It's actually 1am mst as I start this post. Funny I have cooked and baked a lot since my last post, but none of it has been caught on film. I am trying to use less boxed meals so in all honesty I should have lots to report on, but I am just so caught up in trying to get dinner on the table I don't take the time to record my meals. My favorite to date still is Zucchini Bread...a staple in the fall. I made one full loaf and 5 mini loaves this time around. I need to take some pictures before my family consumes them all. I want to, next time I make this recipe, substitute in apple sauce and yogurt or sour cream instead of eggs and oil. Trying to loss weight has greatly affected my eating...hence the divergence from boxed meals. A couple days ago I was given a flat of tomatoes so it is time to hit the produce stand for peppers and make salsa. My husband is already drooling. I also have a GIANT zucchini begging to be shredded up for future bread making. I am having a meet up with a high school friend I haven't seen since graduation this week and she's coming to get some apples. Think both of us will be making apple butter this weekend and I also plan on some oh some yummy applesauce. I love fall and it is time to start some fall cooking. This lady is going to bed though because sometimes when it is after midnight, it is time to sleep rather than bake.
Stay tuned for my salsa recipe and my first attempt at apple butter and apple sauce. Maybe I will use MY applesauce for the zucchini bread. Splendid idea.
Oh and I have been repinned on pinterest for my Eggplant with Tomato and Avacado recipe. It made me very happy to see someone want to try my recipe. I hope she comes back to let me know how it turned out.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
Eggplant with tomatoes and avocado
One of my favorite vegetables is the eggplant. It is very versatile in my opinion and will hold up to almost anything you pair it with. I call it the hamburger of the plant world.
Last week I purchased two of these purple beauties and promptly forgot about them. Scavaging for something to eat last night I pulled them out and they were still very firm so I decided to use one. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, I had seen a recipe on Pinterest I liked, however a scan of my pins and likes did not reveal the recipe. I decided to wing it. Here is the recipe I came up with just using what I had on hand in the fridge.
Recipe: Eggplant with tomatoes and avocado (For 2)
1 large eggplant
1/2 cup Ham (cubed) *Optional
2-3 tomatoes (Diced)
1/2 Avocado (Diced)
1/2 tsp Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices (about 5 slices). In a skillet heat olive oil and add eggplant slices. Season with garlic salt to taste. Brown on both sides, remove from the pan and set aside. To the pan add the ham and heat through, add the tomatoes and saute about a minute. Finally add the avocado and heat till everything is warmed through. Arrange the eggplant slices on a plate and top with the tomato and avocado mixture. Top with Parmesan and serve.
Notes:
I say this is an 2 serving meal. I used about 3 small tomatoes from my garden, this was my preference. I used the two larger slices of eggplant for my husbands portion and 3 smaller slices for myself and split the tomato/avocado mixture evenly between the two.
I am not vegetarian so I used what ham was left in my fridge from making pizza the week before, so it is not an essential component. Without the ham about one to two shakes of garlic salt per piece of eggplant should be enough seasoning. The ham added more salt than I thought it would, so my first attempt, though good (even in my dear husbands opinion) was salty. If using ham I would reduce the garlic salt used or use garlic powder instead. I was very pleased with the outcome though and think this is definitely a repeat dish in my house. Now to figure out what to do with the other eggplant.
Last week I purchased two of these purple beauties and promptly forgot about them. Scavaging for something to eat last night I pulled them out and they were still very firm so I decided to use one. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do, I had seen a recipe on Pinterest I liked, however a scan of my pins and likes did not reveal the recipe. I decided to wing it. Here is the recipe I came up with just using what I had on hand in the fridge.
Recipe: Eggplant with tomatoes and avocado (For 2)
1 large eggplant
1/2 cup Ham (cubed) *Optional
2-3 tomatoes (Diced)
1/2 Avocado (Diced)
1/2 tsp Olive Oil
Garlic Salt
Slice the eggplant into 1/2 inch slices (about 5 slices). In a skillet heat olive oil and add eggplant slices. Season with garlic salt to taste. Brown on both sides, remove from the pan and set aside. To the pan add the ham and heat through, add the tomatoes and saute about a minute. Finally add the avocado and heat till everything is warmed through. Arrange the eggplant slices on a plate and top with the tomato and avocado mixture. Top with Parmesan and serve.
