the knife and repeat on the bottom - the result is a nice big pocket with a tiny little hole. You can insert the stuffing by putting it into a plastic icing tool and squirting it through the hole (Brown uses a turkey baster witht he tip cut off). I highly recommend brining the chops in advance as the link describes.

On the 23rd I plan to make this whole meal in a foil packet, you can read more about making foil packets here - scroll down to November 6.

August 8-21, 2007

8 W - Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Salad
9 R - Grilled Chicken, Mac & Cheese, Broccoli
10 F - Catfish, French Fried, Cole Slaw, Hush Puppies
11 S - Sweet BBQ Pork Chops, Cole Slaw, Baked Sweet Potato
12 U - Baked Chicken, Peas, Carrots
13 M - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Peas
14 T - Beef Pitas with Yogurt Sauce, Greek Isles Pasta Salad
15 W - SW Chicken Pitas, Mexican Rice
16 R - Rob's Random Choice
17 F - Tangy Breaded Pork Chops, Salad, Bread
18 S - Thai Style Pork, Rice
19 U - Roasted Pork Loin, Potatoes, Peas
20 M - L.O. Pork Loin
21 T - Mexican Casserole, Refried Beans, Salad

Despite it's obviously ethnic name, I'm not sure if Mexican Casserole is a regional dish or not. I do know that I haven't run into it here in Miami. It's a dish that can vary a lot from person to person, and the recipe I will use is from a fundraising cookbook - however the link is quite similar. The ingredient you always find in this dish is Nacho Cheese Doritos.

All of the other links for main dishes are subscriber only on Taste of Home. If you would like the access the recipe and do not have a password, let me know and I can get the recipe for you.

July 26-August 7, 2007

26 R - Sloppy Joes, Corn, Carrots
27 F - Grilled Pork, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
28 S - L.O. Sloppy Joes, French Fries, Carrots
29 U - Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread
30 M - Chicken Parmesan, Rigatoni, Salad
31 T - Crab Cakes, Broccoli Cheese Soup, Salad
1 W - Chicken Foil Packets
2 R - Parmesan Chicken, Broccoli, Carrots
3 F - L.O. Spaghetti, etc.
4 S - Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
5 U - Pizza, Salad
6 M - Rob's Random Choice
7 T - Grilled Chicken Quarters, Mac & Cheese, Carrots

July 5-17, 2007

5 R - Bacon Cheeseburger Roll-up, Corn on the Cob, Carrots
6 F - Grilled Pork Medallions, Creamy Orzo
7 S - Spaghetti with Meatballs, Salad, Garlic Bread
8 U - Potstickers, Egg Rolls
9 M - Chicken & Yellow Rice, Salad
10 T - Cuban Black Bean Soup (BC 480), Rice, Salad
11 W - Hamburgers, French Fries, Salad
12 R - Grilled Pork, Greek Isles Pasta Salad, Carrot Sticks
13 F - Roast Chicken, Stuffing, Salad
14 S - Black Bean Chicken Tacos, Salad
15 U - Pizza, Salad
16 M - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Broccoli
17 T - L.O. Spaghetti, etc.

After living here for 8 years, I've come to think of chicken and yellow rice as comfort food. The first time I visited Miami I remember that there were guys at the BCM eating chicken and yellow rice and the first year we were married, Rob and I had it A LOT!!! There are two ways to make it (other than just making chicken however and serving it with yellow rice). One way is to put a bunch of chicken thighs in a baking dish, slather it with cream of mushroom soup and bake it, while making the rice on the stove top. The other way is to dump the rice into a baking dish, nest the (raw) chicken thighs in it, slather everything with the soup and add enough water to equal however much liquid the rice calls for, cover tightly with foil and bake until about an hour. I prefer the second method - less to clean.

Make Your Own Take Out vol. 2

How do you stretch 1/2 pound of ground pork to feed 6 people? Easy! Make Potstickers!

I'm not sure whether to say that potstickers are convenience foods or that they are labor intensive. In a way, they are both. They are a food that if you invest time in preparing, you will have a convenient Asian meal another time. Here's what you need:

1/2 lb ground pork
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
2 tbsp finely chopped red bell pepper
1 egg, beaten
2 tsp ketchup
1 tsp yellow mustard
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
35-50 small wonton wrappers (1 package will be a little more than you need)
a little cup with water in it

and later on when you cook them:
3-4 tbsp vegetable oil
1/3 cup chicken stock for every 6 or 7 potstickers you plan to cook

You could season the pork any way you want. I'm not crazy about worchetershire sauce, so I usually substitue with soy sauce.

Assembling the potstickers is the labor intensive part. If you grew up shelling peas, you might find this relaxing! I can wrap up 1/2 lb worth in about 45 minutes.

Mix up the ingredients (pork thru cayenne pepper) in a bowl, then set up a work area including these elements:
1 plate with wonton wrappers on it, cover with a damp paper towel
1 empty plate (the assembly platform)
bowl with pork mix in it
little cup with water
teaspoon sized measuring spoon
2 cookie sheets - lined with parchment

Take one wonton wrapper and put it on the assembly plate so that it looks like a diamond, scoop up a modest teaspoonful of the filling and place it directly in the middle. Dip your finger in the water and dampen just the edges of the bottom half of the diamond. Fold the wrapper over and work the air out (important!!!) of the potsticker sealing it where you put the water.

You could leave it like that, but that leaves two big "ears" that have no filling in them, I fold them a 2nd time like this (left picture is front view, right is back):



Place each potsticker on the cookie sheet. When the sheet is full, put the whole thing in the freezer. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

Once these little guys have been in the freezer half an hour or so, you can dump them into a zip top bag and keep them in your freezer. When you want to eat them, you can just take out however many you need - 6 is good for me, 10 leaves me feeling overstuffed. (Note: There is no need to defrost.)

To cook these you heat up (med-high) a pan that is NOT non-stick - sticking is part of the cooking process here. I use a back burner to heat up my chicken stock. Use a pastry brush to "paint" the pan with oil. When it's hot, put the potstickers in and wait 2 minutes. In 2 minutes they will be totally stuck to the pan. Reduce heat to low and pour in 1/3 cup chicken stock - it will hiss and steam a lot! Put on a tight lid and cook 2 more minutes. After 2 minutes, they should let go - remove to warm plate.

Before cooking the next batch, reheat the pan, add water and scrape off any "stuff" that gets left behind. Each batch takes about 6 minutes including cleaning.

Serve with whatever sauce you want (I like hoisin) and some egg rolls (Chung's is the best, IMHO). With homemade Asian cuisine this easy and cheap, you might never go our for Chinese food again!

According to the Joy of Cooking cookbook, this is also the most authentic stir frying method for vegetables. I've tried this and the result is crisper than just stiring it until it seems done.

