Category: Recipe Roundup

Mini Recipe Roundup and Strawberries!
Recipe Roundup

Mini Recipe Roundup and Strawberries!

LSiehLeave a comment

Our week was completely thrown off this week. The Husband was at play practice as part of the crew and I had late nights all week. We still had two new recipes though, which was my goal.

We had sandwiches a few of the nights and I made a pork loin for the Husband today for lunch. He’ll have good leftovers for lunches and quick dinners next week. It looks like his play schedule will be the same. He has been running home to change into shorts and then heads back out again quickly. I may try to make some new recipes for my lunch or have some veggie options during the week too because it will probably be just me.

I only took one picture of dinner during the week. We had the post roast when we had company over and somehow I didn’t get a picture of it.

Here are the two recipes that we used:

1- Mother’s Pot Roast with Vegetables from The Good Housekeeping Cookbook. Section: The Story of Meats.

Modifications: I left out the celery seeds and the MSG. I didn’t have either and would prefer to not have a side of migraine with my beef. I thought MSG didn’t affect me, but after getting a migraine from bad Chinese food, I have learned. Plus, it’s gross. I did add a tiny bit of seasoned salt to the pot roast along with a sprig of rosemary and a sprig of oregano. Both of the herbs were from the garden.

I completely forgot to add any veggies at all. I was too busy crafting and sewing with my friend. I did make noodles and we had salad, so it turned out alright. The pot roast was difficult to get out of the pan, it was so tender. It tasted wonderful too. Sadly, we did end up wasting a little bit of it. Both of our stomachs got a bit rumbly after eating it. It didn’t make us sick, but neither of us wanted to have rumbly bellies at work. I’m wondering if it was the red wine vinegar. It’s not an ingredient that I use a lot.

2- Hobo Meatball Stew from Taste of Home: The New Slow Cooker. Section: Soups and Stews

Modifications: I used ground elk instead of beef. I was feeling tired of ground beef. Elk is sweeter than beef, I think. Sweeter and richer. The Husband agreed with that assessment. I also used tomato sauce instead of ketchup and added garlic and onion powder to the meatballs. They would have been bland without it. Also, added garlic powder to the stew broth.

The stew is actually the cover recipe for the book. Mine did not look like that at all. I actually made this overnight. I knew we were both not going to be home for way longer than it needed to cook, so I set it going around 11 pm and turned it off when I go up at 6 am. It turned out delicious and it heats up well. I would make this again.

Today we went strawberry picking with a friend and got around 16 pounds of strawberries. I have a canning marathon planned for tomorrow, as the Husband is working on crew stuff from 2-10 pm. Fancy will be bored, I’m sure.

My canning list includes any of the following:

-Rhubarb Marmalade

-Strawberry Marmalade

-Rhubarb Butter

-Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate: need to get lemons, so this might not be tomorrow.

-Nectarine Orange Marmalade

-Orange Rhubarb Spread

-Rhubarb Barbecue Sauce

I am also going to freeze some berries for the winter. This year it will be super easy since we have an upright standing chest freezer. I can freeze more than one sheet pan at a time. One year our freezer was so small that I had to freeze things one cake pan at a time…

In strawberry picking, I am my mother’s daughter. Looking at my 16 pounds, I think I need some more. And I couldn’t stop picking them. There’s always just the one more! I might actually go back and get more, if I have time. It would be terrible to run out of strawberries before all my canning is done.

A batch of shortcake and some muffins or a fresh strawberry cake are also on the “to make” list. I’d better get up very early tomorrow. 🙂 I should probably start now, actually.

Fancy got a new toy to shred a few days ago too. She is now dubbed “Fancy of Star Command” and is dedicated to protecting her humans against an alien invasion. She takes her job very seriously, as you can see. 🙂 Hopefully you all feel very safe with her on the job!

Recipe Roundup
Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

LSiehLeave a comment

I took lots of pictures this week and the Husband helped too! I took a few different shots to see what looked good, so you’ll have to tell me which ones you liked best.

