Late But Posted and Helpful Nonetheless

This has been a very busy cooking week.  I can't believe I haven't posted my recipes!  Well, the recipes I used, anyway.  So as to be able to find them again, I will post the link here, and then in an actual post I will put up my rendition of the recipe.

Monday we had French Spring Soup and Ciabatta rolls.  I was going to bake some french bread, but I ran out of time.  The soup was a smashing success.  I used Rainbow Chard and dandelion greens for the soup and it was a little bitter, but still delicious.  Jeffrey was a huge fan.  I was able to freeze a quart of it for another day.

Tuesday we had Chicken Lo Mein and Avocado egg rolls.  Oh my goodness, it was delicious!  I am not a fan of Chinese food, but these were incredible.  The lo mein would have been a lot better without the chicken, or at least with less of it.  The egg rolls were absolute heaven in a little fried roll.  Wow.  And the dipping sauce has been making my sandwiches very happy for the past few days.

Wednesday we had a greek dish called Cabbage and Leek Cheese Pie.  I had to adapt it a lot, but everyone was delighted with it.  Especially the fact that there were no oils in it, just salt, veggies and a bit of cheese.  I admit, though, I probably used more cheese than it called for.  You can rarely go wrong with extra cheese, though, right?  We had a ton of leftovers with this, so again, I filled a quart jar with it and put it in the freezer. I love those freezer meals.

Thursday (today) we are having Tomato and Avocado Grilled Cheese sandwiches and Grandma's Tomato soup.  The tomato soup always makes me happy, and I am anticipating the avocado grilled cheese is going to be delicious.

Friday we are going to have California Sandwiches with sweet potato fries.  I suspect Jeffrey is going to love it.  Mainly because of the home made fries, but healthy foods with carbs are always a favorite with him.

Saturday I am going to grill some fish and asparagus and make a side of quinoa.  I am not sure how I will season it just yet, as I haven't planned that far ahead, but as of now, it will probably have garlic, onions, and some other spices in it.  I will probably pick up a watermelon as well, while I am getting the fish.

Sunday is Mother's Day.  Which means I will probably be in charge of cooking again.  Jeffrey tries.  He tried to cook twice last week, but was very disappointed with his lack of skill.  He asked me to never let him try that again.  I laughed and was flattered.  I do love to cook, and it makes me so happy that he loves my cooking so much.  Since Mother's Day is typically a day when people want to spoil moms, or thank them, we will probably have leftovers, if I haven't frozen them all.  If I have, well, then it will probably be sandwiches for dinner.  Because that is how I roll.

Again, it has been a delicious week, and I am so happy to be back to cooking.

Grandma J's Tomato Soup

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Campbell's and I really aren't friends.  Too much sodium and preservatives in their soups and food for me to like.  Because of all the salt, all growing up I have hated tomato soup.  We had it a lot because it was my brother's favorite.  The only way I ever liked it was when my mom made it from scratch, using her mother's recipe.

I was so happy the day I found my grandma's recipe on my sister's food blog.  I have referred to it so many times since that day nearly three years ago.  I can't believe I hadn't put the recipe here, though.  Silly me.  Rather than having to peruse her blog, it would be so much easier for me to just click on it over here where I know exactly where it is.

And so, without further ado, my favorite tomato soup recipe via my sister's blog.

2 quarts canned tomatoes (home canned - should have a little sugar, lemon juice, and salt)
1 garlic clove
1/4 onion
2 1/2 t. Knorr Caldo con sabor de Pollo (Chicken Flavor Bouillon) (this can be found in the mexican section of most grocery stores, Walmart and Costco)
1-2 quarts of milk 
1/4 c. butter
1/4 c. flour
basil, oregano, pepper to taste

There is no exactness to this - you have to do it to taste, desired thickness, and desired amount - it can be easily halved. This amount easily serves 10 people. 

Place tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil, oregano, and chicken bouillon in blender on high. Allow to run for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy bottomed pan on med-high. Add flour and mix, making a nice roux. This may need more or less flour. You want a thick paste (almost too thick) consistency. While stirring, allow to cook for a few minutes, taking care not to burn. Place sieve over pan, and pour tomato mixture into roux, straining out all seeds. Quickly stir into roux, making sure to eliminate any lumps. Continue stirring until entire mixture is smooth, heated, and on the brink of boiling. Add milk (once again - to taste and desired thickness), stirring constantly. Heat stirring constantly, but do not bring to a boil (this will curdle the milk) and serve. Season with pepper and fresh basil to taste. 