Recipe by Alton Brown

The Other White Meat : Green Chili Burritos

These are good! (BTW - there's no reason you couldn't substitute the pork in this recipe with chicken.)

Green Chili Burritos

1 lb boneless pork, cut into bite sized cubes
1 tbsp oil
1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies (undrained)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup water
1 fresh tomato, diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp ground cumin
5 tsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cold water
1 (16 oz) can of refried beans
10 6-inch flour tortillas

Over medium heat, brown pork in oil; drain. Add next 10 ingredients; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. Combine cornstarch and water, add to pork mixture - stir while it comes to a boil until thickened (about 2 minutes). Meanwhile, heat beans and spread evenly on tortillas. Spoon pork mixture into tortillas and fold in sides.

Reiman Media Group as posted on www.tasteofhome.com.

I put the filled tortillas in a baking dish, grated on some cheese and stuck it under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Alternately you could skip the assembly step and let people fill their own tortillas at the table. I also served it with sour cream. Yum yum yum!

June 21-July 3, 2007

21 R - VBS
22 F - VBS
23 S - Rob's Random Choice
24 U - Tuna Tortellini Soup, Rolls, Carrots
25 M - Crescent Topped Casserole, Corn, Carrots
26 T - Green Chili Burritos, Salad
27 W - Church Dinner
28 R - Tuna Patties, Broccoli Cheese Soup, Carrots
29 F - Potstickers, Egg Rolls
30 S - Pork Chops, Creamy Orzo
1 U - Sub Sandwiches, Chips
2 M - Everything Lo-Mein, Egg Rolls
3 T - Grilled Chicken Quarters, Mac & Cheese, Carrots

(Hey Meredith, spot any of your food in this meal plan?)

June 7-19, 2007

7 R - Tacos, Refried Beans, Salad
8 F - Chicken with Florentine Sauce, Corn on the Cob, Broccoli
9 S - Golden Pork and Noodles, Broccoli
10 U – L.O. Tacos, Etc.
11 M – Greek Chicken Kabobs, Tomato Mozzarella Salad, Grilled Corn + dessert!
12 T – Spaghetti, Salad, Garlic Bread
13 W – Church Dinner
14 R – Parmesan Chicken, Tater Tots, Carrots
15 F – Hot Wings, Sweet Potato Fries
16 S – Pizza, Salad
17 U – L.O. Spaghetti, Etc.
18 M – VBS
19 T – VBS

Our church is holding Vacation Bible School June 18-22 and they'll be providing dinner those nights.

Great Kitchen Gadgets!

One kitchen gadget I'm getting really spoiled by is my Digital Probe Thermometer. My parents gave it to us for Christmas and it is great. I do a lot of roasting and that inevitably meant guessing at doneness or reaching into a super hot oven half a dozen times to poke at my food with a meat thermometer. But not anymore!

To use the Digital Probe Thermometer, you stick the probe in, lead the cord out of the oven and attach it to the digital thermometer. The thermometer has a magnet on the back and a little swing away foot. I use the magnet and stick it high on my oven (i.e. far away from Caleb!). Instead of setting a time, I set a target temperature and when the food reaches that temperature, a buzzer goes off. It has meant the end of us hungrily cutting into a big, juicy chicken, only to discover it's not done inside.

May 13 - 24, 2007

13 U Fajita Skillet, Salad
14 M Oriental Round Steak, Salad
15 T L.O. Oriental Round Steak
16 W Church Dinner
17 R Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Salad
18 F Corn Dogs
19 S Bob's Crab Cakes, Broccoli, Carrot Sticks
20 U Great Northern Bean Stew, Herbed Popovers
21 M L.O. GNB Stew
22 T Shrimp Fra Diavolo with Lemon Spaghetti, Salad
23 W Church Dinner
24 R L.O. Spaghetti, etc.

This week I picked a few old favorites to compliment some brave new dishes. Corn Dogs are always a hit with Rob - I think he's eat them for breakfast. And I love Great Northern Bean Stew - it's really tasty and very cheap! Plus spaghetti is just comfort food all the way around.

Rob and I both love crab cakes and Caleb loves the name "Bob", so this new (but not unusual) crab cake recipe was an easy pick. I'm excited about the Oriental Round Steak - it'll perk along in the slow-cooker while I'm babysitting and I'll come home to a yummy smelling house (I hope!). And I look forward to trying Shrimp Fra Diavolo, which I watched Giada De Laurentiis prepare last week. I really like her recipes. Good Eats is still my favorite cooking show, but I have tried a lot of Giada's recipes and been very pleased. They always have fun names and are usually easy.

April 29 - May 12, 2007

29 U – Messy Giuseppe (RR 182), Salad
30 M – Chicken, Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Subs, Salad
1 T – L.O. Messy Giuseppe, Salad
2 W – Church Dinner
3 R – Pizza, Salad
4 F – Out of Town
5 S – Out of Town
6 U – Out of Town
7 M – Out of Town
8 T – Roast Chicken, Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, Biscuit
9 W – Church Dinner
10 R – Thai Chicken Pizza (using L.O. Roast Chicken – economical, eh?)
11 F – Chicken Casserole (from Remembering… pg. 68)
12 S – L.O. Chicken Casserole

The dry season is almost over, time to restock the Hurricane Kit. Remember, an emergency is not the time to suffer through food that you aren't sure is good - buy items that you know you and your family like.

New Cookbook!

During my recent trip to Arkansas, I increased my cookbook collection by one. This cookbook is a fundraiser type cookbook for, of all things, a historic cemetery. Actually I think still bury people there from time to time; the most recent burial listed was 2005.

The title is Remembering... and is all about the favorite recipes of the people buried in the Sardis Cemetery, which is next to the Sardis United Methodist Church. It says it's in Pine Grove, Arkansas and it very well may be, but I have been there and it is deep in the woods on a gravel road. I have tried to find a picture of it online in vain. It's a pretty, old church and is on the National Register of Historic places.

The funny thing about this cookbook is that it's filled with pictures...of tombstones. For example on the title page for the Appetizers, Soups and Salads section there are two pictures of the cemetery from differnt angles. It's like a grim reminder that food borne illnesses kill 5000 people every year in the US. Kind of makes you want to go sanitize your cutting board doesn't it?

On the Side : Spicy Sweet Potatoes

I'm trying to substitue sweet potatoes when I'm tempted to have white potatoes with our dinners - they are more nutritious and being pregnant I need all the nutrition I can get! These are great - easy, cheap and delicious - I found a recipe on the Taste of Home website and modified it based on what I had in the kitchen.

2 or 3 Sweet Potatoes
2 or 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
Some salt
Some cayenne pepper
Some cinnamon

Cut the sweet potatoes up into little pieces, an inch or smaller - smaller means a higher surface to mass ration which means more crispy outer bits of goodness. Yum. Toss pieces into a zip top bag and pour in the olive oil. Seal and shake. Combine the other ingredients and then pour into the bag. Seal and shake. Pour the contents into a baking dish and bake at 400 for 40-45 minutes. Yum yum yum!

