Many Adventures of Dr. Mom

Homemade natural window and surface cleaner!

2011-06-29T18:41:00.000-06:00

I get excited about little things! It's silly, but also fun. :) My excitement today came in the form of an improvement to my favorite natural window cleaner. It's based on vinegar, so it smells pretty strongly of vinegar... which is not good for my pregnant nose. In an effort to improve the smell, I opened my essential oil cabinet and grabbed some lemon and orange essential oils, and voila! Lovely citrus-y cleaning goodness, with the added benefit of cutting through scum (at least the shaving cream residue at the bottom of my husband's sink) wonderfully! Still streak-free and everything. You'll love it!

Here's what you'll need:
2-3 Tbsp. vinegar (ammonia works too, but you only need one or the other)
1/2 c. Rubbing alcohol
1 squirt dish soap
20 drops lemon e.o. (or more to smell)
20 drops orange e.o. (or more to smell)
water
a 24 oz. (or so) spray bottle

Just pour your liquid ingredients into your spray bottle and give it a good shake. Easy as can be!

And now you may actually enjoy cleaning. :)

All-natural Ear Infection Remedy

2011-06-12T11:09:00.000-06:00

This blog is being re-purposed! Up until now, it's been a (mostly ignored) cooking blog. I still love cooking, so there will still be cooking-related posts, but I'm also going to be using this as a place where I can share a lot of the natural remedies that my family and I are coming to love more and more.

I should say at the start that I am not against modern medicine. I feel like many of our modern medical abilities are true miracles and I am so grateful for many of the doctors and nurses that have helped us when we've needed it. However, I also believe that for thousands of years God has provided His children with the plants and herbs, etc., that we need to heal our bodies. I believe that by being open to both sides, we truly get the best of both worlds.

And now for the good stuff! How many of you have children who get ear infections? Any time we have a serious cold that runs through our family, at least one of our three children (and often I) will wind up with a secondary ear infection. Usually on a Saturday night, of course. So what to do? Run to the doctor for a standard antibiotic prescription? At $100 for an off-hours office visit (with no co-pay) and another $15 for the prescription, that adds up--especially when I'm taking myself and two kids. No thanks. I've used this natural ear infection remedy on myself and two of our kids (L, the lucky girl, never gets ear infections) and it has worked EVERY TIME. So if you want to cure an ear infection fast, with only ingredients you already have in your kitchen, read on.

All you'll need is fresh garlic, olive oil, and a dropper.

Step 1: Peel a few cloves of garlic. I did 7 cloves this time.

Step 2: Place your peeled (but still whole) garlic cloves in a small saucepan and add about 1-1/2 cups olive oil. You can do a much smaller batch if you're just using this for medical purposes, but it tastes good too, so I make extra to use in cooking.

Step 3: Turn the heat on medium low until the garlic looks like it's simmering. Then turn the heat as low as it will go and let the garlic infuse for about an hour. After that, turn the heat off and let the garlic and olive oil cool down all the way. The olive oil should smell very strongly of garlic.

And you're done! Wasn't that easy? The last thing you need to do is pour the oil into a bottle with a dropper. I used an old medicine bottle that I cleaned out well. I leave the garlic cloves in the oil so that it gets stronger with time.

Now, to treat an ear infection.

For an adult, use 5 to 7 drops in the infected ear 3 or 4 times a day. When I treat myself, I grab a book and lie down on my side for about 10 minutes per side (and let's be honest, when I'm sick with an ear infection, it's nice to take a few extra minutes of quiet time). The pain is gone within 2 or 3 treatments, but I do an extra day's worth just to be sure. I have never had an ear infection that lasted more than a day or so when I used this stuff.

For children, it's much the same. I use 3 drops for my 6 yr. old, and whatever I can with my almost-2-yr.-old. The older kid knows this stuff is amazing and so he happily does everything I ask him to do. My almost-2-yr.-old is definitely not so cooperative. I wind up having to hold her head still while I add the stuff (which of course she hates, but there's nothing else for it), and then I snuggle her up on my lap and either read her stories or sing her songs. She soon forgets the trauma of the strange drops in her ear and enjoys the closeness.

Sure beats a 9-day course of expensive antibiotics!

What have I done with my life?

2008-11-04T09:31:00.003-07:00

I saw this on Brittany Rodgers' blog, and I thought it was pretty cool. So I'm going to post it here; the things I've done are bolded.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford

7. Been to Disneyland (& World)

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you are not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language (sign language, but not very fluently)

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michaelangelo's David

41. Sang Karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful in person

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (as long as Burger King counts!)

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported by ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. visited the Great Wall of China

57. Taken a martial arts class

58. Started a business

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout cookies

62. Gone Whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guard in London

77. Broken a bone (just a toe though)

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book (I have helped edit several though)

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Swam in the ocean

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had Chickenpox

89. Saved someone's life (does giving it count? I've done that twice... :))

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Fallen madly in love (I added that one on my own.) :)

Pretty cool list, huh? Life is good.

Earthquake Cake--Natural Disasters Never Tasted So Good!

2008-10-14T15:36:00.006-06:00

This recipe is for a really fun cake called "Earthquake Cake." I think it's named that for the super-bumpy texture it has once it's baked. I baked it for a book club meeting and served it again at a church function, and everyone loved it! So without further ado, here's the REALLY SIMPLE recipe.

Earthquake Cake

1 c. flaked coconut
1 c. chocolate chips
1 c. nuts (I used pecans, the recipe calls for walnuts)
1 box German chocolate cake mix (and whatever the mix calls for)
1 8-oz. package cream
cheese (room temperature)
2-1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 stick butter or margarine (also room temperature)
1 tsp. vanilla

Sprinkle coconut, chocolate chips, and nuts on the bottom of a greased 9x13" pan. Follow direction
s on box of cake mix to prepare batter. Pour batter over the chocolate chipmixture. For cream cheese filling, beat the cream cheese and butter together until creamy. Add powdered sugar about 1/2 c. at a time and beat until creamy. Add vanilla and mix thoroughly. Drop
cream cheese mixture by heaping spoonfulls over cake batter. Swirl the cream cheese through the cake using a knife. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, or until cake is set and cream cheese isn't too gooey. (I actually baked mine f
or more than 40 minutes, but the recipe said 30-40, so maybe my oven is just slow.)

Super Easy Cookie Idea

2008-10-09T16:15:00.005-06:00

Hey all! Just so you know, I'm probably the worst blogger ever. I really don't post often enough, and it's never even regular. So sorry!

Anyhow, today's post is for all of you who love fresh hot cookies, hate premade grocery-store dough, have trouble not eating the whole batch at once when you do make them, have cookies go stale because you don't eat them fast enough, or who don't have enough time to make a batch from scratch every time the craving hits. So: want delicious, oven-fresh cookies any time you want them without all the work of a brand new batch?

Try this. Make a batch of cookie dough (or two, or however much you want to store). Form the dough into one-inch balls and flatten into circles (on average they're about 1/2 inch thick). Spread the dough discs on a cookie sheet (It doesn't matter how close together they are. You're not cooking them yet.) and place the pan in your freezer. Once the dough is frozen solid, take the

cookies and place them in a resealable freezer bag.

Now, all you have to do to get those fresh, hot cookies you've been craving is to place them on a cookie sheet and stick 'em in the oven. No thawing, no mixing, no mess.

I'm including a recipe for some amazing chocolate chip cookies:

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies:

1 c. butter

1 c. white sugar

1 c. brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 c. unbleached flour

2 1/2 c. oat flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking powder

12 oz. milk chocolate chips

1-1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine flours, baking soda, salt, and baking powder. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture and combine well. Add chocolate chips and nuts, if desired. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes if fresh, about 12 if frozen.

The Plan of Salvation

2008-08-17T22:13:00.002-06:00

I think today I'm going to do a personal post. This weekend Mike and I went to a funeral for a little boy only 2 months younger than our darling Lucy, and it was one of those opportunities to think about what it is we truly believe.

I've been a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints my whole life. From the time I was 3 I've been taught the Plan of Salvation. This is what we call God's plan for us. We believe that before we came to Earth, we existed as spirits with our Father in Heaven. He told us of His plan for us to come to earth, receive bodies, and be tested. He told us that He would send us a Savior, even Jesus Christ, who would pay the price of our sins; thus if we lived righteously and repented of our sins, we could be forgiven and return to our Father's presence to live for eternity with our families. Because there must be opposition in all things, there was another plan brought forth by our brother Lucifer. He had a plan that would ensure that everyone would return, but it required us to forfeit our agency. At that point in our premortal existence, God the Father allowed us to choose: agency with the possibility of not being able to return to our Father's presence, or no agency. We know what happened--those who chose Lucifer's plan were cast out, Lucifer became Satan, and the hosts that followed him became devils to persuade men to be miserable as they are. Those who chose the Father's plan were sent to Earth, to receive bodies and be tested.

We believe that this mortal existence is a time for us to be tested. We believe that there are certain things we must accomplish in this life in order for us to return to God's presence: we must be baptized and make certain covenants (or promises) in the temple. When we die, we are sent to a spirit world, which is divided into two sections: spirit paradise, where dwell those who led righteous lives, and spirit prison, where dwell those who were wicked. We believe that those in the spirit world are continuously striving to teach the true gospel, watch over the living, and rest from mortal cares as we prepare for the next step, which is resurrection and judgment. At this point, following judgment, we believe we are sent to one of four places: the celestial kingdom, which is where God the Father dwells, the terrestial kingdom, which is where good people who have not accepted the true gospel or temple covenants go, and the telestial kingdom, which is where those who refused to repent or lived wicked lives go. The fourth place is called outer darkness, and is reserved for only the vilest of sinners.