There it is. Better than Campbell's, and right from the garden .

Home Made Tortillas

Jeffrey called during his lunch today.  I love when he does that!  We chatted for a bit, and then he asked what I was making for dinner.  I told him I was planning on Cafe Rio for dinner, and he said "Oh, are you tired today?  Do you not feel like cooking?"  I had to laugh, because I meant the homemade Cafe Rio.  He was glad, because he likes homemade food.  There is more of a chance for leftovers that way, and he has more interesting lunches than just his typical frozen burritos.

As I was getting ready to make dinner, a recipe caught my eye.  It was for home made tortillas.  They are good and a lot healthier than the recipe I know.  My friend from Mexico taught me to make tortillas.  She said you just grab a few handfuls of flour, add a little salt, and then shortening.  Add some warm water and mix it with your hands, form little balls, and roll them out.  So yummy, but so hard to replicate them.  At least for me.  When I saw this recipe, I was very excited as it is a lot healthier, and lets be honest, I do better with more direction than "a handful, a bit, some, etc."

This recipe came from Petitelephant.com and has enough guidance to make it helpful, but enough leway for me to make it my own.

This is how I made them:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup hot water

Mix all the dry ingredients thoroughly.  In a separate container, mix the oil and water.  Gradually add the water to the dry ingredients and mix.  Little by little add the water and mix after each little addition.  I just put everything in my Bosch and let it mix itself while slowly pouring the water in.  Let the dough knead (or do it by hand if you are ambitious) until it is smooth.  When it feels ready, separate into little balls.  This recipe makes about 9 or 10.  Cover with a damp cloth and leave somewhere warm for about 20 minutes.  

When the 20 minutes are up, knead each ball, (I just squoze them in my hands for a bit) and return them to the plate, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes.

Oil your counter and hands.  Roll each ball out until it is paper thin.  The thinner the better.  Heat up a frying pan, add a bit of oil, and toss the dough on one at a time.  When it begins to bubble it is ready to flip.  Cook until they are just golden in the center.

These are perfect with the Cafe Rio meal (did I already mention that?), and would probably make incredible tortilla chips.

Enjoy!

Amy-Proof Whole Wheat Bread

There is nothing quite like the taste of home made bread.  Warm, thick, and buttery.  It is probably at the top of my favorite things list.  And the wonderful perfume that it gives to the house while baking it just ads to the delight.

I have been on a crusade for a while to find a good whole wheat bread recipe.  Not one that uses half whole wheat and half white.  I don't want even a cup of white flour in my bread.  I am choosy like that.  Along the lines of being choosy, store bought bread is packed full of things that aren't good for the body (hello, HFCS) and other ingredients that I have never even heard of.  Why would I put something I don't even recognize into my body when I have a choice?  Okay, I do it all the time, but if I can avoid it easily, I do.

That said, this recipe has stopped my search for that perfect home made bread.  I found it on my sister's blog, and am so happy that she shared it with me.  She got it from a wheat grinder recipe, I think.  I love it when appliances share wonderful recipes.

I call it Amy-Proof, because I am a master at ruining bread.  I somehow always manage to kill it in just the right way.  I don't know how, but I do it.  But not with this bread, it is so easy, and so delicious.  And it makes a ton, so I take out two loaves and freeze the rest until we need it again.  It lasts about a week.

Ingredients:

• 5 1/2 cups warm water
• 2 TBSP dry yeast
• 2 TBSP salt
• 2/3 cup oil
• 2/3 cup honey
• 8 cups whole wheat flour

Combine 5 ½ cups warm water, yeast, salt, oil, and honey in Bosch or large mixer bowl. Let stand 5 -10 minutes to activate yeast.

While yeast proofs, using a wheat grinder, mill 8 cups whole kernel wheat to yield 12 cups of whole-wheat flour.  (The wheat will be warm, and perfect for the yeast if ground at this point). 

Add 8 cups of whole-wheat flour to mixing bowl. If using a Bosch, use the ‘spring-loaded’ position (turning to the left instead of the right) button the switch first to blend the ingredients, or mix on low speed until well blended.

Add 3 – 4 cups more flour, 1 cup at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl. (The amount of flour required will vary according to the moisture and protein content of the wheat and your atmosphere/altitude etc. The stickier the dough, the moister the bread, but it should clean the sides of the mixing bowl).   Knead dough on low speed for 10 minutes.