April 12 - 28, 2007

The dates omitted are days I will be in Arkansas.

12 R – Chicken Florentine, Cannellini Beans, Salad
13 F – One Pan Pork with Parmesan Fries, Green Beans
14 S – Chicken Fried Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Carrot Sticks
15 U – Pappas House Dinner
16 M – Chicken Fajitas, Refried Beans, Salad
17 T – Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Salad

23 M – Cacio e Pepe (RR 30)
24 T – Saucy Stir Fried Pork
25 W – Church Dinner
26 R – Ramen Shrimp Pouches, Egg Rolls
27 F – L.O. Spaghetti, etc.
28 S – Shepherd’s Pie, Salad

Cacio e Pepe means cheese and pepper in Italian - in this case it's a pasta dish, but evidentally you can cacio e pepe any number of foods. Supposedly pasta made in this style is what people eat all the time at home in Rome (hey that rhymes!). It sounded easy and interesting.

That's Sweet! : Clean and Easy Beignets

I discovered this trick by accident yesterday. I was making Curry Chicken Pot Pie, which calls for puff pastry on top. I had left over puff pastry and didn't want to throw it away, so I cut it into little squares and put it on a greased piece of foil. I popped it in the oven for about 13 minutes. While they puffed and browned, inspiration struck. Why not dust those little puffy squares with powdered sugar? So when they came out of the oven, I did.

Without mixing dough or messing with boiling oil, I made little puffy sweet bites that taste remarkably like Beignets. Served warm with a cup of coffee, you might just think you're in New Orleans!

March 29 - April 11

Still not 100%, but feeling more like myself. At least enough to be sick of frozen meals and ready to try cooking again. I slipped in ultra easy meals for Sundays and days when I babysit. Actually there are a couple of meals on this that I crave one minute and think sound disgusting the next, so goes pregnancy, so we'll see if we eat everything on this list! Still, I'm looking forward to home cooked food.

29 R – Veggie Delight with Sausage
30 F – Mexican Pork Chops, Broccoli, Tater Tots
31 S – Jambalaya Casserole, Salad
1 U – Turkey Pot Pies, Salad
2 M – L.O. Jambalaya Casserole, etc.
3 T – Crab Cakes, Mushroom Risotto, Carrot Sticks
4 W – Church Dinner
5 R – Roast Chicken, Broccoli, Sweet Potato, Corn on the Cob
6 F – Black Bean Chicken Tacos, Salad
7 S – Rob’s Random Request
8 U – Frozen Pizza, Salad
9 M – Meatloaf, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Corn on the Cob
10 T – Beef Taco Skillet, Salad
11 W – Church Dinner

It seems like at least once every couple of weeks, Rob has a random desire for food I never dreamed of putting on the meal plan, so I figured it into the equation and he can pick whatever he fancies (within reason) that day.

Back in Town, but Not Back to Normal

We've returned home from our vacation, but my normal appetite has not! Oh I'm hungry enough, but I can't seem to crave the same foods from one day to the next. I think this happened with Caleb too. Yesterday I went to Publix craving Mac & Cheese - fantisizing about how good it would taste, I bought a bulk pack...only to realize today that even thinking about noodles makes me sick! This is crazy, or maybe normal...

Anyway, cooking is just beyond me at this point. I'm thankful for the frozen food section because that is going to be our source of meals for a little while longer.

A Little Hiatus

I won't be posting a new meal plan for a couple of weeks. Because of my nausea and general distain for most foods right now (see my other blog for more details), thinking about meal plans is a sort of disgusting thing to do right now. Rob and Caleb will be at the mercy of my whims I guess. Also in a week we'll be at Disney for a week. I'll get back to regular when I get back to my old self...or new self, depending on how you look at it.

In case your curious about my cravings, when I was pregnant with Caleb I craved sour Skittles with an incredible intensity. I haven't craved them yet, but I have been overwhelmed with desire for crispy chicken sandwiches - with mayonaise. And earlier today I really wanted grits, which I made for myself and they were fabulous. I may eat some more for dinner.

Comfort Foods : Thai Style Brisket

My first venture into brisket-ing was well rewarded. This recipe is very easy and very tasty. I cooked it in the slow cooker while I was babysitting - so it cooked nearly 11 hours (yes, I babysit 11 hours frequently - I don't know who it's a longer day for, me or the parents!)

Thai Style Brisket*

First you need a 3-4lb fresh beef brisket, cut it in half, and brown both sides in a hot skillet with about 2 tbsp olive oil. Stick the browned brisket in the crockpot.

Mix up:

1 cup chunky peanut butter
2/3 cup soy sauce
4 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp minced fresh cilantro
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp pepper

and pour it over the brisket in the crockpot. Set it on low.

After it cooks for at least 8 1/2 hours, mix 1 tbsp cornstarch in 1 cup cold water and pour it in and crank the crockpot up to high.

MEANWHILE...stirfry 1 1/4 cups julienned carrots, 1 sliced medium sweet red pepper, 1 sliced medium green pepper, and 1/2 cup of green onion until tender-crisp. Top the brisket with the veggies and serve with rice! YUM!

*Taste of Home, August/September 2005, Reiman Publishing.

February 9-22, 2007

9 F - Thai Style Brisket, Rice
10 S - L.O. Brisket
11 U - L.O. Brisket
12 M - Spicy Mac and Cheese, Carrots, Broccoli
13 T - Potstickers, Egg Rolls
14 W - Church Dinner
15 R - Tacos, Refried Beans, Salad
16 F - L.O. Tacos, etc.
17 S - out of town
18 U - out of town
19 M - out of town
20 T - Parmesan Chicken, Twice Baked Potatoes, Salad
21 W - Church Dinner
22 R - L.O. Potstickers, Egg Rolls

Yeah! Lots of leftovers, means less work for me! I'm excited about making brisket, I've never tried it, but Taste of Home magazine had several very tempting brisket recipes in their latest issue. Curious about Spicy Mac and Cheese, all it is is mac with some salsa. Rob's not crazy about meatless meals, but he'll be in Cape Cod that night. Oh and impressed by my egg rolls? Don't be - I'm buying frozen!

FYI - New Budget

After checking how much I really spent on groceries the last two months, I have decided to increase our food budget to $150 every two weeks - or $25 per person per week.

Tastes Like Chicken : Parmesan Chicken

Parmesan Chicken...not Chicken Parmesan, there's a difference! This is a easy, yummy recipe that won a national potluck dinner competition sponsored by Taste of Home magazine in 2003. The parmesan coating is wonderful, because when parmesan cheese melts it makes a crispy, crusty coating. It would probably also make great chicken fingers if you used chicken tenders or cut boneless breast into strips. I served it with twice baked potatoes and a spinach salad. YUMMY!!!