I know this is a lot to take in, and it's only a basic summary of this truly glorious plan, but as I've pondered on life and death this week, it's been on my mind a lot. It's tragic when children die. It doesn't seem right that someone so innocent and pure would have to leave this earth so early, and leaving us with broken hearts as we lose so many opportunities and miss the lost person so terribly. What a comfort it is to know, though, that there IS life after this! Not only that, but if we are sealed together as families in the temple, those lost children, mothers, fathers, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. will be ours again! In the Kingdom of God, we WILL be families again. So even though we still have to live out the rest of our mortal lives without the beloved lost member, we have all of eternity to celebrate a joyful reunion. And I KNOW that eternity will be a lot longer than we're here on earth. To me it's comforting to know that death is not the end--merely the beginning of a much grander existence, free from hurt, pain, tiredness, sin... and what could be better than that?

If there were one thing I could tell everyone I know, it would be that our Savior lives. I know that Jesus Christ atoned for the sins of everyone who has ever lived on this earth, and that if we will but accept his atonement, live righteously, and repent of the inevitable mistakes, we will be blessed beyond any mortal imagination. I am so thankful that I have been sealed to my family. I know that when we leave this mortal stage, we will still be a family.

And that is good news.

For more information on the LDS (or Mormon) church, visit www.mormon.org, or www.lds.org

Banana Split Cake

2008-06-18T13:44:00.006-06:00

Summer finally came to the state of Utah! It seems like Mother Nature is dragging her heels changing seasons around here... Winter lasted until April, and now here we are in the middle of June just drying out from the spring rain.

This year, I feel very blessed to have a real honest-to-goodness air conditioner--it's the first year since 2001 that I've been in control of the temperature in my house. But even still, summer is hot, and it can be a challenge to cook your food without cooking yourself. We wind up firing up the grill quite a bit, and meal salads become a staple. So what do you do when someone in the family has a birthday and wants cake? Slave away in the kitchen with a roasting oven? Never! Try this delicious recipe for banana split cake! It doesn't have ice cream in it, so you don't need to worry about it melting all over the place if you have an outdoor party. As a warning, the recipe calls for raw eggs, but you can use a pasteurized egg product instead if you want. The buttery layer just melts in your mouth... it is so delicious!

Banana Split Cake

The recipe is huge, but it halves easily.

1 stick (½ c.) butter or margarine
2 c. cinnamon graham cracker crumbs
2 sticks (1 c.) butter, softened to room temperature—Must be butter!
2 c. powdered sugar
2 eggs
2 bananas, sliced
1/3 pint strawberries, sliced
1 can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 tub (13 oz.) cool whip
chocolate syrup, chopped maraschino cherries, chopped nuts

1. Melt 1 stick butter in a 9x13 pan. Pat graham cracker crumbs to form a crust. Bake the crust for 6 or so minutes (until it starts to brown) at 350. Be sure to COOL THE CRUST COMPLETELY before you spread the next layer over it, or the butter will melt and you'll have to start over.

2. Combine 2 sticks butter, powdered sugar, and eggs in a mixer. Beat for about 5 minutes, scraping sides of bowl occasionally, until mixture is fluffy. Spread over graham cracker crust. Partially freeze it by placing the pan in the freezer for about 30 minutes. You don't want it completely frozen though or the cake will be too hard to cut and eat. (If you want you could use real ice cream for this layer and bypass the raw eggs, but the buttery stuff is sooo delicious.)

3. Arrange sliced bananas over butter-sugar layer. Arrange sliced strawberries (I've used frozen strawberries before with this recipe. Fresh taste better, but you can use frozen if you either keep them frozen or thaw and partially drain them) over bananas. Spread crushed pineapple over strawberries.

4. Spread Cool Whip over fruit. Drizzle chocolate syrup on top and sprinkle with chopped cherries and nuts.

Enjoy!

Still cooking! Back with the best egg roll recipe!

2008-06-11T09:53:00.009-06:00

Hi All!

I don't know exactly how this happened, but I somehow managed to forget about my poor little blog for almost 2 years. 2 years! Crazy. Anyway, I'm back now, and I don't plan to stay away that long again.

I do want to make a change though. In the past, this has been strictly recipes and tips, but I want to be able to blog about more than just cooking. So every once in a while, I plan to post about the garden I've recently started and about my kids, who are at the same time the craziest and most lovable people on earth. If the personal posts just aren't your thing, feel free to pass on by. And to my friends who are new to this blog, welcome! I hope you find something you like. If I've ever made something for you that you want the recipe for, feel free to request a post!

And now, on to the recipe. This particular egg roll recipe was given to me by my good friend and sort-of cousin, Brittany Rodgers. She made it for our family once, and I had to have the recipe! I've since made these egg rolls for many of our good friends, and almost all of them have requested it too. So without further ado:

Thai/Cambodian Egg Rolls
1 lb. spicy sausage
2-4 cloves garlic
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 clumps bean strands/threads*
1 package coleslaw mix (shredded cabbage and carrots)
fish sauce, to taste (usually 3-4 teaspoons)
soy sauce, to taste (usually 2 or 3 tablespoons)
sesame seed oil, to taste (usually 1-1/2 - 2 teaspoons)
2 packages egg roll wrappers (I think there are 20 per package)
1 egg
oil for frying
Spicy peanut dipping sauce (we use House of Tsang's Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce)
1 head iceberg or green leaf lettuce

Brown onion, sausage, and garlic, breaking sausage into little pieces.

Meanwhile, place 2 clumps of bean threads in a bowl. Pour boiling water over the bean threads until they are submerged. When bean threads have finished soaking, they will be clear and should have the texture of cooked noodles--this should take about 10-15 minutes. It will say on the package. When they're done soaking, drain and cut them into smaller pieces.

After that is done, combine bean threads, sausage mixture, and coleslaw mix in a big bowl. I always add the fish sauce first so that I can "mix by smell"--you really don't want too much fish sauce. When you've added enough, it should smell slightly fishy. Then add the soy sauce and sesame seed oil to taste (or smell!).

Heat oil for frying in a large, heavy frying pan. Use enough oil that half the egg roll is submerged--about an inch and a half.

In a small bowl, slightly beat an egg. Wrap filling in egg roll wrap and seal with the egg. To do this, you place about 2 heaping tablespoons of mixture over the wrap diagonally, from corner to corner. Fold up the bottom corner so that it tucks in on the other side, then roll it up once tightly and fold in the corners. Brush egg onto the top corner and the rolled side, then tightly roll together and seal. This recipe makes around 35-40 egg rolls.

Make sure the oil is hot before you start frying, or you're just marinating your egg roll in grease. Gross. You can check by dropping a single piece of cabbage in the oil to see if it sizzles.

Fry egg rolls 4 or 5 at a time, depending on the size of your pan, until bubbly looking and golden.

Serve wrapped in lettuce leaves with spicy peanut dipping sauce.

*Bean threads are the starch from beans that has been strung out to resemble noodles. They are available in some grocery stores and in specialty Asian stores. I buy mine at the Macey's grocery store in Orem... they don't have them at Macey's in Spanish Fork. I really don't think the recipe would be very good without them--they're worth the effort it takes to buy them.

Sourdough English Muffins

2006-04-07T07:55:00.001-06:00

Bet you thought I'd fallen off the face of the earth, huh? Well, not exactly, but things have been a little busy and unfortunately I've been neglecting my blog. There is some rather fun news though. One is that my baby had his first birthday last month, and two is that my husband graduates from university in 3 weeks. Yay! We've got the housing bug bigtime--we can hardly wait to get into our own place. :)

I've been working with several recipes in the meantime, and I've had a lot of success with the originals. The one that I had the most fun with was the sourdough English muffin recipe, so I'll share that one with you first. I tried an English muffin recipe a few months ago, but it tasted so bland without the sourdough zing. So, I bought a start from my local grocery store (if yours doesn't carry packaged start, I'm including instructions for a basic start at the end of this post), found a better recipe, and voi la, perfect English muffins! And yes, you can make these sourdough English muffins entirely from food storage. Unlike most homemade breads, these muffins will keep for at least a week and still taste great.

Sourdough English Muffins
Makes at least 2 dozen (closer to 2-1/2 dozen)

Before you go to bed:
1 c. starter (if yours isn't bubbly enough, and you don't think it will raise bread, use 1 tsp. yeast in addition)
2 tbsp. honey
2 c. reconstituted powdered milk
4 c. all-purpose flour (or 2 c. a-p flour and 2 c. whole wheat flour)

Combine starter, honey, and milk in a large glass or plastic bowl. Stir in flour, 2 c. at a time, until well combined. There's no need to knead--you'll do that later. Spray a little cooking oil over the top of the dough so that it doesn't dry out overnight, cover with plastic wrap and a towel, and let rise overnight.

When you get up:
1 scant tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
1-2 c. all-purpose flour
Cornmeal

Stir down your dough. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the top, and combine. If the dough is too sticky for kneading, add 1/2 c. flour at this time and work in with a wooden spoon. Once your dough is cohesive enough, turn it out onto a floured board and work in as much flour as you need. When the dough no longer sticks to your hands, knead for five minutes. Pinching the dough should feel like pinching your earlobe.

Lightly flour board again and roll dough to 1/2 inch thick. Use a biscuit cutter or an upside down drinking glass to cut as many rounds as you can. Place cut dough onto a corn-meal-dusted baking sheet. Knead together remaining dough, roll out, cut, and repeat.

When all your muffins are cut, sprinkle the tops with cornmeal, cover with a towel, and allow to rise for about an hour.

Preheat a cast-iron skillet (a non-stick griddle works well too) with a tiny bit of butter over medium-low heat. When the butter sizzles, place as many muffins as will fit on your skillet. Pan-bake for about 4 minutes per side, TURNING ONLY ONCE. When you flip your muffins over, squash them a bit with the spatula so that they cook flatly on the second side.

To serve, insert two forks into the side edge of the muffin and pull the top and bottom apart. This creates the "nooks and crannies" that taste so good when filled with butter. Toast to desired blackness, and smother with butter. Mmmmm!