I say this is an 2 serving meal. I used about 3 small tomatoes from my garden, this was my preference. I used the two larger slices of eggplant for my husbands portion and 3 smaller slices for myself and split the tomato/avocado mixture evenly between the two.
I am not vegetarian so I used what ham was left in my fridge from making pizza the week before, so it is not an essential component. Without the ham about one to two shakes of garlic salt per piece of eggplant should be enough seasoning. The ham added more salt than I thought it would, so my first attempt, though good (even in my dear husbands opinion) was salty. If using ham I would reduce the garlic salt used or use garlic powder instead. I was very pleased with the outcome though and think this is definitely a repeat dish in my house. Now to figure out what to do with the other eggplant.
Monday, August 13, 2012
The kitchen ain't just for baking
I haven't been feeling well the last few weeks so really haven't felt like cooking anything blog worthy. Lots of boxed mac-n-cheese as that is the littleman's favorite. That is about the only thing I can remember cooking.
I did make Pizza Casserole , which my son promptly refused to eat because he realized it wasn't actually pizza and Cucumber & Tomato Salad, which was a very refreshing side dish to the casserole, and a great way to use up the veggies we got from our neighbor (she's was so kind as to bring us more today). Both I will be repeating but no pictures unless you want to see what's left in the fridge...that will be gone tomorrow. My daughter the endless wonder couldn't get enough of the cucumbers or the tomatoes. She's such a darling and sooo different from my son in the eating department.
As the post title states the kitchen ain't just for baking and cooking...it's for decorating! I seldom have ideas of my own, I rely on blogs and pinterest to get my imaginative juices flowing so it was a welcome treat when I started putting the dishes away tonight. I was putting the measuring cups in the drawer and thought, "I really dislike these in here, but where could they go?" I looked up and a light bulb came on. Over my range!! I had just recently found our collection of cup hooks so off I went to find them and anything else I thought would help me get the job done.
I did make Pizza Casserole , which my son promptly refused to eat because he realized it wasn't actually pizza and Cucumber & Tomato Salad, which was a very refreshing side dish to the casserole, and a great way to use up the veggies we got from our neighbor (she's was so kind as to bring us more today). Both I will be repeating but no pictures unless you want to see what's left in the fridge...that will be gone tomorrow. My daughter the endless wonder couldn't get enough of the cucumbers or the tomatoes. She's such a darling and sooo different from my son in the eating department.
As the post title states the kitchen ain't just for baking and cooking...it's for decorating! I seldom have ideas of my own, I rely on blogs and pinterest to get my imaginative juices flowing so it was a welcome treat when I started putting the dishes away tonight. I was putting the measuring cups in the drawer and thought, "I really dislike these in here, but where could they go?" I looked up and a light bulb came on. Over my range!! I had just recently found our collection of cup hooks so off I went to find them and anything else I thought would help me get the job done.
Before
It was sparse to say the least. I love the cheese grader so it got to stay and the salt and pepper are up there only because my daughter won't stay off the table, which is where that cute little holder belongs. With new homes I measured out where I wanted the hooks for the measuring cups and a couple other items I found that I loved and wanted to display. Yes that is 12:09 AM.
After
Pretty isn't it? I want to eventually replace the range hood and the stove and the toaster (all our new appliances are steel), but for now this gives the area a little pick me up that was much needed. I actually use these items quite a bit so it made sense to display them so that they were easy to access.
So there it is, cheap decorating. I personally love this mini-makeover and it makes me smile when I walk in my kitchen...I won't show the other side with all the dirty dishes that makes my smile turn up side down.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Zucchini bread - A must have
This
time of year I devote several hours a day to baking savory loaves of
bread. I particularly like zucchini and pumpkin bread. In prior years I would grow my own zucchini, but only was able to plant tomatoes, eggplant, radishes, green beans, and strawberries. Therefore, this year I was saved from buying zucchini as my wonderful brother gave me some fresh from his garden. Three beautiful green elongated veggies for my cooking and baking delight.