Parmesan Chicken*

GROUP 1
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper

GROUP 2
2 eggs
3 tbsp milk

GROUP 3
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs (I used panko)

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Get 3 shallow bowls, round cake pans, or pie plates and combine ingredients in the 3 groups listed. First dip the breasts in the flour mixture, shake off excess. Then in the egg mixture, then roll breasts in the cheese mixture to coat. Spray or grease a baking pan, add chicken, and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes (or until the juices run clear).

(Alt. - Use a 3-4lb broiler/fryer chicken cut up, increase baking time to at least 60 minutes or until the juices run clear.)

*Taste of Home 2004 Annual Recipes, Reiman Media Group, Inc.

January 26 - February 8

26 F - Southwestern Beef Stew (LC 81), Corn Muffins
27 S - Appetizer/Game Party with a few friends - we're making hot wings
28 U - L.O. Beef Stew
29 M - Stuffed Chicken Breasts (LC 142), Creamy Orzo
30 T - Spanish Pork Chops, Green Beans
31 W - Church Dinner
1 R - Parmesan Chicken, Twice Baked Potatoes
2 F - Frozen Pizza, Salad
3 S - Drunken Tuscan Pasta (RR 202), Salad
4 U - Chicken Curry Bombay (LC 130), Jasmine Rice, Carrots
5 M - L.O. Chicken Curry
6 T - Chicken Ole (LC 120), Mexican Rice, Salda
7 W - Church Dinner
8 R - Frozen Pizza, Salad

Now that Caleb's eating more, I'm finding it even more challening to fit all our food into $100! I have to confess, I've already over spent a couple of times this year (and it's only January!!). Well, we have to eat. If I change the limit, I'll update the site to reflect that. It will still be budget cooking, just budget cooking for 2 adults and one toddler with a big appetite! I read that they go through a finicky period where you worry that they're starving themselves, but we haven't hit that yet.

I think two of these recipes have red wine in them. I bought a bottle for a recipe last week. They say that you should never cook with wine you wouldn't drink. I've always assumed that means you should buy expensive stuff. Well since I don't generally drink it, I just bought what was cheapest.

Chewing the Fat about Frying

Now I know most of you avoid deep fried foods because they’re unhealthy, greasy and just plain bad for you, but not me! No, I skip fried foods because I’m scared stiff of boiling oil. Or at least…I was. And then one day I bought a deep fat thermometer, AKA candy thermometer – different from a meat thermometer because it goes up to 400 degrees, I don’t want to eat a chicken that’s seen that kind of heat!

It turns out that although liquid fat is, well, a liquid, frying with liquid fat is a dry cooking method. When foods are cooked in boiling oil the heat of the oil begins heating up the water in the food, turning it into steam and forcing it out of the food. That’s why there are so many bubbles when you fry food in oil.

The trouble with fat is if it’s not hot enough, your food will just sit in the not-quite-hot-enough fat for a while waiting for all that bubbling to begin. So you shouldn’t put the food into the fat until it reaches a high enough temperature to begin cooking the food as soon as it hits the fat. That’s where the thermometer comes into play. After some experience, you should be able to tell if it’s hot enough by watching it, but a deep fat thermometer is essential for deep-frying novices.

Once the food is in the sputtering, popping fat it will bubble like crazy until almost all the water is gone. It works like two people pressing their hands together and leaning into each other. So long as both people push, neither will fall. If one lets go, the other one ends up with a bloody nose. Once the water stops pushing back on the fat, the fat starts seeping into the food – making it really greasy, really fatty, and really bad for you. If you pull the food as the bubbling begins to subside, you should get crispy fried food, not soggy, greasy fried food.

Like all cooking methods, it takes some practice – and I’m still practicing myself – but knowing a little more about oil (other than it’s greasy!) has given me the cautious confidence to use it as a cooking method from time to time.

Silicone Bakeware gets an A+

Rob got me a square silicone baking pan for my birthday. I tried it out today with much success:

I'm impressed - I didn't grease it or spray it or line it with anything. It also cooked very evenly; the cake didn't have one side higher than the other. Very nice.

January 11-24, 2007

My new Rachel Ray cookbook Express Lane Meals is reflected in this meal plan. I searched for the recipes online and hyperlinked the ones listed on the Food Network site. Otherwise I listed RR and the page number.

Pasta Delight is from a cookbook I inherited when I married Rob. He made a lot of bachelor meals from it and this is one of his favorites. It’s just penne pasta with sautéed plum tomatoes, zucchini and garlic, plus some Parmesan cheese on top. It’s easy and quick. I’m adding the sausage this week because I’ll already have it on hand for the subs.

11 F – Frozen Pizza
12 S – Cowboy Spaghetti/Garlic Bread/Salad
13 U – L.O. Spaghetti, etc.
14 M – Chicken with Scallion-Lime Sauce and Sweet Carrot Rice (RR 68)
15 T – Linguine with Clam Sauce (RR 32)/Garlic Bread/Salad
16 W – Church Dinner
17 R – Pork Milanese/Creamy Orzo/Carrot Sticks
18 F – Chicken Sausage, Pepper, and Onion Subs/Scalloped Potatoes/Carrot Sticks
19 S – Curry Chicken Pot Pie
20 U – L.O. Curry Chicken Pot Pie
21 M – Pasta Delight with Chicken Sausage
22 T – Chicken and Yellow Rice/Green Beans
23 W – Church Dinner
24 R – Fabulous Fish and Asparagus (RR 132)

Make Your Own Take Out vol. 1

Hope no one is going hungry for lack of meal plans! I'll be posting a new one soon.

For Christmas, Rob's parents gave me Rachel Ray's new cookbook Express Lane Meals. I've already made 4 recipes from it. We ate this one last night:

Sweet Soy-Glazed Chicken with Carrot-Sesame Noodles

Whew, well all of her recipes have "Titles"! It is really good! Actually I've tried several Asian themed recipes in the last year that I plan to post, this is the first of the series.

Don't be too overwhelmed by the ingredient list - there are a lot!

Salt
1 lb long cut pasta - spaghetti, vermicelli, whatever
1/4 cup tamari, plus 1 tbsp
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cup chicken stock, plus 1/4 cup
The Juice of one Lime
4 large garlic cloves - 1 crushed, 3 chopped
3 inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and grated or chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp vegetable oil, plus some for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
5 or 6 carrots, peeled and shredded
black pepper
3 big chicken breast or 6 cutlets
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup each fresh chopped cilantro, basil, and parsley

While cooking the pasta, preheat a grill (I used George Forman), and make the soy glaze by combining 1/4 c. of the tamari, the brown sugar, 1/4 cup of chicken stock, the lime juice, crushed garlic, 1/4 of the ginger, and the red pepper flakes. Simmer in a small pan over medium-high heat and cook for about 4 minutes. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 2 tbsp of oil, then carrots, onion, chopped garlic, remaining ginger, and a little salt and pepper; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Meanwhile, season the chicken with pepper, drizzle it with oil and slap it on the grill. Cook it for a couple of minutes to get "grill marks" then brush it with the soy glaze several times throughout the cooking. When it's done move it to a plate, tent it with foil and let it rest.