Original recipe can be found at http://www.sourdoughhome.com.

If you can't find a start, you can make one.
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. yeast
2 c. lukewarm water

Combine ingredients in a glass or plastic bowl and stir with a wooden or plastic spoon. Do not use metal anything when working with the starter. Once combined, the start should have the same consistency as pancake batter. If it's too runny, add more flour--if too thick, add water. Place a paper towel or piece of cheesecloth over your start and allow it to sit in a warm (about 85 degrees) place overnight. The next day, remove one cup of the liquid and replace with 1/2 c. water and 1/2 c. flour. This is called "feeding your start," and while it's out of the fridge, you'll need to do it every day. Once your start becomes bubbly and has a fermeted, sour odor, you can store it in the fridge and reduce feedings to once a week. The longer you leave it out of the fridge, though, the more flavor your start will develop. Every once in a while, you'll need to pour your start into a fresh container. I use a glass quart jar with a paper towel over the top.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

2006-02-27T07:57:00.001-07:00

Friday was another experiment day, but my dad's been in town, so this is the first chance I've had to blog about it. A while ago, I found a recipe for homemade soft pretzels. I wanted to try it, but at the time I didn't have enough time, and I kind of forgot about it after that. Anyway, I found it again last week, and I tried it, and it worked wonderfully. I do have a couple of hints that I should share, though.

#1--When you boil the pretzels, do so in a tall pot with a narrow opening. I boiled mine in a frying pan, and I think there was just too much room. I would recommend using a 2 quart sauce pan.

#2--Bake them until they turn kind of orangy-brown. I baked them as long as the recipe said to, and maybe my oven's not as hot as it says it is, because they were tan, but they didn't have the right texture for soft pretzels. I put them back in for a few minutes, and they came out looking over-done but tasting perfect.

So without further ado, here's the recipe!

Soft Pretzels
Makes 12-24 pretzels, depending on size

1-1/2 tbsp. yeast
2 c. warm water
1/2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. salt
4-5 c. bread flour
4 t. baking soda
2 egg whites
coarse salt (for topping)
cinnamon-sugar (for topping)

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand for 10 minutes. Add sugar, salt, and flour and knead well, about 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl and let rise for about 45 minutes, or until double.

Divide into 12-24 pieces, depending on how big you want your pretzels. Roll into a long, narrow rope (about 18 inches) and twist into pretzel shape. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Combine 4 c. water and the baking soda in a 2 qt. saucepan and bring to a boil.

In a small bowl, combine egg whites and 2 tbsp. water.

Drop pretzels in baking soda water one at a time and boil for about one minute. Place on a rack to drain.

Brush tops of pretzels with egg white and top with either coarse salt or cinnamon sugar. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees F. for 12 minutes, or until shiny and brown.

Original recipe came from Basic Food Preparation: A User's Guide, by Janet C. Stocks.

Another Wonderful Dinner Idea: Duca d'Alba (fillets of beef in mushroom sauce)

2006-02-14T22:01:00.001-07:00

Just because Valentine's Day has come and gone doesn't mean it's too late to cook something special for the ones you love. I found a recipe for "Duca d'Alba" (fillets of beef in a mushroom sauce) in an old Great Recipes from Great Restaurants cookbook that my grandma gave me ages ago. It's from Frank Zani's French restaurant (though why the name of the recipe is Italian I'll never know), the "Villa Victor." I don't know if the place exists anymore, but this Duca d'Alba is fantastic.

The dinner was surprisingly simple to make. If I hadn't been trying to satisfy a hungry baby, folding fancy dinner napkins, and digging our China out of storage all at the same time, it would have been a very low-key dinner. I served our Duca d'Alba with mashed potatoes, because the sauce is an excellent gravy. The original recipe calls for 1/2 c. Madeira wine, but my husband and I are LDS, so I substituted diluted red wine vinegar and it tasted delicious. So, without further ado, here is the recipe!

Duca d'Alba
Serves 6

6-1/2 tbsp. butter
1-1/2 tbsp. flour
2 c. beef broth
6 fillets (steaks) of beef, cut 1-1/2 inches thick
1 lb. sliced mushrooms
1 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper
1/4 c. red wine vinegar diluted with 1/4 c. water
1 shallot, chopped, or 2 tsp. chopped onions

Melt 1-1/2 tbsp. butter in a small saucepan; blend in 1-1/2 tbsp. flour until brown. Gradually add the broth, stirring steadily to the boiling point. Reduce heat to low; cook on low for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt the remaining butter in a large skillet. Quickly brown the fillets in the butter and remove. Saute the mushrooms in the remaining butter for 5 minutes. Return the fillets and add the salt, pepper, vinegar, onion, and brown sauce. Cook over low heat until your beef is as rare or well-done as you like it.

And don't feel compelled to tell your family that you didn't slave over a hot stove all day long. :)

Easy Dinner Recipe and a Request

2006-02-13T13:47:00.001-07:00

Hey out there!

First, I'd like to start off by making a request:

I'm looking for an English Muffin recipe.

I tried one over the weekend, but it wound up tasting like ordinary dinner rolls. So if you have one you like, or you have one you've never tried but would like tested, leave a comment and let me know. Thanks!

Now, I'll get to the good stuff. I know we're all after ideas for dinners that are easy and quick, so I'll share one of my old standbys. This recipe came from my mother-in-law, and my husband and I love it. I had a really hard time at first getting the meatballs to keep their shape, but I discovered that if you add about 1/2 cup of water to the skillet as you fry them, it helps keep them from sticking and the water boils off so in the end, you just have nice, meatball-shaped meatballs.

Grandma Ebert's Swiss Meatballs
Serves 5-6

1 lb. hamburger
1/2 onion, diced
1 egg
1/2 c. bread crumbs (or 1 heel of bread, soaked, drained, and mashed)
1 can of mushrooms, drained
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/2 soup can of water
Dash Kitchen Bouquet (it's a brown meat-seasoning, used to add color and flavor. It's optional, if you can't find it or don't want to buy it.
Cooked egg noodles or rice

Mix hamburger, onion, egg, and bread crumbs. Form into meatballs and fry until well browned. Drain off fat.

Add soup, 1/2 can of water, mushrooms, and a dash of Kitchen Bouquet. Stir gently to mix and cook on low until sauce is the desired consistency. Serve over egg noodles or rice.

Homemade Bagel-y Goodness!

2006-02-07T16:44:00.001-07:00

I'm so excited about this recipe! I found a recipe for plain bagels last week, and I've been dying to try making bagels since I failed miserably in high school. I made a batch of the plain ones, and they were delicious!! Being the sometimes health-nut that I am, I decided that I'd try and adjust the recipe from corn syrup and white flour to something a little more healthy, and here's what I came up with. I hope you enjoy making (and eating!) these bagels as much as I am!

Honey & Wheat Bagels ala Lindsay
Makes 10 bagels

1 tbsp. yeast
2 c. warm water
3 tbsp. honey
3 tbsp. molasses
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. oil
3 c. whole wheat flour
2-1/2 to 3 c. white flour (bread flour works well)
3 tbsp. sugar (for boiling bagels)
corn meal for baking

Dissolve yeast in warm water. Add honey and molasses, and let sit for a while until you can see that the yeast is alive and bubbling. In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast, salt, and oil. Add flours alternately a cup at a time (so one cup wheat, one cup white) until you have a dough that adheres to itself. Turn dough out onto a well-floured countertop and knead for 7-9 minutes, adding flour as necessary, until dough is elastic and not tacky. The longer you knead, the better the texture of your bagels.

Place dough in a lightly oiled bowl and turn once to coat. Let rise for about 40 minutes, until dough is double the size. Divide dough into 10 pieces and shape into round discs. Poke a hole in the middle of each one, and pull gently until you have a 1-1/2 (or so) inch hole in the center. Place bagels on a greased baking sheet and let rise again until nearly double (about 20-30 minutes).

When bagels have about 10 minutes left, preheat oven to 400 degrees F and get a sauce pan and fill it about 2/3 full of hot water. Add sugar and bring to a boil. Add bagels, one or two at a time, cover, and boil for 20 seconds. Flip bagels and boil for another 20 seconds. Remove bagels with a slotted spatula and let drain for about 10 seconds before placing them on a VERY WELL CORN-MEALED baking sheet. When you've boiled all the bagels, place them in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, until nice and golden brown.

If you have trouble getting them off the baking sheet, wait until they cool down. The bottoms of the bagels pull away from the baking sheet as they cool.

Enjoy!!

I Actually Won! (Plus a Recipe for Corn Bread)

2006-01-28T00:20:00.001-07:00

This is just going to be a short little brag-blog. Our church had a chili cook-off this Thursday, so I whipped up a pot of my trusty chili, and I took 2nd place! They had a bluegrass band and everything, it was so much fun. I love living in a smaller town! We never did things like that in the bigger cities I've lived in.

Anyway, if you want to try some of my Award-Winning Chili, you can find the recipe here.

And just for the fun of it, and because you can't have chili without corn bread, here's my family's favorite best-ever corn bread recipe.

Corn Bread
Makes 9 big pieces

1 c. milk
1/4 c. melted butter
1 large egg
1-1/4 c. cornmeal
1 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 9x9" square baking pan. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine milk, butter, and egg. In a separate bowl, stir together dry ingredients. Add dry ingredients all at once to milk and egg mixture. Stir just until moistened. Pour into pan, and bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

For a fun variation, you can add canned green chilies and cheddar cheese.

Also, you can bake the corn bread in muffin tins to make individual servings.

Enjoy!

