Cherry Crisp

Cherry Crisp

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Toscana Soup

INGREDIENTS
12 links Italian pork sausage, sliced
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3/4 cup diced onion
1 1/4 teaspoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons chicken broth
4 cups water
2 potatoes, cubed
2 cups sliced kale
1/3 cup heavy cream (I use 1 % milk and it works just fine)
1 tsp. Epicure Roasted Red Pepper dip mix (optional)
2 large carrots

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

Place sausage links on a baking sheet and bake 25 minutes, or until cooked through. Slice into 1/2 inch slices.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent; add garlic and cook 1 minute.

Stir in broth, water, carrots, potatoes and dip mix; simmer 15 minutes.

Reduce heat to low and add sausage, kale and cream; simmer until heated through and serve.

Golden Carrot Bake

3 cups carrots shredded
1 1/2 cups water
2/3 cup uncooked brown rice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Combine in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. Do not drain.

1 1/2 cups Monterey Jack cheese (I used a mozza/edam mix instead) shredded
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/4 cup onion
pinch of nutmeg (optional)

Stir in and transfer into a 1 1/2 quart/ 1.5 L casserole dish. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

1/2 cup Monterey Jack cheese (or mixture as above) shredded

Sprinkle on top. Return to oven long enough to melt cheese, about 2 minutes.

I served this with farmer sausage and it was delicious!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Homemade Crock Pot Yogurt

Here is the much anticipated and ridiculously easy recipe!

Ingredients:
--8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk--pasteurized and homogenized is fine, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized. I tried 6 cups milk made from skim milk powder and 2 cups 1% milk and it worked out fine but is thinner than store bought yogurt. The site I found this recipe on suggests adding a package of unflavored gelatin to the yogurt when you add the culture to the milk to thicken it but we're fine with thinner yogurt.

--1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (you need to have a starter. Once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter. Every few batches start again with store bought yogurt as the culture will weaken with time if you always use homemade yogurt for your starter.)

--frozen/fresh fruit for flavoring

--thick bath towel

Directions:
Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours.
Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours.

When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine.
Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation.

Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours. The longer you let it sit the thicker the yogurt will get but it will also get more tangy as well.

In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened---it's not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt.

Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch. My batch filled 3 reused 650g yogurt containers plus two small bowls for the boys breakfast.

Add fruit as desired, I added a little sugar but this may not be needed if you bled the fruit with the yogurt instead of cutting up the fruit. Honey can also be used as a sweetener instead of sugar.

Cost of making homemade yogurt:
$1.42 - skim milk powder,
$0.51 - 1% milk
$0.52 - store bought yogurt
Total cost: $2.45 plus whatever fruit you would use to flavor. Approximately $0.82 per 650g container of plain yogurt!!!
A typical fruit yogurt that I buy in the store costs $3.49 for a 650g container.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Bean Casserole

1/2 lb. bacon
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup chopped onion
2 cans pork and beans
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. prepared mustard
1 Tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chili powder

In a large skillet, cook bacon, beef and onion until meat is browned and onion is tender; drain. Transfer to a greased 2 1/2 quart baking dish; add beans and mix well. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; stir into beef/bean mixture. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes. Yield: 6 servings. We like to serve this with rice.

Potato Cheese Soup

6 cup potatoes, peeled & diced
1 cup carrots, shredded (I often cut the carrots into pieces and blend all of the soup to make it smooth)
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 chicken flavoured bouillon cubes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 cups water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

In a large pot; add potatoes, carrots, onion, parsley, bouillon cubes, salt and pepper. Add water and bring to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and let simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl; place flour and 1/2 cup (125 ml) milk. Whisk to mix and set aside.

When the potatoes are cooked - don`t drain them. Push them to one side of the pot. Working over low heat; whisk the flour and milk mixture into potato broth. Cook, stirring, until broth thickens. Add remaining milk and cheese. Cook, stirring, until cheese is melted and smooth, 4 to 5 minutes. Then, if you wish, mash potatoes with potato masher or blend it with a hand blender. When ready to serve; you can garnish with cooked, crumbled bacon, chopped green onions, a bit more grated cheese or just as is.

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

Chicken and Chickpea Stew

2 celery stalks
2 carrots diced
1 onion chopped
2 garlic cloves minced
4 cups less sodium chicken broth
3 cups marinara sauce ( I use my homemade tomato sauce)
1 - 19 oz. can chickpeas rinsed and drained
1 -19 oz. can white kidney beans rinsed and drained
1 1/2 cups dry short tube pasta
1/2 tsp. pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs cut into 1/2 inch cubes ( I've actually never made this with chicken as there is plenty of protein with the chickpeas and beans, but I'm sure it would taste good with chicken)
1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan ( I use mozzarella cheese as I don't have parmesan in the house)

IN large sauce pan heat olive oil over medium heat. Add celery, onion and carrot and saute until tender. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute, stirring constantly.