Back with the carrots - add the rest of the chicken stock and tamari and bring it to a boil for 1 minute. Add the drained pasta, stir and let cook about 30 more seconds. Kill the heat, sprinkle with sesame seed and herbs. Stir it up well, slice the chicken on the bias, top the noodles with the chicken and voila!



Caleb says, "It's finger lickin' good!"

By the way, Tamari is a special kind of soy sauce. Regular soy sauce is cheaper, but tamari tastes better to me! It's not that expensive, so I'd rather use it.

On the Side : Creamy Orzo

This little side dish has become a quick favorite of mine. It's kind of like mac and cheese goes out on the town. Orzo is a tiny, rice shaped pasta. You can find it right near the ABC shaped noodles. It tastes great zapped in the microwave the next day (unlike mac and cheese) and Caleb likes it a lot!

You can substitute the shallot with a small onion, but I wouldn't recommend it. The shallot add a specific flavor that I think make the dish.

Creamy Orzo*

1/2 pound orzo
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium shallot, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
half of a 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes (juiced drained)
3/4 c. whipping cream
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
salt
pepper

Cook orzo to al dente, stirring often (about 8 minutes). Drain, reserve 1/2 cup of the liquid.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Saute shallot and garlic, 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, cooke 8 minutes. Stir in cream and peas. Add drained orzo and toss to coat. Remove from heat, stir in Parmesan. Stir, if it's too thick add some pasta liquid. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

*Giada De Laurentiis, Food Network (I halved the recipe, this version makes about 5 or 6 side servings.)

In the Cookie Jar : Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies

I made these cookies twice during the holidays. They were so good; I think I’m going to celebrate Christmas in July, just to have an excuse to make them again! They’re kind of a cookie version of Peppermint Patties.

Making pinwheel cookies isn’t really hard, but it is a little trickier than drop cookies. The first batch I made weren’t very round (but they still looked nice). When I made the second batch, I slid the dough roll into a long glass container I have for storing pasta, then put the whole thing in the fridge. They were much more round and spiral-y.

Chocolate Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies*

First make regular sugar cookie dough – recipe follows:

3 c. flour
¾ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 c. unsalted butter (softened)
1 c. sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tbsp milk

Sift dry ingredients, set aside. Cream butter and sugar, add egg and milk, beat to combine. With mixer on low, gradually add dry ingredients. Beat until dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

Now instead of rolling this out and cutting it into Christmas trees…

Split the dough into two roughly equal balls in two separate bowls. In Bowl A – add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 3 ounces of melted unsweetened chocolate – squish with (clean) hands until all the dough is chocolate colored. In Bowl B – add 1tsp peppermint extract, 4 or 5 crushed candy canes (about ½ cup), and the yolk of 1 egg – again squish with (clean) hands until fully mixed.

Cover both dough balls and refrigerate for 5 minutes. Then, roll both dough balls out to ¼ inch thickness (roll on powdered sugar instead of flour). Place peppermint dough on top of chocolate dough and press around the edges. Roll dough into a log, wrap in wax paper and chill for 2 hours.

Preheat over to 375, cut dough into ½ inch slices and place cookies 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet (*using parchment is a good idea, the melted candy cane bits really adhere to the baking sheet). Bake for 6 minutes, pull out the pan, turn it around and bake 7 more minutes. Let cool on sheet for 2 minutes, move to wire rack to cool completely.

Yields: not nearly enough

*Alton Brown, Food Network.

Miss Stokers Lasagna

Iva Lou Stoker made the wedding cake for my wedding receptions, so I shouldn't have been surprised to learn that she was the source for this tasty lasagna. I found her recipe in a fund raising cookbook from my mom's school.

And I know, I know, lasagna's not worth the work, but consider this - you can make about twice as much lasagna from scratch as you pay for to buy it frozen, and really it's not that hard to make. Just be sure to subtract 2-3 minutes from the cooking time when you boil the noodles. I learned that the hard way! If you cook them completely they will tear and be hard to work with. Letting them remain underdone makes them easier to handle and allows for the additional cooking in the oven. Rinse them in cold water to halt the cooking. That makes them easier to handle too!

Meat Sauce:
1 lb. ground beef
1/2 to 1 lb sausage
1 tsp basil
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 tsp salt
1 (1lb) can of tomatoes
2 (6oz) cans of tomato paste
1/4 tsp oregano

Cheese Sauce:
2 eggs, beaten
3 c. cottage cheese
1/2 c. Parmesan cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Also:
1lb mozzarella cheese slices
10 oz lasagna noodles, cooked and drained well

Brown meat; drain well. Add meat sauce ingredients and cook slowly uncovered for 30 minutes, stirring occassionally. Combine ingredients for cheese filling.

Layer ingredients in a 3 quart oven-proof casserole in this order: noodles, cheese filling, mozaralla slices, meat sauce. Repeat layers. Bake at 375 for 30 mintues. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting to serve.

(**Also great as leftovers! I usually half the recipe.)

Happy Thanksgiving : Sugared Cranberries

These little treats are sweet and tangy, they look great garnishing cakes, pies, or gelatins, and they are so easy to make. All you need is:

1 part granulated sugar
1 part water
1 part cranberries
Superfine sugar (AKA regular sugar that you ran through the food processor)

First make a simple syrup by mixing the water and sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Stir so that the sugar dissolves and then bring it just to a simmer (**DON'T LET IT BOIL**). Take it off the heat, stir in the cranberries, then pour all of it into a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let it set overnight (or at least 8 hours).

Drain the syrup off the berries (don't rinse them!) and place the superfine sugar in a shallow dish. Add the cranberries and gently shake the dish so that they roll around and get coated in sugar. Move them to a pan so they can lay in a single layer. Assuming you aren't storing them in a bathroom (and that it isn't August in Florida), they will dry in about 1 hour.

The heat from the syrup will cook the cranberries just enough (if you boil them they will pop). Letting them sit in the syrup will make the sugar stick. The final result is a candied little berry that has a crispy sweet bite to contrast a cranberry's tartness. Trust me, you can't eat just one!

Writing in Chocolate

I discovered a new way to melt chocolate and use it for decorating. Chocolate melts at a very low temperature, which means you should never just put it in a pot and stick that pot on a burner. You can melt it in the microwave, but you have to pull it out every few seconds to stir and check it. The best way (most of the time) is to use a double boiler. Since you need very little heat you can boil the water, turn off the burner and then set the top of the boiler with the chocolate. You don't have to be there to check it or stir it, a few minutes later it will be ooey gooey.