Homemade Clam Chowder

2006-01-26T08:17:00.001-07:00

We're at that time of year where winter starts to get old, but spring is still way off. What do you do to keep things interesting when you're cooped up inside wrestling babies all day? I choose to cook. It keeps my mind and my hands occupied, and it helps to heat the house! It's actually pretty amazing that my husband and I haven't put on a single pound all winter, the way we've been eating around here. Personally, I think that's because of the kinds of things I've been making lately. I still make a batch of homemade fat-free, low-sugar yogurt every week, and I've started making a batch of crackers every week too. They're really great for snacking, and I think that snacking on that kind of stuff instead of my usual cookies and chips has helped a lot.

It can be hard to think of every-day meal ideas that keep winter from being so boring. One thing I like about this clam chowder recipe is that it's very filling, and it doesn't taste so fishy that "sea-food-phobes" (like my husband!!) won't eat it. It cooks up very quickly too, so if you're running a little late on dinner, this recipe is great.

Aunt Janet's Clam Chowder
Serves 4-6

2-3 medium potatoes, peeled
1/2 c. chopped onion
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 cans clams (they look like tuna cans)
1/4 c. + 1 tbsp. butter or margarine
1/2 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 pint half-and-half

Put vegetables and bay leaves in a pot. Add juice from clams and water to just barely cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil and cook on medium until vegetables are soft.

In another pot, melt butter and add salt and sugar. Add flour and cook and stir until mixture is light tan (about 2 minutes). Add half-and half slowly and cook and stir until thickened. Pour sauce into pot with vegetables (there's no need to drain the vegetable pot!) and add clams. Stir until warm.

This chowder goes great with French and sourdough breads! For a little variety, try adding different spices to the sauce--I tried oregano, thyme, and rosemary, and it was very tasty.

Enjoy!

More Wheat Recipes: Crackers and Chocolate Chip Cookies

2006-01-13T15:22:00.001-07:00

Who knew that wheat would be so fun for snacking? I found great recipes for homemade crackers and chocolate chip cookie bars. I've made both of these recipes this week, and both were fabulous. The recipe for wheat crackers is easy, and the crackers taste like homemade Wheat Thins, and actually taste better when they're slightly burnt (it makes them crisper and brings out the sesame seed flavor). You can also experiment with flavors--I've tried the onion-garlic ones, and they're great.

The chocolate chip cookie bars were so good we had a hard time believing they were made using only wheat flour and oats. I made them last night and I've been snacking on them all day today. :)

Homemade Wheat Crackers
Yields: most of a gallon-sized Ziploc bag

Regular flavor:
1-1/2 c. wheat flour
1-1/2 c. white flour
1/4 c. wheat germ
2 c. quick-cooking oats (can use regular)
1-1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 c. honey or sugar
1/2 c. oil
1-1/2 c. milk or water
1/4 c. sesame seeds

Combine dry ingredients. Add liquid ingredients and knead until smooth. Use a floured pastry mat or counter top to roll the dough very thin (1/16" or thinner). Place dough on a greased baking sheet and use a pizza cutter to slice dough into squares. Bake at 350 until golden brown, between 15-20 minutes. Break up the crackers and allow them to cool completely before storing.

Flavors:
Onion and Cheese
Add with sesame seeds:
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. onion salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

When crackers have been rolled, sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and roll into dough with the rolling pin.

Onion and Dill
Add with sesame seeds:
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. onion salt
2 tsp. dried dill weed

Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
This makes a biiiig batch of cookies!

1 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. baking soda
2-1/4 c. wheat flour
2-1/2 c. rolled oats
1-12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

Cream butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and stir until well combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Press dough into greased 11"x13" baking pan. Make sure to press dough to an even thickness. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20 minutes.

Wheat Recipes: Pie Crust, Tortillas, and Pasta

2006-01-04T18:59:00.001-07:00

Anyone else out there have hundreds of pounds of wheat stored? My mother-in-law and I have been scouring the globe for good recipes using wheat, and here are three that I found and then re-worked. They work well now, and they taste great. I would recommend using the pie crust with pies that have strong flavors and chunky textures, for instance, apple pie or chicken pot pie. Also, it's probably best to use white wheat, because the white wheat doesn't change the color or taste as much as red wheat does.

Whole Wheat Pie Crust for Savory Pies
Makes 2 single-crust pies or 1 double-crust pie

2 cups minus 2 Tbsp. whole wheat flour (can also use half all-purpose, half wheat)
2 Tbsp. corn starch
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening, butter flavored
Ice water to make the dough soft

1. Combine dry ingredients.
2. Incorporate shortening using a pastry cutter, pair of knives, or your hands, until shortening clumps are penny-sized.
3. Add ice water by the tablespoon until you have a soft dough that holds together.
4. Divide dough in two equal portions, shape into disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.
5. Roll dough out on a floured pastry mat.
6. Carefully transfer rolled dough to pie plate.
7. For single-crust pies, trim and flute edges.
8. For double-crust pies, trim edges to size of pie plate. Roll out top crust, fill pie, and cover with top crust. Trim edges to 1/4" beyond plate, fold under bottom crust, and flute to seal.

Whole-wheat Tortillas
Makes 12-15 tortillas

1-1/2 c. whole wheat flour
1-1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/3 c. olive oil
1 c. warm water

1. Combine flours and salt.
2. Pour in oil and blend with your fingers or a fork until well-incorporated.
3. Add water; knead until dough is soft and stretchy.
4. Divide into 12-15 balls, cover with plastic wrap, and let rest for at least 30 minutes.
5. Roll out tortillas on a floured pastry mat or coutner top.
6. Bake on a hot, ungreased griddle until air pockets start to expand. Carefully flip the tortilla, and bake the other side.

Best when warm; will stay fresh in the refrigerator for a week or more.

Wheat Pasta
Serves about 6

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. salt
5 eggs
2 teaspoons olive oil

1. Sift dry ingredients together.
2. Make a well in the center and pour in the olive oil and eggs.
3. Mix together with a fork or your fingers.
4. Knead until stiff and elastic (hard dough!)
5. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 min.
6. Roll out the dough to 1/16" (really thin) on a pastry mat and cut noodles to your desired width and length. You can also use a pasta machine.
7. Hang or lay flat to dry for at least 15 minutes before boiling.
8. Boil like normal pasta. Homemade pastas cook quickly.

Enjoy!

Recipe for French Dip au Jus

2006-01-02T16:58:00.001-07:00

Ok, this recipe doesn't have much to do with Christmas, New Year's, or anything else, but I found this French Dip recipe in a cookbook I got for Christmas, and it was wonderful. I played with the recipe, and I came up with my own version that tastes even better. It's pretty simple to make, but the people you serve it to will love it anyway. My husband was amazed that I could make it at home and have it taste better than the restaurants.

French Dip au Jus
1 lb. roast serves 4; Choose your roast size accordingly.

1-3 lb. roast (rump works well)
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 tsp. beef base (bouillon)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. dry thyme
3-4 pepper corns
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 sm. med. onion, quartered and split

Use a fork to poke holes all over the roast. Place roast in a slow cooker. Combine soy sauce, beef base, and thyme; rub into roast. Pour remaining soy sauce mixture into slow cooker and add remaining ingredients. Add water to barely cover roast. Cook on the high setting for 2 hours; reduce heat to low and cook for 4 more hours. Before serving, skim the fat off the au jus and remove the bay leaf, garlic cloves, and pepper corns.

For French Dip sandwiches, serve roast in crusty buns or French bread with Dijon mustard, mozzarella cheese, and mushrooms. Dip sandwiches in jus.

The jus can also be eaten alone or frozen for later use in gravies or soup bases.

For Your New Year's Eve Party: Dips

2005-12-29T09:53:00.001-07:00

These dips are good for any occasion, not just New Years. Hot artichoke dip is great for those who love savory--it's great on baguette slices, crackers, bagels, chips, and vegetables. The sweet and creamy yogurt fruit dip is for sweet-tooths like me. It's delicious on bananas, strawberries, raspberries, mango, pineapple, apples, and pretty much anything else you can think to dip in it. And don't forget to whip up some bean dip; check here for the recipe.

Hot Artichoke Dip
Makes 1-1/2 cups of dip

1/2 c. mayo or ranch dressing (can substitute half of mayo with plain yogurt)
1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
1/4 c. chopped green onions (about 4 onions)
1-14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and coarsely chopped
1-10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained (optional)

Combine mayo and cheese in a small bowl. Add onions, spinach (if desired) and artichoke hearts. Spoon into 1 qt. microwave/oven safe casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, or until hot.

If you're microwaving, simply combine all the ingredients in a microwave safe bowl, cover with plastic wrap (folding one edge back 1/4 in. to vent steam), and microwave on med. high for 4-5 minutes, stirring after 2 minutes.

Yogurt Fruit Dip
Makes 2 cups

1-8 oz. package neufchatel cheese, softened (or homemade cream cheese (recipe here))
1-6 oz. container orange yogurt (or homemade yogurt in the flavor of your choice)
1/2 c. orange marmalade (or a different kind of jam in a flavor similar to your yogurt)
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbsp. coarsely chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, almonds, etc.)

Beat cream cheese in med. bowl until creamy. Beat in yogurt, marmalade, and nutmeg until smooth. Either serve immediately or refridgerate to allow flavors to blend. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped nuts.

For Your Holiday Dinner: Pan Rolls

2005-12-24T08:49:00.001-07:00

Would Christmas dinner be complete without homemade rolls? I don't think so. This recipe for pan rolls is great for any time of year, but I especially like it for holiday dinners, like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Including mixing, kneading, rising, shaping, and baking, this recipe takes almost 3 hours, so you'll want to make sure you start it nice and early, so that your rolls will be done in time for dinner.