ADD broth, marinara, chickpeas, kidney beans, pasta and pepper and bring to a boil.

REDUCE heat to low-medium and simmer until pasta is tender, about 10-12 minutes.

ADD chicken to pan and cook 3-5 minutes until chicken is done.

SPRINKLE with parmesan and serve.

Sunday, February 8, 2009

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
1 cup dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Combine the flour and baking soda; stir into the sugar mixture. Mix in the white chocolate chips and cranberries. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. For best results, take them out while they are still doughy. Allow cookies to cool for 1 minute on the cookie sheets before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.
Note: I doubled the recipe – used 2 c. Spelt flour and 1 c. White flour, and one whole white Easter bunny chopped up.

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Southwestern Baked Spaghetti

* 8 ounces uncooked spaghetti, cooked
* 1/2 cup milk
* 1 egg
* 1 lb ground beef
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 teaspoon chili powder
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon oregano
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon pepper
* 2 (8 ounce) cans tomato sauce
* 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup shredded monterey jack cheese
(I used 1 cup edam/mozzarella cheese mix instead of cheddar and monterery jack cheese. You can buy this pre-shredded mix at Superstore. I like to use this for most Italian style dishes.)

Combine hot drained spaghetti, milk and egg; mix well. Pour spaghetti mixture into a buttered 9X13 inch casserole dish. Brown ground beef with onion, bell pepper and garlic in a large skillet; drain. Return drained meat back into the skillet and add seasonings; Cook for 2 minutes. Stir in tomato sauce and cook for 2 more minutes. Spread meat mixture over spaghetti. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 425°F for 10 minutes or until cheese melts and is bubbly. Remove from oven and let stand for 10 minutes.

Tangy Cranberry Bread for Bread Machines

REGULAR LOAF

3/4 cup cranberry juice
2 cup white bread flour
1 tbsp dry milk
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup cranberries, dried
2 tbsp orange marmalade
1 tsp fast rise yeast **or**
2 tsp active dry yeast

LARGE LOAF

1 1/4 cup cranberry juice
3 cup white bread flour
2 tbsp dry milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup cranberries, dried
3 tbsp orange marmalade
2 tsp fast rise yeast **or**
3 tsp active dry yeast

Tangy Cranberry Bread For Bread Machine Directions
Dried cranberries are sometimes called "ruby raisins." SUCCESS HINTS:
Place dried cranberries away from water if baking on delayed time
cycle.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Butterhorn Rolls

1 cup milk
1 heaping tbsp. yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup melted lard, shortening or margarine (I know margarine isn't lard or shortening but it works for me!)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
3 eggs, beaten
5 cups white flour (I have used 3 cups white and 2 cups whole wheat flour that have made really nice rolls as well)

Scald and cool milk. Add prepared yeast (yeast, 1 tsp. sugar, water for 10 minutes). Add lard, sugar and salt. Add eggs and beat well. Add flour and stir well for 2 minutes. Cover with towel till double in bulk. Divide dough into four equal portions. Roll and spread lightly with margarine. Cut into 8 equal pieces and roll up into crescents. Let rise till double in size. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes. Makes 32 rolls.

Zucchini Skillet

1 lb. ground beef
2 cups zucchini, thinly sliced
1 onion, diced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. basil
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tomatoes peeled and diced or 1 - 8 oz. can tomato sauce (I use fresh or canned diced tomatoes)
1 - 8 oz. pkg. shredded cheddar or mozzarella cheese

Brown meat in skillet, drain off excess fat. Add the remaining ingredients, except the cheese. Mix, simmer over low heat till bubbly (20-25 minutes). Sprinkle cheese just before serving. Serve over rice. Serves 4-6. I've also added chopped carrots to this as well. This is a great meal to make in summer when you have fresh produce from the garden!

Honey Flax Bread for Bread Machines

1 cup warm water
1/4 cup honey
1 Tbsp. oil or apple sauce (I use apple sauce and it's a good replacement for oil)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup ground flax seed (the original recipe calls for oats but we prefer flax seed)
2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour (for lighter, fluffier bread use half white flour and half whole wheat)
1 tsp. yeast

Add these ingredients in this order to your bread machine. Don't let the yeast touch the liquids especially if you're using the time delay option. I like to let the bread machine mix the dough and then take it out and put it in a loaf pan. I then let it rise for 30 minutes in a 100 degree oven and then bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. I have an older bread machine and it doesn't bake that well and I prefer the shape of the loaf from the loaf pan. This makes a one pound loaf. I usually make two loaves a week and we rarely buy bread anymore as this is so much better!