I needed to melt chocolate, then put the melted chocolate in a baggie, snip off the end and "draw" with the chocolate. The double boiler was fine, but it wasted a lot of chocolate transfering it to the bag. So the next time I was in this situation I dropped some chocolate chips in a baggie and took out a dish rag. I got the dish rag wet and rang it out, then popped the rag into the microwave for about 30 seconds. Then I took the steaming hot rag and wrapped it around the baggie. Minutes later, the chocolate was melted in the bag! Voila! And no mess!

Chocolate Fix : Chocolate Chip Cake

If you're like me, the name of this cake alone will get you in the mood for baking! And what an easy cake this is - plus it is super duper moist. It's dusted with powdered sugar instead of being iced, so it's easy to transport when you need to bring something to a friend's house.

Chocolate Chip Cake*

1 package yellow cake mix
1 package (3.4 oz.) instant vanilla pudding
1 cup milk
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
4-5 tbsp grated German sweet chocolate (divided)
1-2 tbsp powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl, combine first 5 ingredients on low until moistened. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in chocolate chips and 3 tbsp. of the grated chocolate. Pour into a greased and floured bundt pan.

Bake at 350 for 55-65 minutes, test with a toothpick. Cool for 10 minutes then turn out the cake onto a wire rack and cool completely. Comine powdered sugar and remaining grated chocolate and sprinkle over the cake. YUM!

*Taste of Home, October/November 2002, pg. 36 - submitted by Abigail Crawford.

November 11 - December 8, 2006

Our Thanksgiving trip is in the middle of this meal plan.

11 S - Call FM Event (FBC "Country" Fair)
12 U - Potluck Dinner at Church (I'm bringing Chocolate Chip Cake)
13 M - Spicy Jamaican Jerk Chicken (BC 283), Potatoes, Carrot Sticks
14 T - Cheesy Meatball Skillet , Peas, Carrots
15 W - Church Dinner
16 R - Smothered Chicken (BC 295), Baked Potatoes, Broccoli
17 F - No Fuss Tex-Mex Rollups , Refried Beans
18 S - Grilled Chicken Quarters, Broccoli, Baked Potatoes
19 U - Pappas House Dinner (I'm bringing Eggnog Pumpkin Pie)
20 M - Black Bean Chicken Tacos, Salad
21 - 27 Thanksgiving Trip
28 T - Frozen Pizza!
29 W - Church Dinner
30 R - Spaghetti with Italian Sausage, Salad, Garlic Bread
1 F - Potstickers, Salad
2 S - Miss Stokers' Lasagna (PIE 38), Salad
3 U - L.O. Lasagna
4 M - Grilled Chicken, Creamy Orzo, Carrot Sticks
5 T - L.O. Spaghetti
6 W - Church Dinner
7 R - L.O. Potstickers, Carrots and Celery Amandine
8 F - Chipotle Cashew Chicken, Rice, Broccoli

(The link for Eggnog Pumpkin Pie requires a login, if you would like the recipe and don't have a login at Taste of Home, please leave a comment and I will get the recipe for you.)

Cooking Methods : Foil Packet Dinners

Cooking with foil packets is a clean and healthy way to cook. That said, it won't work for every meal, I think pork chops and steak need a little direct heat to give them some color and taste, but using chicken breast you can vary this method in a thousand ways.

To cook with a foil packet, work in layers. From the bottom up:

A big piece of aluminum foil (roughly a 15-18 in. sheet).
Rice right in the middle, but not too close to the sides, think a rectagle about 3 in. by 5 in. with the 3 in. side parallel to the long side of the foil.
A raw chicken breast
Dry seasonings
Sauce or Salad Dressing
Choose two chopped veggies
Shredded cheese

Fold up the long ends of the foil to make a tent over the mound of food. Crimp the foil so that it is sealed, then crimp the ends. Put the packet on a cookie sheet and bake at 400 deg. for 25-30 minutes.

When it's finished, just transfer the packet to a plate and pierce the foil a few times to release steam (away from your face, it's hot!)

Here's how I like to make foil packets, but be creative!

When I boil the rice water I add a chicken boillion cube. On top of the chicken breast I sprinkle ground cumin and cayenne pepper and drizzle on ranch dressing. I top it with broccoli florets and diced pepper (red, green, orange, whatevers handy). Finally, I love colby jack cheese.

Wouldn't it be easy to replace the dressing with spaghetti sauce and use mozarella - almost like chicken parmesan. Or you could use jasmine rice, teriyaki sauce, and snow peas for a sort of Asian packet. That's why this recipe is more of a method than a meal.

Comfort Food : Prairie Land Pot Roast

Pot Roast is such a forgiving dish. It's been said that it's impossible to overcook it, plus it's easy and cheap. The perfect meal for the novice cook.

Although there are many varieties, I like this version...

Prairie Land Pot Roast*

1 boneless beef chuck roast (or any big hunk of beef, bone or no bone, it won't matter once this thing's done)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1 8 oz. bottle Catalina dressing (divided)
2 large onions, sliced
2 lb Yukon Gold potatoes
1 lb carrots, peepled, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 tbsp chopped parsley

Season both sides of beef with salt and pepper, brown in a big pot or dutch oven on both sides with 1/4 cup of the Catalina dressing. Add onions, stir to brown.

Add remaining dressing and vegetables and enough water to come 3/4 of the up the meat. Bring to a boil; cover. Reduce heat to low. Simmer at least 2 hours or until meat and veggies are tender.

Slice up the meat, sprinkle with parsley, enjoy! Serves about 8 - or 2 people for almost a week!

(Alternately you could throw everything in a crock pot after browning the meat, set on low for about 8 hours.)

* Mary Smith, Kraft Food and Family, Fall 2005, pg. 64.

On the Side : Garlic Bread to Write Home About

I wasn't expecting rave reviews about something as second fiddle as garlic bread, but last night at a house party I prepared this easy (and really cheap) garlic bread that got noticed!

What you need:

• 1 loaf (or however many loaves you need) of french bread fresh from the bakery
• a baking sheet
• a few garlic cloves, peeled
• some olive oil in a shallow bowl
• a basting brush
• salt
• pepper

What to do:

• arrange your oven so that the top rack is 6 inches below the broiler
• cut the bread diagonally (this matters) in 3/4 inch slices
• place bread on baking sheet and broil for 2 minutes on the first side, flip the bread over and broil another 1 to 1 1/2 minutes (watch it so it doesn't burn)
• cut a garlic clove in half (it works best with really big cloves) and rub the inside of the clove all over the bread
• brush each slice with olive oil
• sprinkle each slice with salt and pepper
• eat it...before someone else does

If you really like garlic-y garlic bread, this is the way to do it. I didn't expect rubbing a little raw garlic on hot bread would do much, but it really left its mark!