Pan Rolls
Makes 27 rolls.
2-1/4 tsp. yeast (1 package)
1/3 c. plus 1 tsp. sugar, divided
1-1/2 c. warm water (110-115 degrees), divided
1/2 c. butter or margarine, melted
2 eggs
1/4 c. instant dry milk powder
1-1/4 tsp. salt
5-1/2 to 6 c. all-purpose flour

In a mixing bowl, dissolve yeast and 1 tsp. sugar in 1/2 c. water. Add butter, eggs, milk powder, salt, 3 c. flour, and remaining water and sugar. Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until dough is smooth. Stir in enough flour to get a soft dough that leaves the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a floured surface and knead dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 6-8 minutes. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease the top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Punch dough down. Divide into 1-1/2 to 2 inch balls (about 27) and shape into rolls. Place about 1/2 inch apart on greased baking pan (any pan with a 2-inch height will work well, though you may need to use two pans). Cover and let rise again until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 375 for 17-20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool on wire racks, and enjoy!

Homemade Cream Cheese

2005-12-20T15:31:00.001-07:00

This is actually a mock cream cheese, and it's made the same way as homemade yogurt. In taste tests my mother-in-law and I have had, it tastes almost the same as regular cream cheese, and you can use it in all the same recipes--cheese cake, cheese balls, key lime pie, and all the rest. The best part is, it's fat free. To incubate, you can use either a cooler with warm water or a yogurt maker.

Homemade Cream Cheese
Combine:
1-1/2 c. warm water
2 1/2 c. non-instant dry milk powder (5 cups instant)
1/4-1/2 c. plain yogurt with active culture

Add:
2 c. warm water

Pour into containers and cover with lids (use a yogurt maker or canning jars with lids).

If you're using a yogurt maker, set the timer for 12 hours and rotate the jars after 6 hours.

If you're using a cooler, surround jars with warm water, and cover. Replace the water every 2 hours or so to maintain a temperature range between 100 and 120 degrees F.

Makes approximately 6 cups of cream cheese.

Note:
If your cream cheese is too runny, you can drain it by placing the cheese in a strainer lined with cheese cloth or a towel. Just let it sit for as long as it takes to reach your desired consistency.

Holiday Party Food: Cheese Balls

2005-12-20T15:10:00.001-07:00

Hello out there!

Christmas Eve parties are just a few days away, and New Year's Eve parties aren't that far away either. Have you started planning your menus? Cheese balls make great appetizers--they're fast and easy to make, and they look and taste impressive. You can make the cheese balls in the recipes below with either store-bought cream cheese or homemade cream cheese (for a recipe for homemade cream cheese, check my next post here). Cheese balls made with homemade cream cheese may not be as firm, but they will still set up and hold their shape, and they taste every bit as good.

Cheddar Cheese Ball
1 c. finely shredded cheddar cheese
1 3 oz. pkg. cream cheese, or 1/2 cup homemade cream cheese
2 T butter
1 T milk
1 T finely chopped green onion
1 T diced pimiento (opt.)
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
1/2-1/3 c. chopped walnuts or slivered almonds

Bring cheeses and butter to room temperature. Combine in med. sized mixing bowl with milk, onion, pimiento, and worcestershire sauce. Cover and chill for 4-24 hours. Shape mixture into a ball; roll in nuts. Let stand 15 minutes. Serve with crackers or vegetables.

Basic Cheese Ball
1 c. cream cheese
2 tbsp. butter
1 tsp. worcestershire sauce
3/4 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dried minced onion
1/2-1/3 c. chopped walnuts or slivered almonds

Bring cheese and butter to room temperature; combine all ingredients except nuts. Refrigerate 4-24 hours; shape into ball and roll in nuts. Serve with crackers or vegetables.

With this recipe, you're a little more free to experiment. Try adding bacon bits, sun-dried tomatoes, dried garden vegetables, or whatever flavor you want.

Bon Appetit!

Christmas Wassail

2005-12-16T16:34:00.001-07:00

This is an old family favorite. I got this wassail recipe from my grandma, and it's the best one I've ever seen. The spices need to steep for an hour or more, and they make the entire house smell divine. Oh it's good! I like to keep a little pot of spices simmering even when I'm not making wassail just because it smells so good. The fact that it uses whole spices is nice too, because it means you don't wind up with yucky-tasting dregs at the bottom of your cup.

Cutchen's Christmas Wassail
1 qt. water
2-1/4 c. sugar
10 whole cloves
8 allspice berries
2 sticks cinnamon
2 qts. apple cider
1 qt. orange juice
2 c. lemon juice

Mix water and sugar in a small pot. Boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add cloves, allspice berries, and cinnamon. Let stand for 1 hour or more. Remove spices and transfer sugar-spice water to a large 1-1/2-2 gallon stock pot. Stir in cider, orange juice, and lemon juice. Serve warm.

7-Layer Cookies

2005-12-14T23:27:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday to my mother-in-law!

Ready for some extreme Christmas sweetness? One of my favorite Christmas recipes is this one for 7-layer cookies. It is extremely sweet, and extremely good. They're fast to make and they're a really fun change from the standard sugar and gingerbread cookies on your Christmas cookie platter.

7-Layer Cookies
1/2 c. butter or margarine
1 c. finely-crushed graham crackers
12 oz. butterscotch chips
12 oz. chocolate chips
1 c. flaked coconut
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Melt margarine and pour into 9"x13" pan. Sprinkle graham crackers over margarine. Sprinkle the chips and the coconut in layers over the graham crackers. Drizzle the condensed milk over the coconut. Sprinkle the nuts over the top. Bake at 300 degrees F for 30 minutes. Cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.

Winter Dinners: Chili and Texas Spaghetti

2005-12-12T09:53:00.001-07:00

I was just looking over the recipes I've posted to this blog, and I noticed that there are hardly any meal ideas. I decided it's time to change that, so today I'm blogging on a winter favorite: chili. I found a good basic chili recipe in a cookbook a while ago, and as I usually tend to do with recipes, I adapted it and made it my own. It's chunky and has a stew-like consistency. Feel free to adjust seasonings depending on how hot you like your chili. I like to serve this chili with hot cornbread and cheddar cheese.

Leftover chili is great for Texas spaghetti. I grew up in a suburb of Dallas, and Texas spaghetti was a family favorite. Just cook up some pasta (we like spaghetti or fettucini best) and serve it with chili on top (instead of spaghetti sauce). You can also add cheese, onions, etc. If you don't have leftover chili, you can use cannedchili. That works really well too.

Chili
This recipe serves 4-6

1 lb. ground beef
1 med. onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
1 can diced green chilies
2 14-oz. cans tomatoes
2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
1 tbsp. chili powder
3/4 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 can kidney beans
1 can pinto beans

Cook beef, onion, and garlic in 3-qt. saucepan until beef is browned. Drain off fat. Add all the other ingredients except the beans. Heat to boiling; reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about an hour (to blend flavors), stirring occasionally.

Stir in beans. Heat to boiling, reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for another 10 minutes, until the beans have warmed through and the chili reaches your desired thickness.

Wheat Bread to Warm Your Kitchen and Your Heart

2005-12-10T15:51:00.001-07:00

Home-baked bread is another one of those "soul foods" for me. The smell and the taste just make my family and me feel safe, warm, and loved. Lately my husband and I have been on a whole foods kick--trying to cut down on artificial fillers and processed "fake-foods." One of the things I've started to do is make our own bread, and it's been wonderful. I was apprehensive at first; partly because I thought bread took a long time to make, and partly because whenever I'd made wheat bread in the past, it had always turned out dry and crusty. As I was looking through a textbook for my old foods class at BYU, I found a recipe for "Foolproof Wheat Bread" and decided to try it. It was wonderful! It uses vital wheat gluten to make the bread lighter, so it's not so dense and dry. Also, it doesn't need much attention and goes really fast. If you don't have wheat gluten and don't wish to buy any, you can substitute white flour for half of the wheat flour.

Foolproof Wheat Bread
Makes 2 loaves

1 T yeast dissolved in
1/4 c. warm water
2-1/2 c. hottest tap water
2 c. whole wheat flour (we like the taste of red wheat best)
2 T vital wheat gluten
3 T vegetable oil
3 T honey
3 T molasses
1 T salt
2-4 c. additional wheat flour
Optional: cinnamon sugar, raisins, dried apples, nuts, etc.

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 c. warm water. In a large bowl, combine 2-1/2 c. hot tap water, 2 c. wheat flour, and gluten. Add oil, honey, molasses, and salt; beat well. Next, stir in dissolved yeast and enough of the flour to make a soft dough that pulls away from the bowl. Turn on to a floured counter top and knead well for 8-10 minutes, adding flour as necessary. Divide dough into two portions and roll or press into long rectangles. If desired, rub cinnamon sugar onto surface of dough, and sprinkle on raisins, nuts, or dried fruit. (If you don't want to add anything, you can just shape your dough balls into loaves.) Roll dough and pinch the edges closed.
Place dough in greased bread pan, seam side down. Lightly grease top of each loaf, cover loosely with a towel, and let rise in a warm place until not quite double. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until golden brown. Remove bread from pans immediately; brush tops with butter. Let cool completely before storing in plastic.

Pumpkin Recipes!

2005-11-30T15:01:00.001-07:00

When I was a kid, I thought it was so silly to carve pumpkins, leave them outside until they got moldy, and then throw them away. When I moved out, I made it a tradition to carve my pumpkin the day before Halloween, and then on the day after Halloween, I cut it up, cooked it, mashed it, and used the mush in my pumpkin recipes. I've been doing this for three years now, and now my husband's family is doing it, too. I should have written this post earlier so that all of you could use your carved-up Halloween pumpkins, but I just didn't think about it. Oh well. Canned pumpkin is cheap this time of year, so I thought it would still be worth-while to share some of my favorite pumpkin recipes.