1- Salted Caramel Gelato from KitchenAid. I bought it along with the mixer attachment. https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/kitchenaid-reg-2-pack-fanzese-gelato-salted-caramel-mix/1047357136?Keyword=Salted+caramel+gelato

Modifications: None. It was my first time using the attachment, so I didn’t deviate from the instructions at all. We just added the milk and made it up. It was extremely fun and made us feel ever so fancy. We froze it for a few more hours to make it more of a harder texture, but it was still nice and soft. We ate it with mini chocolate chips. Fancy was very sad that she couldn’t eat it.

The Husband helped me take pictures, as it is impossible to pour the gelato mix into the mixer and take a picture.

It was definitely a hit and I have a bunch more recipes pinned on the blog’s Pinterest page. The Husband has requested a rich vanilla ice cream next, because we can put all sorts of toppings on it. I want to try a basil  ice cream recipe that I found as well. It looks very interesting and I bet it would be good if I used the lime basil too.

2- Mongolian Ginger Beef Freezer Meal from Freezer Meals: 365 Days of Quick and Easy Make Ahead Meals for Busy Families by Julianna Sweeny. Section: Beef Freezer Meals

Modifications: I added a little bit more water to the crock pot and added white pepper as well. I also used chuck steak instead of flank. We couldn’t find flank or skirt steak and it was going to be cooking for a long time in the slow cooker.

It was delicious! My first thought when I took a bite was “oh my gosh, this is melting.” The meat was so tender! I thickened the sauce more at the end, as it was a bit watery. I might make a double recipe of this, it seemed like it wasn’t going to make a lot. I will definitely make this again. The recipe includes directions to freeze the meal and then make it in the slow cooker, but we cooked it right away this time. This book was a birthday present from a friend and it will be put to good use.

3- Freezer Spicy Enchilada Soup from the above cookbook. Section: Chicken

Modifications: I added garlic and garlic powder, because who makes a recipe for an enchilada soup with no garlic? I used diced tomatoes instead of crushed, because it was what I had, and I didn’t crush the bay leaf. I just left it whole and then fished it out at the end.

This was another slow cooker recipe and it cooks for 8 hours, so was perfect for my long day on Monday. It was also delicious.

I did notice a few odd things about the cookbook. One, there are page numbers in the index, but no page numbers on the actual pages, which makes it a little confusing to find things. Two, there seem to be some repeat recipes with different names and slightly different instructions, but the same ingredients. The beef recipe has a twin about 10 pages in front if it that just has differently worded instructions, but that mean the same thing.

Overall, I really like the cookbook and will probably break my rule about one recipe per section, mostly for the sheer simplicity of it. We are in desperate need of meals that go in the crockpot, or can just be put in the oven by the Husband too and this book has plenty.

4- Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup from Our Best Bites. http://ourbestbites.com/2009/10/tortellini-sausage-soup/

Modifications: First off, I finally made the soup! I had only been talking about for weeks and it somehow never got made. I don’t use the recipe anymore, just kind of throw things in, but the one thing I do not ever leave out is the apple juice. The recipe says it is not the same without it and they are totally right.

I put this in the crockpot before I left for work, made the tortellini when I came home and then added them in. The spices cooked off a little and it wasn’t as flavorful, so I think I will stick to the stovetop for this.

5- Thin and Lacy Pancakes from Food Network Magazine: The Big Breakfast Issue, April 2015. V. 8, N.3.

Modifications: None! I love crepes. I cooked down frozen strawberries and peaches to make a sauce.  I completely forgot about the vanilla yogurt in the fridge, which was perfect the next morning for breakfast as a topper. I actually made these for dinner on Tuesday, as I was feeling rather horrible and wanted something gentle for my stomach. (Apparently stress is bad for you. My doctor told me I should stop having so much of it… Thanks, I guess?)