We also had some super yummy italian meatballs, and I will get the recipe and post it as well.

October 28 - November 10, 2006

I'm a little behind on meal plans! Here's what's cooking...

28 S – Chicken and Dumplings, Mixed Veggies
29 U – Frozen Pizza
30 M – Salmon Casserole , Mashed Potatoes
31 T – Call FM Event (Harvest Festival)
1 W – church dinner
2 R – Grilled Chicken Quarters, Scalloped Corn, Green Peas
3 F – Chicken Foil Packets
4 S – Call FM Event (UMC "Country" Fair)
5 U – Hot Wings, Sweet Potato Fries
6 M - Pork Loin with Potatoes, Broccoli, Carrots
7 T – BBQ Pork Sandwiches, Mac & Cheese, Baked Beans
8 W – church dinner
9 R – Hamburgers, Tater Tots, Carrots, Pickles, Olives
10 F – Tortellini Sausage Alfredo, Salad

In all honesty, I'm not using the recipes linked to the Salmon or the Corn, but I think they are somewhat generic recipes. If you happen to use one of those recipes and they happen to be spectacular, I'd like to know about it!

Pork Loin with Potatoes - sounds yummy doesn't it! It did to me too until I started pricing out the pork loin at the grocery store! Eating on a budget demands that you get a little creative. I'm going to substitute pork shoulder, which is still good and the leftovers will make yummy BBQ pork sandwiches.

Soups On: Tortellini Soup

Words that describe this dish? Cheap, Easy, Tasty

Tortellini Soup*

1/2 large sweet red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup diced carrots (8 baby carrots or 2 medium carrots)
2 garlic cloves, diced (or 1/4 tsp garlic powder)
4 cups chicken broth
9 oz fresh, frozen, or dry cheese tortellini
3 cups baby spinach (1/2 a bag) with stems removed

Saute pepper and carrots in a large pot coated with cooking spray for 4 minutes, add garlic saute 1 more minute. Add chicken broth and boil (gently) 5 minutes. Add tortellini and cook until tender. Remove from heat, add spinach and stir until it is wilted. Serve with crusty french bread.

*Parents Magazine, March 2006, pg. 164

September 30-October 13, 2006

30 S – Roast Chicken, Biscuits, Carrots, Green Beans
1 U – Black Bean Chicken Tacos, Mexican Couscous
2 M – Pasta with Pesto and Sausage, Salad, Garlic Bread
3 T – BBQ Steak with Dale Seasoning, Mac and Cheese, Green Peas
4 W – church dinner
5 R – Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Carrot Sticks
6 F – Teriyaki Chicken, Jasmine Rice, Carrots
7 S – Beef Fajitas, Grilled Veggies, Refried Beans
8 U – L.O. Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Carrot Sticks
9 M - Hot Wings, Sweet Potato Fries
10 T – Corn Dogs
11 W – church dinner
12 R – Eat with Family
13 F – "Ethnic" Food

No links this week. All this food is the sort of stuff you don't need a recipe for - except the Mexican Couscous and I got that recipe from a grocery store flyer. If you would like the recipe, please leave a comment and I will be happy to provide it.

The first two meals on this list are a combination meal called Rubber Chicken (scroll to the bottom of the page from this link). Basically you roast a whole chicken one day, serve it with a multitude of side dishes and pick off all the left over chicken for a 2nd chicken dish the next night. If one chicken won't feed your family, you might do the same thing with 2 chickens.

I'll be out of town after the 9th, so the 9th and 10th are "Bachelor Foods" Rob really likes! (He eats the Sweet Potato fries with italian dressing.) He'll be joining us on Thursday night at my parents house.

Friday night we're going out with my family for real country food - a bonafide fish farm in Leola, Arkansas - Dorey's Catfish Resturant. This place is located in the middle of nowhere (if I remember correctly, directions include "Turn off the Paved Road..."), but is a local smash-hit. It is packed out regularly and has real South Arkansas food. They even have a pet deer. I classified it as "Ethnic Food" - celebrate your own heritage by going out to a resturant that celebrates food the way your grandma would make it.

Hold the Food Coloring

Looking for a unique party game? Try, guess the secret icing igredient! What brings the green to the party in this turtle cake? Avocado!


Avocado has many applications beyond guacamole. And if you think you don't like the chunky green stuff, think of this - it has all the funky flavor of a butter bean, the taste is so mild that it can really only contribute texture and color. Need to ice a cake golf course green? Either buy two big bottles of food dye and start squirting or try this easy recipe:

Avocado Buttercream Icing *

2 small to medium avocados - diced
2 teaspoons freshly squeeze lemon juice
1 lb sifted powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

Combine avocado and lemon juice in a mixing bowl and mix on medium speed for about 3 minutes. Slowly add the sugar until completely combined. Add extract and mix well. Icing will be sticky. If it's too thick add a little milk until you get the consistency you need.

The taste is lemony and not too sweet. It's not suitable for decorating, just icing the cake. Be sure to not cut the avocados until right before you are ready to make the icing. The avocado will turn brown unless it is combined with lemon juice.

*Alton Brown, Good Eats, Food Network, as posted on www.foodtv.com

The Skinny on Fat

Fat in foods is bad right? Well not always. A few years ago the battle was between saturated and unsaturated fats, now the drum beats loudest against trans-fats, but what's what and how do you know the difference? It's easy:

Unsaturated fats are fats that are liquid at room temperature - for example olive oil is an unsaturated fat.

Saturated fats are fats that are solid at room temperature - butter is a saturated fat.

Trans-fats are unsaturated fats that have been chemically changed so that they are solid at room temperature - shortening, for example, is a trans-fat. The trans-fat you hear a lot of ire towards is partially-hydrogenated soy-bean oil - if an ingredient list of a packaged food includes this trans-fat, it means that regular vegetable oil was chemically changed to a solid before being added so that the product would have a longer shelf life. Trans-fats are a little tricky. Margarine is an unsaturated fat - because it is made with vegetable oils, but it is solid, so it is a trans-fat.

We don't have to run scared from all fats. Our bodies need some fat. I think it helps to know how they work so that you know when you can use a healthier fat (like olive oil) in place of a less healthy fat. Sometimes only butter will do to achieve the results you want. Different fats melt at different temperatures and speeds. Shortening makes for a tender cookie, but butter adds taste. Mixing the two can give you both postive attributes. When frying using different kinds of fats can affect cooking speed because some fats can get hotter than others without burning.