Pumpkin Pie
This pumpkin pie is rich and spicy, and goes perfectly with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. If you're making it with homemade mashed pumpkin, use about 3-1/2 cups.

two single-crust pie crusts (See my post on pie crusts)
1 29-oz. can pureed pumpkin
1-1/2 c. brown sugar
1-1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1-1/2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
6 eggs, well beaten
2-2/3 c. milk, or 2 cans evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla

Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Cream pumpkin, sugar, spices, and salt. In a separate bowl, mix eggs, milk, and vanilla. Pour egg mixture into pumpkin mixture; stir well. Pour carefully into two 9" pie shells--be sure that when you flute the crust, you flute the edge upright so that it helps to keep the pumpkin mixture from spilling out. Cover edge of crust with a pie crust shield (you can either make one out of aluminum foil or you can buy one here). Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 40-45 minutes, or until knife blade inserted near the center comes out clean.

Pumpkin Butter
This makes a great homemade gift for neighbors and friends. It's called butter because it's smooth and creamy, not because it has butter in it. It tastes great on toast, muffins, ice cream, in smoothies... you name it.

1 29-oz. can pureed pumpkin
3/4 c. apple juice
2 tsp. ginger
1/2 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1-1/2 c. white sugar

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer for 30 minutes, or until thickened. Stir frequently to keep mixture from burning and sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Spoon hot pumpkin mixture into half or full pint jars, leaving 1/4" head space. Remove air bubbles and wipe jar rims. Cover immediately with lids and screw the bands on.

Process in a boiling water bath or a steam canner for 10 minutes.

For a decorative touch, you can cut out circles of holiday fabric to go over the lids. You can also tie a ribbon around the neck of the jar. Get creative! :)

I have a couple more recipes, but this post is already pretty long, so you'll have to let me know if you want recipes for pumpkin bread or pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.

Enjoy!

Cooking with Cranberries

2005-11-23T08:44:00.001-07:00

Today's post is by special request, just in time for Thanksgiving. Up until last year, I'd always had canned cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving dinner. I thought there was some huge secret to making cranberry sauce from scratch, because my mom never made any. The truth is, it's very simple to make, and the only reason Mom never made it is that we rarely ate turkey for Thanksgiving. So today, along with my recipe for cranberry sauce, I'll share a couple of other fun recipes for cranberries that'll be great for this holiday season.

Cranberry Sauce:
1 c. sugar
1 c. water
1 pkg. (12 oz.) fresh cranberries

Combine water and sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, and add cranberries. Reduce heat and boil gently for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently and gently smashing the berries as they become ready to pop. Cover and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate until serving time. This sauce is great when made a day-ahead!

Cranberry Nut Bars:
2 eggs
1 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1/3 c. butter or margarine, melted
1 1/4 c. cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8" baking pan. Beat eggs in medium mixing bowl until thick and frothy. Gradually add sugar, beating until thoroughly blended. Add flour and melted butter; blend well. Using a wooden spoon, fold in cranberries and nuts just until combined. Spread evenly in pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool and cut into bars. Serves 16.

Cranberry Apple Bread:
from the Ocean Spray Homepage
2 cups peeled, chopped apple
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons oil
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup Ocean Spray® Fresh or Frozen Cranberries
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch loaf pan.

Combine apples, sugar and oil in a medium mixing bowl. Add egg, mixing well. Combine dry ingredients in a separate mixing bowl. Add to apple mixture, mixing just until the dry ingredients are moist. Stir in cranberries and walnuts.

Spread batter evenly in loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Makes 1 loaf.

Holiday Cooking Tip #1--Gravy and Apple Pie with Ultra Gel

2005-11-17T16:04:00.001-07:00

Thanksgiving is next week! I can hardly believe it's so close. My parents are paying for my husband, son and me to come visit them in Oregon, and we're all very excited. It's always fun to get involved in all the holiday cooking. I took a foods class at BYU just before I graduated, and I think that of all the classes I took, that one has been one of the most useful. My teacher was Janet Stocks, and she and her family are the creators of Ultra Gel, an instant food starch.

Here are a couple of the benefits of using Ultra Gel:
1. It's instant--you just mix it in with whatever needs to be thickened, and voila, it's done. Not like regular cornstarch, where you have to heat it to boiling before it'll thicken things.
2. It doesn't clump. Add it to hot things, cold things, whatever--no mixing rouxs or slurries.
3. Doesn't congeal or separate in the fridge. Your left-over gravy will look just like it did when you put it away--like sauce, not like something the cat threw up.
4. Improves texture of baked goods and reduced calorie soups, sauces, and salad dressings. It makes baked goods fluffier and soups and sauces creamier.

They have lots of recipes on their website, and an additional book of recipes that you can purchase for $9.

Here are two of my favorite recipes using Ultra Gel:

Gravy:
1 14-oz. can chicken or beef broth
1-2 t. bouillon granules (opt.)
1/3 c. Ultra Gel

Add bouillon to broth and heat in microwave or on range to dissolve. Gradually add Ultra Gel, stirring constantly with wire whisk. Heat to serving temperature, season to taste, and serve.

Apple Pie:
6 c. peeled apples sliced 1/4" thick
1 pkg. spiced cider mix (makes 1 cup)
2/3 c. sugar
1/3 c. Ultra Gel
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. nutmeg
1 c. water

Blanch apples by placing in microwave safe bowl, covering with waxed paper, and microwaving on high for 10 minutes, stirring once.
Combine cider mix, sugar, Ultra Gel, cinnamon and nutmeg. Gradually add water, stirring constantly with wire whisk. Fold into prepared apples.
For apple cream pie, turn prepared filling into baked 9" pie crust and chill. Top with sweetened whipped cream.
For baked apple pie, turn prepared filling into unbaked 9" pie crust. Cover with aditional 9" pie crust, pricking as desired. Bake at 400 F for 35-40 minutes.

Hot Cereal for Cold Mornings

2005-11-14T13:46:00.001-07:00

All of a sudden it's winter! Utah's a funny place. One day it's 65 degrees and you're outside in your shorts, and the next it's 38 and you're freezing your bum off. I really love the different seasons though. It's nice to have some variety.

One thing I love about winter mornings is a hot breakfast. But if you're like my husband, who is defintely not a morning person, you usally don't have much time for one. The recipe I'm going to share today is a mix for a wholesome hot cereal that doesn't take much time to prepare, and is really good for you. It's made using equal parts cracked wheat, rice, and beans, so it's got plenty of carbohydrates, dietary fiber, and protein. The recipe here makes 6 cups (about 24 servings), but since it uses equal parts, it's easy to adjust to as much as you want. This cereal tastes a lot like cream of wheat.

Cream of Beans Cooked Cereal:
Using a grinder, crack (coarsly grind) 2 cups each of wheat, brown rice, and white beans.

To prepare cereal:
1. Heat 2 c. milk or water (don't overheat the milk--it'll boil over!)
2. Add 1/2 c. cereal mix and 1/4 tsp. vanilla; whisk well.
3. Simmer until thick, stirring frequently.
4. Serve with honey, brown sugar, raisins, cinnamon, etc.

Bean flour, if you grind it fine, can also be used as a substitute for up to 25% of the white flour in most baking or sauce recipes. This adds a lot of nutritional value without changing the flavor or texture. Beans are a great addition to food storage because they are high in protein, fiber, and lots of other nutrients, and can be prepared so many different ways and adapt to so many different flavors. They make a great substitute for meat, and can be used in all sorts of recipes.

Guacamole Bean Dip

2005-10-28T10:46:00.001-06:00

Hey Everyone!

It's time for another party recipe--this time it's for a bean spread that you can use all sorts of ways. I like it in tortillas (like a burrito), sandwiches (with lettuce and tomato and cheese), pita bread, crackers, or on tortilla chips. It tastes a lot like guacamole, but it's got beans in it, so it's a great source of protein and fiber.

Guacamole Bean Spread:

1 can white beans (great northern or garbanzo)
1 large avocado
1/4 c. ranch dressing (or mayo)
1 tsp. dried onion
1 tsp. lemon juice
2 tbsp. salsa

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. If you're using a blender, add the beans a little at a time.

Fantastic Caramel Corn

2005-10-25T17:21:00.001-06:00

In the mood for a sweet, crunchy snack? My husband and I made a batch of this caramel corn last night, and it was wonderful. It's great for parties, kids, and all sorts of get-togethers because it's quick to make and quickly eaten. This recipe isn't very good for making popcorn balls--it's crunchy and meant to be eaten from a bowl.

Caramel Corn
From start to finish, about 45 minutes.

7-8 c. plain popped popcorn
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
6 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. light corn syrup
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. vanilla
flavored Jell-O mix (optional)
raw Spanish peanuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Remove all unpopped kernels from popcorn. Put popcorn into an ungreased 17x12x2 baking pan.

In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Cook and stir over medium heat till mixture boils. Continue boiling at a moderate rate, without stirring, for 5 minutes more.

Remove pan from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour mixture evenly over popcorn--if desired, sprinkle Jell-O mix on top and/or add peanuts; stir gently to coat. Bake in 300 degree oven for 15 minutes. Stir mixture, bake 5 minutes more. Spread caramel corn on a large piece of buttered foil to cool, or place directly in serving bowls.

Homemade Mozzarella Cheese!

2005-10-21T14:41:00.001-06:00

This is it! The big one! The one you've all been waiting for. In today's blog, I'm going to teach you how to make mozzarella cheese at home--from your food storage! The recipe calls for 2 c. half and half, but if you're making it from food storage, use boxed whole milk. It's in the juice aisle, and the box it comes in looks like a juice box. Use two juice boxes per recipe of cheese. You can also use 1-1/2 c. olive oil, but your cheese won't be white. It'll be kind of an off-white. It'll still taste good though. The recipe sounds intimidating, but it only takes a little over half an hour, and it really is quite simple. This recipe makes approximately 3/4 a pound of cheese.