I didn’t have to share any of them either, as the Husband doesn’t like them. I also played around with the picture and was pretty pleased. Maybe a lighter color plate might be nicer next time.

6- Leg of Lamb from A Taste of Lebanon by Mary Salloum. Section: Entrees. 

Modifications: This was a circus. A full circus with clowns, tigers, and bears. I thought it was only a pound and a half of boneless leg of lamb, but apparently it was 2.38 pounds, which meant it was nowhere near cooked when I had said it should be cooked. The Husband, who was cooking it for us was extremely distressed and I had clients, so couldn’t tell him to do anything until later in the night. It did work itself out, he found the package and had the recipe, so figured it out. By the time I got home, it just needed a few more minutes. Recipes that have a set time to bake seem to be a better idea.

I used Lamb Seasoning from Penzey’s Spices. It has allspice, ginger, oregano, pepper, cumin, and something else that I can’t remember. The recipe called for allspice, salt, pepper, and 6-8 cloves of garlic. The garlic was sliced and stuffed into slits in the meat. It made the lamb delicious and it wasn’t overcooked at all. I highly recommend any Penzey’s spice. My brother and sister-in-law gave us some spices from them several years ago and they were all wonderful. Plus, Penzey’s is currently supporting various peaceful protests and attempting to spread kindness through food, which I highly approve of.

7- Wheat Free Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog Treats from Doggy Dessert Chef.

http://doggydessertchef.com/2011/11/08/wheat-free-peanut-butter-pumpkin/

Fancy is undeniably a spoiled pup. Lately, she has been waking me up for morning snuggles when the Husband leaves for work and now thinks she can sleep on the bed whenever she wants! Silly puppers. I really should snuggle her on the couch, but it’s normally half an hour before my alarm goes off and it seems like a lot of work to get up and move.

Modifications: I used Chickpea flour for this recipe instead of brown rice flour, since it was all I had. They smell funny, but she seems to like them. I’m still on the hunt for a hard biscuit recipe for her, but can’t seem to find one that bakes up hard. I’ve got a few more to try. This was her, waiting patiently for her treats.

I don’t remember making homemade things for your dogs being a thing in the past. I know our dogs when I was a kid got table scraps and vaguely remember giving them treats, but certainly never actually making stuff for them. I tend to go nuts when buying her treats though, so as long as I make ones with things we have on hand, it might be cheaper. I just can’t resist when I think she might like something. Plus, I bake for everyone else, so why should she be any different?

8- Spicy Beef from Wok and Stir-Fry. Section: Poultry and Meat. 

Modifications: I am not supposed to eat spicy foods for at least two weeks thanks to my stomach being dumb, so I left out the spicy part. I also really only used the recipe for the sauce recipe, as I have trouble with proportions when making stir-fry sauces. The recipe doesn’t call for any veggies, just scallions. I added red pepper, broccoli, zucchini, and mushrooms. I cooked the separately and used already seasoned beef left over from kebabs at a friend’s house that we had frozen. It turned out really good.

Reenergized by my sad review last week, I made a lot of new recipes. Now I just have to remember that feeling in the next few weeks, so my next review is full of new things. I also need to realize that my new recipes can also be breakfast, side dishes, or lunch dishes, they don’t always have to be dinner. I’ve used a lot of the entree sections of cookbooks and need to look for sides to go with my familiar dishes as well.

I’ll leave you with those thoughts and a picture of Fancy with her new favorite toy. We now get our cardio by playing tug with her. She has an amazing grip and gets so excited while playing. She likes playing tug with the Husband more, because he’s a little rougher with her. She’ll go bark at him until, he comes out of his office and plays with her. Last night she did that four times. She just couldn’t get enough playtime. Hopefully, you all have something that makes you as happy as she gets with her toy.

Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

LSieh2 Comments

We never did end up having sausage tortellini soup because the Fancy showed us where the skunk poop is by rolling in it while we were attempting to figure out the garden. By the time we got her cleaned off, it was 8 pm, too late to make the soup. At least now we know what to start clearing out first, I guess, but it was still pretty horrible. We had just washed her too and she is now extra soft. This is a picture of her face anytime she finds something horrible to roll in.