Back in 2010 I had another blog: Small Town Cook, where I had posted the below, I felt it was time to unearth it. Today however I had the help of my son, who is now five. He loves watching me and helping me. I let him stir as I added the ingredients....typically I would use the mixer, but he was just so excited to help. I still feel the mixer incorporates the ingredients better, however nothing beats the smile on his little face, and the fact that I get veggies into his little tummy.
I had seen a recipe I wanted to try in a small recipe book, you know the kind you pick up for a few bucks up at the registers next to the celebrity newspapers. This one was put together by Betty Crocker and Gold Medal and is called, "Fall Baking - Cookies, Breads and Desserts", put out back in 2003. The recipe is called Raisin Nut Zucchini Bread and makes 2 scrumptious loaves in just an hour.
Recipe
Makes 2 Loaves (16 slices each)
3 medium zucchini, shredded (3 cups)
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1/2 cup golden raisins, if desired
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, with shortening. Mix zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pans.
2. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool ten minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 1 week. This can also be wrapped and frozen for up to 4 months, so I like to make extra loaves now for later.
Now to tell you what I do differently. I do omit the raisins. I don't care for them in this bread and I used walnuts. I buy them in a big bag when on sale and put the desired amount into a sandwich bag and take a rolling pin to them to crush them up. This helps take out any frustrations from the day. I also found though trial and error that baking spray on the bottom of the pans allows the bread to release from the pan much easier than shortening and is less messy. ALWAYS remember to spray or grease the pan before pouring in the mixture if you do not plan on keeping the bread for yourself. In the past I have made this bread for family and friends as gifts, and had to make extra loaves because several came out mangle because I did not spray the pan at all.
I've also found that actually using an electric mixture to combine the wet and dry ingredients incorporates the mixture better. Stirring is doesn't cut it I discovered as I bit into a slice from one of those torn loaves and got a mouth full of dry, overcooked flour. Yuck...the rest of the bread tasted amazing. It also rose better when mixed like this verses stirring.
What else can I say but try it. Whether it's vegetables from your own garden or you go buy it from a stand or market, making something like this for my family is a gift of it's own....the couple glasses of rum I had while cooking made it all that much better. My husband likes to cut himself a slice, heat it up in the microwave for a few seconds and then smother on butter....yummy.
**Italicized portions from original post
Back in 2010 I had another blog: Small Town Cook, where I had posted the below, I felt it was time to unearth it. Today however I had the help of my son, who is now five. He loves watching me and helping me. I let him stir as I added the ingredients....typically I would use the mixer, but he was just so excited to help. I still feel the mixer incorporates the ingredients better, however nothing beats the smile on his little face, and the fact that I get veggies into his little tummy.
I had seen a recipe I wanted to try in a small recipe book, you know the kind you pick up for a few bucks up at the registers next to the celebrity newspapers. This one was put together by Betty Crocker and Gold Medal and is called, "Fall Baking - Cookies, Breads and Desserts", put out back in 2003. The recipe is called Raisin Nut Zucchini Bread and makes 2 scrumptious loaves in just an hour.
Recipe
Makes 2 Loaves (16 slices each)
3 medium zucchini, shredded (3 cups)
1 2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1/2 cup golden raisins, if desired
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, with shortening. Mix zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla, and eggs in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into pans.
2. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool ten minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 1 week. This can also be wrapped and frozen for up to 4 months, so I like to make extra loaves now for later.
Now to tell you what I do differently. I do omit the raisins. I don't care for them in this bread and I used walnuts. I buy them in a big bag when on sale and put the desired amount into a sandwich bag and take a rolling pin to them to crush them up. This helps take out any frustrations from the day. I also found though trial and error that baking spray on the bottom of the pans allows the bread to release from the pan much easier than shortening and is less messy. ALWAYS remember to spray or grease the pan before pouring in the mixture if you do not plan on keeping the bread for yourself. In the past I have made this bread for family and friends as gifts, and had to make extra loaves because several came out mangle because I did not spray the pan at all.
I've also found that actually using an electric mixture to combine the wet and dry ingredients incorporates the mixture better. Stirring is doesn't cut it I discovered as I bit into a slice from one of those torn loaves and got a mouth full of dry, overcooked flour. Yuck...the rest of the bread tasted amazing. It also rose better when mixed like this verses stirring.