Tools:

Large stainless steel stock pot
Meat or dairy thermometer (one that goes down to at least 70 degrees F)
CALIBRATE YOUR THERMOMETER FIRST!
Slotted spoon
Rubber gloves (like the kind you use for cleaning, only make sure they're only used for food)
Microwave

Ingredients:

1/2 Rennet Tablet (near the Jell-O and Custard; the brand is Junket)
1/4 c. bottled water (non-chlorinated
1 gallon reconstituted dry milk, minus 2 cups (after you mix the milk, let it sit out for a few hours so the flavor can blend)
2 c. half-and-half (not fat free!)
2 tsp. citric acid (you can find this at a health-food store or a pharmacy)
1-2 tsp. non-iodized salt (also called cheese salt or canning salt)

Steps:

1. Crush 1/2 rennet tablet in 1/4 c. cool, non-chlorinated water.

2. In a large stainless steel pot, combine the milk (minus the two cups!) and the half and half. Turn heat to medium.

3. Sprinkle 2 level tsp. citric acid into the milk and stir gently using the slotted spoon. Slowly heat milk to 88 degrees F. You will start to see your milk curdle.

4. Once your milk has reached 88 degrees F, add the dissolved rennet. Continue stirring slowly every few minutes until the milk reaches 105 degrees F. Remove from heat. At this point, you should have some chunky or stringy curds. If your curds aren't huge, let them sit for a while, and they'll get bigger.

5. The milk will separate into white curds and yellowish-green whey. Once it does this, you can scoop the curds out into a microwave-safe bowl or pour into a strainer lined with cheese cloth. Pour off as much of the whey as you can.

6. Microwave the curds on high for 1 minute, drain off excess whey. Knead cheese with your hands--make sure to use your gloves--until cool. While you're kneading, you can add your 1-2 tsp. salt.

7. Put cheese back in the microwave, heat on high for 35 seconds, knead, and repeat. Cheese is done when it is shiny and stretches like taffy.

If you're creative and you like string cheese, you can shape it into rods or other shapes and eat it just like string cheese. It's also great on crackers, lasagna, or wherever else you use cheese. It melts just like the stuff you buy from the store. And be sure to tell all your friends you made your own cheese--they'll be amazed!

Perfect Homemade Pie Crust

2005-10-18T10:30:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday Mom!

Something about the orange and red leaves crunching everywhere made me crave pumpkin pie last weekend. I love fall! Now that we're nearing the biggest baking season of the year, it's time for me to start sharing some of my favorite baking tips and recipes. The one item I get the most compliments on is my homemade pie crust. It's always flaky, always tender, always delicious, and it's not even all that hard. The recipe looks long and complicated, but that's just because I'm verbose (my degree IS in English literature, after all). It's really quite simple; here's how it's done:

Lindsay's Perfect Homemade Pie Crust:
(makes 2 single-crust pies or 1 double-crust pie)

2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter-flavor shortening
Ice water

In a mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Line a 1-cup measuring cup with saran wrap and fill with shortening (this makes clean-up so much easier!); add to flour mixture. Dust hands with flour (be sure to remove rings first!) and gently break up the shortening, leaving marble-sized chunks. You can also do this with criss-crossing knives or a pastry cutter, but be sure to leave big chunks, because they're what make the dough flaky. Sprinkle 1-2 Tbsp. of ice water at a time, tossing dough with fork to mix. When dough begins to clump, add more water to the next section. You should need about 6-8 Tbsp. of water. When dough is soft and clumpy, form it into a ball and break into two halves. Flatten each half into a disc about 1/2 - 1 inch thick, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about 10 minutes. This makes it sooo much easier to roll!

When dough has chilled, roll it out on a floured surface. This is always where I messed up before, but there are tips to avoid messed-up pie crusts. My secret is a canvas rolling mat and a cotton rolling-pin sock. I found them at a grocery store in Provo, and they have worked wonderfully. You just rub flour into the canvas and on the sock, and then roll it out. If you do it on a counter top, be sure to flip the dough every so often and re-flour the surface so that you don't wind up with dough that can't be pried off of the counter. When the dough is the right size and thickness, fold it in half or quarters and gently place it into the pie plate before you unfold it.

For pumpkin pie, or other liquid fillings, trim the crust about half an inch from the plate. Fold the crust so that it sticks up off the rim of the plate, and flute. Cover edges of crust with aluminum foil or tin pie crust shields (I have two; they're great) so that the crust doesn't burn. If the crust has to be pre-baked, poke holes in it and if you have clean marbles, place 3 or 4 in the bottom of the crust to keep it from rising. Bake at 400 degrees F for about 8-10 minutes.

For double crust pies, trim the bottom crust even with the pie plate, but make sure that the top crust is about half an inch wider. Fold the top crust around the bottom crust, then crimp. Be sure to cut slits in the top before it is placed in the oven. Spray or brush with milk, then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Cover edges of crust with aluminum foil or tin pie crust shields so that the crust doesn't burn.

Happy baking!

Disc-O-Matic!

2005-10-07T14:24:00.001-06:00

One thing about me is that I like to keep busy. And I don't like to spend my life cleaning. Two things about me are that I like to keep busy and I don't like to spend my life cleaning, and I like to try new things. (No one expects the Spanish Inquisition!) Anyway, this week's experiment has been not in the kitchen, but behind the needle of my 1958 White Disc-O-Matic Sewing Machine! It's a hand-me-down from my grandma, and the thing is built like a tank. It's been sitting on a storage shelf in my apartment for the last 9 months or so (and in storage at my grandma's for the last 20 years), but apparently it still works perfectly.

So long story short, instead of a big cooking project, I decided to make a duvet cover for our down comforter! Mike and I went to Joann's Fabric for our date last night, and we picked out fabric for the duvet, plus two big European pillow forms and fabric for shams. Sewing this duvet cover has been such a great learning experience for me. The last time I used a sewing machine I was 15 and my mom was doing most of the work, so I am a complete novice. So far I've been doing pretty well though--I stitched together three big panels to create the top cover (we have a king-sized bed, so it's a huge duvet), and trimmed the 108"-wide muslin bottom cover. I'm about ready to go stitch the top to the bottom, and then all that's left after that is the hemming and the buttons. I'm a little nervous about sewing button holes with a 47-year-old machine, but I'm sure I'll figure it out somehow. My grandma kept the instructions, and she still had all the attachments; I don't know how she did it, but I'm grateful!

The instructions for sewing your own duvet cover can be found here. There are a bunch of other "around-the-house" type project instructions there too. I never knew Waverly had so many patterns and instructions on their website!

If you have any tips or comments, please feel free to share! Like I said, it's been forever since I've sewn anything, so I can use all the help I can get.

Hinckley's Exhortation, and Canning Tomatoes

2005-10-03T10:21:00.001-06:00

What an incredible conference that was! My husband and I have made a resolution to step-up our emergency preparedness efforts. We live in a tiny two-bedroom apartment, and there's definitely not enough room for a one-year supply of everything we need, but we're going to do our best. We stocked up on hygiene items (shampoo, soap, conditioner, toilet paper, paper towels, etc.), and we bought vinyl pants and diaper pins in case I have to resort to cloth diapers (heaven forbid!) for our 6-month-old. Mike's parents said they've got enough food stored for us, so if it should come to that, at least we know we could move in with his parents and younger siblings.

In addition to hygiene items, it's a really good idea to stock up on medicines. They're expensive to buy all at once, but think about how many times you or a family member gets sick or hurt over the course of a year. You want to be sure to stock up on vitamins (rotate these as often as you can though--they don't last more than a couple years), pain killers, antibiotics, and any prescriptions you take. My mother-in-law studies herbal remedies, and there are herbs out there that can do incredible things. If anyone's interested on a post about herbal wonders, let me know, and I'll talk to my mother-in-law about good herbs to store and what they're for, and what quantities you'll need.

Enough about that for now. If anyone wants another post on emergency storage, let me know, and I'll do it. Last week I promised I'd post on canning tomatoes, so here goes.

I researched tomato canning on the web last week, and I found so many recipes that I didn't know where to start. I decided though that I just wanted plain old tomatoes, so I packed quartered tomatoes in water and used a steam canner. Here's the procedure I used:

Equipment:
Tomatoes
Lemon juice
Salt
Canning jars--pint or quart (mouth size doesn't matter)
New (cleaned) lids
Band for each jar
Funnel
Ladle
Steam canner
Jar tongs

1. Clean jars in dishwasher; make sure jars are hot, and don't take them out until you're ready to pack them.
2. Boil two pots of water: one for blanching, one for hot water pack.
3. Clean tomatoes. Place in large bowl.
4. Pour boiling water over tomatoes. Let the tomatoes sit in the hot water until their skins split.
5. Pour out the hot water and remove the skins from the tomatoes.
6. Remove the stem core. At this point, you can either leave the tomatoes whole or cut them into quarters or halves.
7. Pack tomatoes in jars.
8. Add 1/2 tsp. salt (preserves color, adds flavor) and 1 Tbsp. lemon juice for pint jars, 1 tsp. salt and 2 Tbsp. lemon juice for quart jars.
9. Using a ladle and a funnel, pour water into jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace in pint jars, 1 inch in quart jars.
10. Wipe off necks and rims of jars using a warm wet paper towel.
11. Place lids over each jar, then screw on the bands.
12. Pour hot water in steam canner. Place filled jars on rack of canner.
13. Place the lid over the canner and jars, and turn stove on medium high heat. When the steam escapes in a steady stream, start timing. Tomatoes need to process 40 minutes for pint jars, and about 45 minutes for quart jars.
14. When the tomatoes have processed for the correct amount of time, carefully raise the lid, being sure to open it away from your face so you're not burned by the escaping steam.
15. Using the jar tongs, remove the jars and place them on a towel on your counter top to cool. The lids won't seal correctly until the jars have cooled completely.

It was so exciting for me when I found out that my jars had sealed and the whole thing had worked. I've only ever canned with my mother-in-law, so even though I've done it lots of times, I've never done it by myself. There's a real sense of satisfaction and achievement when you can grow and preserve your own food storage.