We had chicken wonton soup instead that night, made with thin sliced carrots, celery, and fresh cilantro in the chicken broth. We had the homemade wontons in the freezer, so we just boiled them for about 12- 13 minutes. No real recipe, I just threw a bunch of Asian spices in the broth. I also added red chili flakes and it was very, very spicy at the bottom of the pan when the Husband tasted it. I felt bad. He was coughing for the longest time. He recovered though and we had ice cream to help his sore throat.

He also had pork yesterday. I was working late and had store-bought grape leaves and hummus. The pork was marinated in soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil, and Thai sweet chili sauce. He said it was good.

So now for the new recipes that I actually followed! Well, mostly followed…

1- Banana Bread from The Good Housekeeping Cookbook, edited by Dorothy B. Marsh. Section: Favorite Quick Breads. 

Modifications: I added butterscotch chips because it sounded good. The recipe was pretty simple and it turned out good. I was happy to use up my bananas. The Husband doesn’t like bananas, but I think my in-laws do, so I am planning on sharing with them. I’ll send any leftovers in with The Husband on Tuesday too.

2- Italian Chicken Meatballs from Fresh April Flours. http://freshaprilflours.com/2016/01/11/slow-cooker-turkey-meatballs-gluten-free/

Modifications: I used chicken and regular bread crumbs. It called for almond flour and I didn’t have enough time to grind them, as I would have ended up late for work. Also, I used diced tomatoes and a can of tomato sauce. They looked like they would be dry without the extra sauce. There were no directions on seasoning the sauce, just the meatballs, so I added the normal oregano, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and basil on both layers of tomatoes. We had it over noodles, but at separate times of the night. I also forgot to take pictures. Both times that I was eating it, I was in a rush. Next time I will add more spices to the meatballs and sauce. Some of the flavor cooked off in the crockpot.

3- Rosemary Flank Steak from Food Network Magazine, March 2017, V.10, N.2

Modifications: I did not make the arugula salad or use the beans. It would have been just me eating it and I didn’t have either of those things. I’m sure they would have both been delicious. We were a little disappointed in the steak. It lacked a lot of seasoning. The recipe called for you to poke the steak with a fork and marinate it for 10 minutes. That wasn’t long enough. It was pretty bland, unless you happened to get a piece of garlic. If we use this recipe again, I’ll increase the marinating time. We had it with fancy mashed potatoes and a salad. I think I need to work on plating. I don’t like mixing foods though, especially meat, so it’s a struggle. The plate looks a little bare. The Husband volunteered his plate and tried a fancier plating style.

4- Roasted Garlic-Parmesan Mashed Potatoes from Food Network Magazine, November 2016, V.9, N.9

Modifications: I cut back the butter. Shocking, I know, but we did have less potatoes than the recipe called for. It also had shaved Parmesan, milk, and marscapone cheese in it. I thought we might not want to harden our arteries quite that much yet. I bet when we were eating them a cardiologist somewhere got really excited for no reason…

I was excited to roast a whole head of garlic. It felt so fancy and decadent. I smelled like garlic for the rest of the day, of course, but it was so worth it. After roasting it, you add it to the milk to infuse. You were supposed to drain them out, but I didn’t do it. The garlic mashed up just fine. They turned out very rich and creamy. Definitely special occasion potatoes only. We might make them again for Thanksgiving if we host this year.

Here is my separated plate.

I didn’t end up making gelato this week. The bowl still needs to be frozen. I am planning on getting that done tonight at least and we can try it in the next few days.

I was proud that I was able to try four new recipes this week. It reminded me that it just takes a little extra planning to make it work, but that I can do it, even when my week is crazy busy. I am going to try to keep this streak going and do some meal planning this weekend. I will also try to take more pictures!