September 16 - 29, 2006

16 S – Spicy BBQ Chicken, Southwestern Rice Salad, Deviled Eggs
17 U – L.O. Spaghetti, Garlic Bread
18 M – Simple Unfried Chicken, Baked Beans, Carrots, Biscuits
19 T – Taco in a Pan, Tortilla Chips
20 W – church dinner
21 R – Grilled Chicken, Shells with Tomato and Basil, Carrot Sticks
22 F – Roast Turkey, Sweet Potatoes, Corn, Green Peas, Biscuits
23 S – Prairie Land Pot Roast
24 U – L.O. Prairie Land Pot Roast
25 M – Chicken Fried Steak, Green Peas, Carrots
26 T – 40 Cloves and a Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans
27 W – church dinner
28 R – Creamy Chicken Curry, Basmati Rice
29 F – Crispy Onion Chicken, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans

Making most of your food from scratch is not only a money saver, it's also a calorie cutter - or it can be! When you make your own foods you control what type of fats are used, how much salt is added, etc. You also can eliminate unnecessary and potentially unhealthy preservatives many convience foods contain.

I can't seem to make the hyperlinks work this week. If you would like the recipe to any of these meals, please leave a comment and I will help you out.

Comfort Food : Salisbury Steak

My experiences with Salisbury Steak as a child were only in the school lunch room. I can't remember ever having it at home. But when Taste of Home featured it in it's "Cooking for One or Two" section, they made it look so nice, I just had to give it a try. This is a scaled down recipe and only makes enough for two people. It can easily be doubled (tripled, etc.) for more people. It's fast, easy, and comfortingly meaty.

Salisbury Steak for Two*

1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1 envelope brown gravy mix (divided)
1 tsp dried minced onion
1/2 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon prepared mustard

In a bowl, whisk egg and milk. Stir in bread crumbs, 1 tbsp gravy mix, and onion. Crumble meat over mixture and mix well. Shape into two patties about 3/4 inch thick. Broil 3-4 inches from heat for 6-7 minutes on each side until meat is no longer pink and temp is 160.

Add water and mustard to remaining gravy mix, mix well and bring to a boil; cook until thickened, server over patties.

(I like using panko, which are Japanese style bread crumbs in this recipe. They give the patties a little crispyness. I buy Sunluck Panko, it's in the same section as regular bread crumbs at my grocery store.)

*Taste of Home, Reiman Publishing, December/January 2006, pg. 56.

August 26 - September 15

We’ll be out of town for the first week of September, so this plan covers the next three weeks (omitting the days we’ll be out of town).

26 S – Cheesy Kielbasa Bake/Salad
27 U – Frozen Pizza/Salad
28 M – Cantonese Beef/Rice/Carrot Sticks
29 T – Egg Noodle Lasagna/Salad
30 W – church dinner
TRIP
7 R – Frozen Pizza
8 F – Spicy BBQ Chicken/Tater Tots/Lima Beans
9 S – Spaghetti/Garlic Bread/Peas
10 U – L.O. Spaghetti
11 M – Skillet Grilled Catfish/Cole Slaw/Tater Tots
12 T – Kentucky Grilled Chicken/Broccoli/Carrots
13 W – church dinner
14 R – Salisbury Steak/Mashed Potatoes/Broccoli
15 F – Baked Taco Chicken/Black Beans/Rice

I noticed another “plus” of the meal plan this week. Since I had to think about when I would buy ingredients, I had to take into consideration I might not be interested in cooking and doing dishes the night we get back from our trip! So instead of looking forward to a dinner of cheerios with milk, we’re having a nice hot pizza!

We do sometimes go to the trouble making our own pizza, but to tell the truth, it’s not cost effective. Our store brand pizzas are very good and cost less than $4.

p.s. Some of these links are to "Subscribers Only" recipes on www.tasteofhome.com, if you want the recipe, email me and I will send it to you.

Tastes Like Chicken : Chicken Broccoli Casserole

This is my mom's recipe and it's the only chicken recipe that I've ever had that is rich and creamy enough to resemble dessert.

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

4 whole chicken breasts
2 tsps salt (divided)
16 oz cream cheese
2 cups milk
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1 1/2 cup parmesan cheese (divided)
20 oz frozen broccoli
1 small can of french fried onion rings

Cover chicken and 1 tsp salt with water and simmer until tender. Bone chicken and cut into bite sized pieces. Combine cream cheese, milk, 1 tsp salt, garlic powder, and 1 cup parmesan cheese in a saucepan and cook over medium heat to make a sauce. Cook broccoli as package directs and cut into bite sized pieces.

In a 9x13 glass dish, place all broccoli on the bottom, top with chicken and onion rings. Pour sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining parmesan cheese. Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes.

Want to save money on this meal? Compare the price between fresh and frozen broccoli. Depending on the time of the year, fresh may be more economical. Also you can use 2 whole chickens instead of the breasts, but cutting it up will be more labor intensive. Breasts really work better here, but buy them on the bone since boiling them will make the meat fall off on its own. This makes a big bunch of casserole, consider cutting the recipe in half if there will be 4 or less people at your dinner table.

August 12-25, 2006

12 S - Chipotle Cashew Chicken/Rice/Broccoli
13 U – Corn Dogs/Broccoli/Carrot Sticks
14 M – Maple Baked Apple Chicken (KR Fall ‘05, 25)/ Green Beans/ Biscuits
15 T – Chunky Vegetable Lasagna (BC 372)/Garlic Bread
16 W – Church Dinner
17 R – Out with Family
18 F – Steak/Baked Potatoes/Carrot Sticks
19 S – Spicy Bean Soup/Cornbread
20 U - 40 Cloves and a Chicken/Baked Potatoes/Green Beans
21 M – Perfect Potstickers/Carrots and Celery Amandine
22 T – Beef Stew/Salad
23 W – Church Dinner
24 R – Citrus Crunch Chicken (KR Winter ’06, 39)/Salad
25 F – Teriyaki Noodles/Spicy Hot Wings

Are you prepared for hurricane season? I like to buy something special for my hurricane kit - some fancy cookies I'd never normally buy for example. Being out of power and running water is bad enough - at least be prepared to have something to eat that you know you'll like. Let's just say we found out the hard way we don't like southwestern corn chowder.

In the Cookie Jar : Raspberry Swirls

Not only are these cookies delicious, but they also have the benefit of being beautiful. They take a little more work than drop cookies, but they are not difficult to make - so don't let that stop you! It's not a part of the recipe, but I drizzled them with melted chocolate.

Raspberry Swirls

1 cup butter (no substitutes), softened
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp lemon extract
3 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 12 ounce jar seedless raspberry jam
1 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and extracts, mix well. Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Divide dough in half - roll each half into a 12 in. x 9 in. rectangle. Combine jam, coconut, and pecans; spread over rectangles. Carefully roll up starting with the long end, into a jelly roll. Wrap in plastic wrap and refridgerate overnight or freeze 3 hours. Cut into 1/4 in. slices, bake on greased cookie sheets for 10-12 minutes at 375 - dough should be very light brown. Cool before eating (or the filling with melt your tongue!).

If you want to drizzle on chocolate, do that after they're cool.