What else can I say but try it. Whether it's vegetables from your own garden or you go buy it from a stand or market, making something like this for my family is a gift of it's own....the couple glasses of rum I had while cooking made it all that much better. My husband likes to cut himself a slice, heat it up in the microwave for a few seconds and then smother on butter....yummy.
**Italicized portions from original post
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Cleaning makes baking easier
Every cook knows that once the good part of making the food and consuming the food, the horrible part of cleaning up the mess made ensues....or is that just me that thinks that way?
The kitchen and its cleaning duties fall sort every night, every day, all week long. I try, I really do but there is so much more I'd rather be doing than rinsing off the dishes to put them in the dishwasher. However yesterday two things happened that made me realize I really really need to get on a schedule with the everyday kitchen chores so that I can have time for the nitty gritty kitchen chores.
Here is what I ended up doing yesterday that may save you some time in the kitchen or at lease remind you to do it.
1. Clean that coffeepot. I don't just mean the pot, but the whole machine, inside and out. Inside particularly. We'd been seeing an odd film on the top of the coffee water, almost oily like. We thought it was due to something in our well water so we installed a water filter at the sink. This worked alright, it lessened the degree of the film so we just dealt with it. Yesterday though I had one of those light bulb moments and the bulb didn't burn out. I realized that since buying the coffee pot back in December that it had NEVER been cleaned out. This is a pretty simple, but long process.
When I did this, omg the yuckiness that came out. The water was a dingy brown with brown bits in the bottom, that may or may not have been old coffee grounds.
Repeat the first step, you do not have to let it soak this time unless you want to.
This time the water was clearer, but still dingy and though there was junk in the bottom of the pot, it was also less.
At this point I ran two consecutive pots of just water, to clean the machine of the vinegar and to get out anymore bits of junk. The third pot was pretty clear with some bits and the fourth pot was really clear with just a couple specks.
This morning the coffee we made still had a slight film, but not to the degree it had before. I think I may flush it out with clean water a couple more times as the coffee was a bit bitter as well, perhaps from the vinegar, or perhaps because my husband made the coffee...I will never know.
2. Clean your oven. Nasty job this is, but nothing is worse than thinking you have burned the dinner rolls because something had leaked and left a mess inside the oven - which is what really was burning. I have one of those self-cleaning ovens...nice except in the summer when it is 104 degrees outside and you are trying not to make it the same temperature inside. I usually save this job for November, so out I broke the pretty yellow gloves and oven cleaning spray. Honestly the best course of action is to NOT have to clean the oven in the first place, but spills and runovers do happen. What I decided to do since I do not use the lower rack all that often was to cover it in foil. That way, if something does leak out, then I just need to replace the foil. Quick and easy cleanup I say. Just remember to replace the foil if it does it dirty or the next time something leaks out of the casserole dish, you'll be breaking out the cleaning supplies again.
Now to get back to the kitchen.
 | |||
| So not my kitchen! Would be 2 times worse. |
Here is what I ended up doing yesterday that may save you some time in the kitchen or at lease remind you to do it.
1. Clean that coffeepot. I don't just mean the pot, but the whole machine, inside and out. Inside particularly. We'd been seeing an odd film on the top of the coffee water, almost oily like. We thought it was due to something in our well water so we installed a water filter at the sink. This worked alright, it lessened the degree of the film so we just dealt with it. Yesterday though I had one of those light bulb moments and the bulb didn't burn out. I realized that since buying the coffee pot back in December that it had NEVER been cleaned out. This is a pretty simple, but long process.
- 1 cup of white vinegar
- 5 cups of water
When I did this, omg the yuckiness that came out. The water was a dingy brown with brown bits in the bottom, that may or may not have been old coffee grounds.
Repeat the first step, you do not have to let it soak this time unless you want to.
This time the water was clearer, but still dingy and though there was junk in the bottom of the pot, it was also less.
At this point I ran two consecutive pots of just water, to clean the machine of the vinegar and to get out anymore bits of junk. The third pot was pretty clear with some bits and the fourth pot was really clear with just a couple specks.
This morning the coffee we made still had a slight film, but not to the degree it had before. I think I may flush it out with clean water a couple more times as the coffee was a bit bitter as well, perhaps from the vinegar, or perhaps because my husband made the coffee...I will never know.