Speaking of pictures, if Fancy will stop trying to eat her life jacket, I may be able to get a picture of her in it. She now has a lime green one which all the store employees told her she looked wonderful in. Apparently lime green is her color. There could be a boat ride in her future now that she can be safe on the boat. We’re not sure if she can swim, so figured better safe than sorry.

Have a safe and happy Memorial Day, no matter what your plans are!

 

 

Recipe Roundup
Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

LSiehLeave a comment

I used two new recipes this week, both for Fancy. For the Husband and I there were familiar, but good,  recipes. Tomorrow is my last shift at my third job and I’m hoping that this will free up some more creative time for trying new recipes. I am very excited to try some recipes from the freezer cookbook a friend gave me on my late evenings.

Despite the Husband telling me multiple times that he can feed himself, I’m still fighting off guilt when there isn’t a homemade dinner. I blame my Scandinavian heritage for that one. I get very nervous if I can’t feed someone properly. The few times I haven’t wanted to feed people have been weird for me. It also seems to be how I know that I don’t like someone; I won’t feed them. So you can see the problem, when my Husband is eating frozen dinners and saying “they really do taste better now. They’ve changed the recipes!” I just can’t imagine it.

So to prevent this, tomorrow I am making Italian Sausage Tortellini Soup, from Our Best Bites. http://ourbestbites.com/2009/10/tortellini-sausage-soup/

It normally turns out delicious, although I do need to see if we have apple juice. If we don’t, it may get moved to later in the week and I’ll make something else.

Here are the other meals we’ve had this week.

1- Lasagna, recipe by me. We had spaghetti over the past weekend while a friend was visiting, so I used the sauce over noodles. I used store-bought pasta sheets, as my day got away from me. I also used real shaved Parmesan. I’ve got the Husband hooked on good/fancy cheese and it makes both of us feel like fancy people.  It turned out pretty good.

2- Chef’s Salad with eggs and bacon. No real recipe, I just made a big salad and the Husband cooked the eggs and bacon when he got home. It works for a dinner and a lunch normally. We also have a fancy spicy pepper cheese that was a good addition.

3- Tequila Lime Chicken With Pico De Gallo. I used to use a recipe from The Pioneer Woman, but when I went to look for it to link it, it wasn’t there. I threw bone in, skin on chicken breasts in a bag with two sliced garlic cloves, fresh cilantro, silver tequila, olive oil, a chopped and seeded Serrano pepper, salt, pepper, and green onions. Then I let it marinate until I  came home and threw it in the oven. I baked it for about 45-50 minutes at 375. In the summer, this is really good to grill if you use boneless thighs or breasts. We had it with homemade pico and chips. I also had mango pieces with mine.

I did try to note what I was using for my pico this time, so I’ll write down what I think I did.

4- Pico de Gallo, method by me.

Roughly dice 3-4 Roma tomatoes. Chop a handful of cilantro, 2-3 green onions, and 1-2 jalapeños. I normally seed one half and leave the seeds in the second half, depending on spice levels. Add lime juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic to taste. Serve with chips, or over chicken.

The Husband will eat an entire bowl of it himself if I let him. The first time I made this with chicken for his parents, his Mom was amazed that he would eat it, as he has never liked raw tomatoes. It was pretty funny.

5- Apple Cinnamon Dog Treats from Two Little Cavaliers. http://twolittlecavaliers.com/2013/11/make-apple-cinnamon-dog-treats.html

Fancy haunted the kitchen the entire time these treats were baking and she likes them even better than her store-bought ones, judging by how intently she watches us when we have them, and by her incessant tail wagging. I was able to use up all my bruised apples too and know exactly what is in these treats. I never thought I would be the person who bakes for her dog, but I guess it makes sense. I do bake for everyone else. She is also a gluten-free dog, apparently she has stomach and skin problems when she has gluten, according to the rescue. We decided to keep to that and it seems to be working.