Oil hands and working surface. Remove dough from mixing bowl and with oiled hands, spread into a large rectangle.  Divide into 5 equal portions.  Starting at one end, begin rolling each section, one at a time, into an oblong shape.  Pinch the ends together and turn underneath.  Place in oiled, metal 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 5/8" bread pans (this size seems to work the best, and metal works better than glass).  If desired, oil the top of the loaves for a soft crust.  Cover with a damp cloth, away from drafts, and let rise 1/3 in bulk, or approx. 35 minutes.  

Bake at 425* for 8 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350* for the remainder of the baking period (27 to 32 minutes). Remove from pans when done, and allow to cool on baking racks. Brush tops with butter or oil immediately.  

Notes from my sister:

*I specifically use a Bosch mixer with this recipe.  I've tried it with a Kitchenaid mixer, without the same results.  My guess is that it relates to the Bosch's cover retaining the heat perhaps?  

**Because this bread doesn't have any preservatives it can spoil quickly.  I cut mine into half loaves, wrap in plastic, then place in a large ziplock in the freezer.  For a quick defrost, I remove it from the ziplock, and place it in the microwave (still in the plastic) for 1.5 minutes.  This sort of steams it, and it comes out just as if it were fresh from the oven. 

In my family, we don't have much of a problem of bread going bad.  It is consumed fairly quickly after being eaten, but just as a precaution, I don put 3 loaves in the freezer and pull them out the morning I plan to use it.  It usually defrosts on its own in about 2 hours.

Sugar and Spice Sweet Potatoes

Hi.

Can I just say, this is now my new favorite potato recipe.  It is incredible, and I am not just throwing that word around.  Sweet with a little zing to it, but so subtle and surprising.

Image from CuisineNie

Wow.

This is another recipe adapted from CuisineNie.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 TBSP brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
• 1/8 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp course ground pepper
• melted butter
• 3 sweet potatoes or so

Boil the sweet potatoes until soft.  Remove the skins and cut them into thirds or fourths.  Smash them (a potato smasher works well) and then brush them with melted butter.

Combine spices well, and sprinkle half of the mixture over the sweet potatoes.  Roast them in the oven until golden brown.  Flip and sprinkle the remainder of the spices and roast until golden brown on that side as well.

Serve and enjoy.

But don't worry about sharing, you wont want to.

Spaghetti Squash Medly

Dinner was absolutely delicious tonight.  I honestly ate more than I should have, because I couldn't get enough, it was incredible.

We had a spaghetti squash medley.  I admit, I did get the idea for this from CuisineNie, but made a few adaptations to suit our family.

Image from CuisineNie

I took a spaghetti squash, cut it in quarters (I was supposed to cut it in half lengthwise, but without reading, cut it in half width wise, and then lengthwise), scooped out the seeds, and rubbed the flesh all over with olive oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper.  I then covered it with tinfoil and put it in the oven at 400*.  I just left it there until I could poke it with a fork and it was tender, about 30 minutes.

While it was cooking, I chopped up and sauteed a yellow crook neck squash, zucchini, and some mushrooms.

When the spaghetti squash was finished, with a fork, I scrapped out the spaghetti squash into a bowl, combined the sauteed vegetables, added a little salt and pepper, and then dumped half a carton of feta cheese in with it.

Yum!  I decided to freeze half of it for another time because I really liked it, and on a lazy summer day, it will be perfect to just heat up!

Cooking Again.

I have decided to get back into cooking.  I love to cook, but haven't had a lot of motivation until recently.

This week's menu is going to be delicious.

Monday: homemade pizza.  Pesto and sun dried tomato basil sauce.  (they were delicious)
Tuesday: Spaghetti Squash medley, Sugar and Spice Sweet Potatoes, corn on the cob, homemade bread and butter
Wednesday: Imitation Cafe Rio, cantaloupe
Thursday: Omelette, baked oatmeal, strawberry banana salad
Friday: Spaghetti, grilled turnips, popping peas, strawberry blueberry smoothie
Saturday: Grilled fish, rice, Parsnips, pears and goat cheese, watermelon
Sunday: leftovers

I had to carefully plan this menu as we have soccer twice this week at odd times, and then the weather has been unpredictable, so I wanted to cook according to the temperatures outside.  The nights we have soccer, I planned something relatively easy to cook.  And then Saturday will be Springy and warm, so we have to be outside, of course.  What better than to cook and eat outside?

As I cook these meals, I will try to be very diligent with posting the recipes.

Stay tuned!