2. Clean your oven. Nasty job this is, but nothing is worse than thinking you have burned the dinner rolls because something had leaked and left a mess inside the oven - which is what really was burning. I have one of those self-cleaning ovens...nice except in the summer when it is 104 degrees outside and you are trying not to make it the same temperature inside. I usually save this job for November, so out I broke the pretty yellow gloves and oven cleaning spray. Honestly the best course of action is to NOT have to clean the oven in the first place, but spills and runovers do happen. What I decided to do since I do not use the lower rack all that often was to cover it in foil. That way, if something does leak out, then I just need to replace the foil. Quick and easy cleanup I say. Just remember to replace the foil if it does it dirty or the next time something leaks out of the casserole dish, you'll be breaking out the cleaning supplies again.
Now to get back to the kitchen.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Brownie's, Cookies, Peanut Butter... Oh My!
About time for my first post since creating this site. My daily routine involves scrolling though my FaceBook catching up on the tales of my friends. Today my son joined me and exclaimed, "can we make that!" as I scrolled past an image which even caught my eye. I "liked" Reeses fanpage and today they showed a pan full of cookie dough topped with a Reeses Cup and then topped with a brownie....can we say "YUM"! The idea I believe is found in the Pampered Chef Cookbook, but here is the link Reeses posted from Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/pin/76631631129669364/
Before the store could close and once the summer heat was back below 100 I went an bought the following:
1 bag of peanut butter cups (about 14 per bag)
1 boxed brownie mix
1 rolled of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
Pick your favorite brand and go for it...really fool proof and very easy to do with your kids.
Preheat oven to 350. Spray bottom of pan of choice with cooking spray.
If you have a brownie pan break it out, but you could also use a cupcake pan or even a small cake pan. If using one of the first two, cut the rolled cookie dough into 1/4 inch circles (just slice through the wrapper) and put into the pan. If using a cake pan just cut the ends off the roll and remove the wrapper and put into the pan. With washed hands, have your kids moosh the dough flat and into the corners of the pan so none of the bottom shows. Surprisingly neither of my kids tried to eat the dough while doing this. Next unwrap all the peanut butter cups and have the kids place one each of the cups of the pans or wherever they want if using the cake pan. Final step. Mix up your brownie mix according to the directions and spoon into each of the cups, leaving a 1/4 gap if possible for the brownies to rise. I found I had leftover cookie dough and brownie mix so I pulled out a very small round cake pan and mooshed the extra dough into the bottom and covered in brownie mix.
Bake for 22 minutes. Let cool completely before turning pan out onto a cookie sheet. They won't last long so make sure you hide some for yourself.
I over filled my brownie pan... if you are like me and love the hard brownie edges, go ahead and fill the pan to the top with mix. You may have to separate them.
My husband said I should cut one open and show the results but....
I think this result shows it better.... It was very delicious!
 |
| Not my photo but it does do the process justice |
1 bag of peanut butter cups (about 14 per bag)
1 boxed brownie mix
1 rolled of refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough
Pick your favorite brand and go for it...really fool proof and very easy to do with your kids.
Preheat oven to 350. Spray bottom of pan of choice with cooking spray.
If you have a brownie pan break it out, but you could also use a cupcake pan or even a small cake pan. If using one of the first two, cut the rolled cookie dough into 1/4 inch circles (just slice through the wrapper) and put into the pan. If using a cake pan just cut the ends off the roll and remove the wrapper and put into the pan. With washed hands, have your kids moosh the dough flat and into the corners of the pan so none of the bottom shows. Surprisingly neither of my kids tried to eat the dough while doing this. Next unwrap all the peanut butter cups and have the kids place one each of the cups of the pans or wherever they want if using the cake pan. Final step. Mix up your brownie mix according to the directions and spoon into each of the cups, leaving a 1/4 gap if possible for the brownies to rise. I found I had leftover cookie dough and brownie mix so I pulled out a very small round cake pan and mooshed the extra dough into the bottom and covered in brownie mix.
Bake for 22 minutes. Let cool completely before turning pan out onto a cookie sheet. They won't last long so make sure you hide some for yourself.
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