Mmmm, Chocolate Cake....

2005-09-29T11:03:00.001-06:00

I was going to post yesterday, but I was just way too busy. My cousin invited my son and me to a Kinder-Sing party--a bunch of mommies singing to their babies. It was really weird at first to be in a group of mostly-older women and singing silly songs to a bunch of wriggly babies, but it was fun anyway. Then I got to meet up with one of my old roommates and good friends who just got back from serving an LDS mission in Argentina. It was so great to see her again! I also got to give my grandma the 30-page transcription of her life history that I'd been working on. There's still lots more to do, but she was really grateful for what I've done so far.

Anyway, back to the cake. I've got to figure out a way to make chocolate cake from my food storage. It's one of those comfort foods, y'know? I found this recipe for Milk Chocolate Bundt Cake in an old Taste of Home magazine, so I can't take the credit. You don't need cake flour for this recipe--the cake is light and moist enough with regular all-purpose flour. Without further ado, here's the recipe:

Milk Chocolate Bundt Cake

7 oz. milk chocolate
1/2 c. chocolate syrup
1 c. butter or margarine (softened)
1-1/2 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2-3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 c. buttermilk
powdered sugar, optional

Prepare Bundt pan by greasing and flouring it. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a saucepan, melt the milk chocolate with the chocolate syrup over low heat, stirring frequently; set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter with the sugar. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in chocolate mixture and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to cake batter. Pour into prepared Bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove cake from pan and cool completely. You can then dust it with the powdered sugar as a garnish. This cake doesn't really need icing, but you can make a glaze for it if you want.

I'm going to try to can some tomatoes this weekend between sessions of the LDS General Conference, so check back later for a how-to guide on canning tomatoes. I'll also be making cinnamon rolls, so if you want a recipe for those, let me know and I'll blog about the one I use.

Delicious Cottage Cheese

2005-09-23T13:19:00.001-06:00

Hello out there!

Well, I tried out a new recipe yesterday--I made cottage cheese out of my food storage. It was so great!! The recipe I had said it would take 6-12 hours to set up, but mine was set and finished in about 3, so it went way faster than I thought it would. I was really surprised by how easy it was! Later that evening, I took it up to my in-laws house, and the entire batch was gone in minutes. With this recipe, the cheese turns out light and fluffy, with curds as large or small as you want them. It's not at all slimy like the stuff from the grocery store.

Cottage Cheese:
2 c. warm water
1/4 rennet tablet (By Jell-O in the stores--the brand is called Junket. Store extras in the freezer for up to 18 months.)
2 c. warm water
2 2/3 c. instant powdered milk (1 1/2 c. non-instant)
1/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
milk/cream (optional)

In a medium-large bowl, dissolve rennet in the 2 c. warm water, and set aside. Combine the remaining water, the powdered milk, and the buttermilk. Add the milk mixture to the rennet and stir well. If you want your cheese to set faster, place the bowl with the mixture inside a larger bowl of warm water; if you don't care, just leave it on a counter in a warm room. The cottage cheese is set when it slides around in the bowl but retains its shape. It should have a touch of whey (yellowish-watery stuff) on the edges. When it's set, cut the curd into 1/2 inch squares and set the bowl into a sink (or a bigger bowl) of hot water. Gently stir the curds, breaking them into your desired size, until they are warmed all the way through and have broken into curds and whey. Pour entire mixture into a strainer lined with cheesecloth. Drain and rinse with cold water until it is cool and well washed. Add salt (if desired) and milk or cream to make it creamier.

For serving ideas, it tastes great with fruit or crackers. Also, you can blend 2 cups of it with 1/4-1/2 c. of yogurt and 2-3 tbsp. seasoning (soup mix is great) for a yummy chip dip.

Italian Chicken a la Me

2005-09-19T10:44:00.001-06:00

Hey out there!

I don't know about you guys, but chicken is one of my favorite foods to experiment with. It has such a neutral flavor that you can play around with all sorts of spices and learn about all kinds of flavors and combinations. I was feeling creative last night, and I came up with a new chicken dish that my husband and I both loved.

One good way to use up stuff you have a lot of is to experiment. That way, if it turns out poorly, no big deal! You have tons more anyway, so no harm done. On the flip side, if it turns out really well, you can make lots more. As you can tell from my previous post, we have TONS of tomatoes. We also had a lot of garlic, so I experimented with chicken, garlic, and tomatoes. Mmmmmm!

There are only two of us in my family, so you can easily double or triple it depending on how many people you need to serve.

Italian Chicken:
2 large-ish chicken breasts
2-3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 big clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground parsley, 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh
1/2 onion, sliced in rings
1 tomato, sliced in discs

In a 3 qt. sauce pan, combine olive oil and minced garlic while chicken is defrosting. Heat oil and garlic, then add parsley and onion. Saute until onion is tender. Add chicken, then cover the pot and cook for a while on low, until chicken appears mostly cooked. Then, remove lid and add tomato slices. Cook chicken with tomato slices on medium high heat until the chicken is golden brown on both sides.

I served this chicken with a simple rice pilaf (basically it's sauteed rice cooked in chicken broth), but I bet it would taste good with just about any carbohydrate-rich side dish.

If any of you out there have any other good recipes to share, feel free to leave them in the comments section!

Too Many Tomatoes--Salsa & Salad!

2005-09-16T14:27:00.001-06:00

We live in a little rental in the back of someone's house, and the owners have a garden out back. They grow a green beans, squash, chard, and TONS OF TOMATOES. They have so many tomatoes that they can't give them all away! Anyway, they gave us 2 huge sacks of tomatoes, and it became my job to figure out what to do with them before they went bad.

For those of you who haven't tasted a home-grown tomato, you're really missing out. I tried my first one last year from my in-laws' garden, and oh man was it good. It's crazy how much different they taste when they're picked ripe instead of being picked green and ripening in a box.

Anyway, I have a couple of ideas for people with too many garden tomatoes.

Number one is a Russian favorite that my husband picked up during his 2 years in Russia:

Tomato and Cucumber Salad
3 large-ish tomatoes
1 cucumber
vinegar and salt to taste

Cut up the tomatoes and cucumbers into small, bite-sized pieces, and toss in medium mixing bowl. Add enough vinegar to coat vegetables, and about half a teaspoon salt (more if you're a big sodium fan). Toss and enjoy!

So Good Salsa
Word of warning--be careful with the chilies--they'll burn your fingers if you don't wear gloves.

3 cups chopped tomato (about 3 really big ones)
1/2 cup bell pepper (one small one)
1/2 cup sliced green onions (or white, or red, or whatever you like best!)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 tbsp. finely chopped jalapeno chilies (be sure to remove the seeds!)
2-3 tbsp. lime juice (about 1 1/2 limes)
1/2 tsp. salt

Mix everything up in a big glass or plastic bowl (don't use aluminum--the acid could corrode the metal, and you'd wind up eating dangerous aluminum chemicals). Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hr. to blend flavors. To preserve, simply pour the salsa into pint jars and place in steam canner. Process for about 5 minutes, according to the directions with your canner. The salsa and the water will separate and look nasty, but you can shake the jar and mix everything up again.

For variety, you can add a can of drained/rinsed black beans, or be creative and see what works for you.

Making Yogurt

2005-09-08T09:18:00.001-06:00

Have you ever even heard of making yogurt at home? Up until two weeks ago, the idea never even occurred to me. I always thought yogurt came from a store and that was the end of it.

I have a really cool mother-in-law. She's the type who gets really passionate about food storage and emergency preparedness (she can do incredible things with beans), so when she found a class on how to use powdered milk to do all sorts of crazy recipes (cream cheese, cheesecake, mozzarella... yogurt....) she reserved spots for the whole family. I was completely fascinated by the number of things the teacher could do with powdered milk (which I'd always thought was nasty), and the fact that most of the stuff tasted really good.

So the other day I decided to try making yogurt, and it turned out really well. Here's the recipe I used:

1 1/2 c. warm water
2 1/3 c. instant powdered milk
1/4-1/2 c. plain yogurt (the fresher the better--the cultures die after a while, and your yogurt won't set as well if they're dead. Start can be unflavored yogurt from your last batch!)
2 c. warm water

Blend the 1 1/2 c. warm water and the powdered milk. Add the yogurt and blend again. Add the mixture to 2 c. warm water and pour into small jars. (The yogurt tastes really bitter if you don't add sugar, so I added 1 tbsp. sugar and 1/2 tsp. vanilla per 1 1/2 c. jar. You can add other flavors later.) Set the jars in a cooler or pan full of warm water (between 100 and 120 degrees) and set in a warm place. The yogurt needs to be in that temperature range for about 6 hours (up to 24) in order to set. I put mine in a cooler, and it was ready in a little over 6 hours.

Later I added a little bit of mashed banana and some apricots, and it was incredible. My husband's favorite is applesauce, and we like cherries too. So good! The flavor possibilities are endless--canned or fresh fruits, freezer jams, syrups, etc. Be creative!

Bon appetit!

Introduction to Me

2005-09-07T11:48:00.000-06:00

I asked my husband last night what the difference was between writing a blog and writing in my journal. He said it was that other people could read it and make comments--just what I always wanted! I wonder what all those poor little brothers are going to do now that their sisters don't care when they read their diaries.

Anyway, now that I've finally caught up to the blogging age, I thought I'd start my own blog. I'm a twenty-something housewife with a bachelor's in English, a 6-month-old son, and a lot of spare time. Lately I've been using my kitchen as more of a lab, where I've been experimenting with weird new recipes. I decided to start a blog because I love cooking, and it's always fun to share good recipes and disaster stories. And since it's my blog, I'll also post about whatever else I deem important--political rants, religious/moral views, what my kid's been doing, or what Mike and I do for fun on a Friday night in Spanish Fork.