6- Chicken Rice Treats from Kol’s Notes. http://kolchakpuggle.com/2012/02/tasty-tuesday-hearts-for-my-valentine-chicken-dog-treats.html

Fancy was very excited by these as well. Chicken is one  of her very favorite things and I was able to use up leftover rice and chicken in these. I had to give her two right away, as she snatched the first one before I could get a picture. She can be a tall dog when she wants to be and I forget how short I am until she’s jumping for something.

Hopefully this week, I can make some new meals. I have one very late night and some early evenings this week, so I am planning at least one crockpot meal.

There will also definitely be an ice cream or gelato recipe, as I just bought us the KitchenAid Ice Cream Maker attachment. It was on sale and I had a coupon and ended up saving about 40%. I’m very excited and bought a salted caramel gelato mix with it, so we are going to try that soon. Pictures to come, of course!

Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

LSiehLeave a comment

I used two new cookbooks this week and got a new one as a birthday present from a friend. The new one is freezer recipes and will be fantastic for my late nights at work.

We also had spaghetti and the Husband cooked some pork chops that, sadly, turned out to be not so good. I hadn’t marinated them this time, just added some dry spices and olive oil. They were actually thawed this time too and I think it made them dry.

I made a chicken that we ended up using in three different meals and I used the carcass to make chicken broth! I was pretty proud.

1- Roasted Chicken, no recipe. I put some bread dipping spices on it, along with olive oil. Baked it at 375 for about 80 minutes. It was still a tiny bit frozen. It was good all by itself with raw veggies and fruit.

2- Chicken Tortilla Soup, method by me. I was still sick and congested at this point, so I wanted something spicy to break up my sinuses. I used a couple of boxes of broth, cooked chicken, a can of generic tomatoes and chilis, frozen corn, onion, and carrots. Also, oregano, garlic powder, and fresh garlic, cumin, and chipotle chili powder. It turned out to be pretty good for something that was just thrown together. It was very spicy, so I think it helped.

3- Chicken Puffs made with homemade crescent dough with some rye flour. I ran out of all-purpose flour and didn’t have time to run out and get more. They turned out more hearty than usual. I used chicken, cream cheese, green onions, cheddar cheese, and a spicy 3 pepper cheese. I mixed all the filling ingredients up and rolled it up in the dough. Baked at 400 for about 20-25 minutes. http://gatherforbread.com/easy-no-knead-crescent-rolls/

4- Lettuce Wraps, based on a Damn Delicious recipe. http://damndelicious.net/2014/05/30/pf-changs-chicken-lettuce-wraps/

I’ve made these before and have no idea what mods I did this time, as I didn’t actually use the recipe. They turned out good.

5- Shrimp Albondigas from Classic Southwest Cooking by Carolyn Dille and Susan Belsinger. Section: Soups and Stews. 

Modifications: My Dad gave me this cookbook for my birthday! I was excited to find another way to use shrimp, but was not excited to food process them. They got really sticky and gross looking. I did not like touching them, but they ended up being tasty. They were put into a soup. I did add some garlic powder, salt, and pepper to the broth. I also used chicken broth instead of fish broth. We don’t eat fish, so I didn’t have any on hand.

6- Boller i karry/Meatballs with Curry from Scandinavia published by World Cuisine. Section: Main Dishes

Modifications: These looked so weird when I was mixing them. I thought for sure that they were all wrong and they weren’t going to stay together in the water. They were pretty gloopy looking. They did stay together though and they were pretty good. The curry sauce needed a lot more seasoning, so I added more curry powder, salt, and pepper. These were pretty good. I think I would double the recipe the next time.

It was a pretty good week for meals. Other than the pork chop, we had all good meals. I’m not sick any more and have a fancy new freezer cookbook to try. I also remembered to take pictures of all my dinners at least.

This week I have a few late nights, but have a few slow cooker or easy meals on my list, so it should go well. Since we had spaghetti tonight, we’ll have lasagna this week and we have leftover rice that I may try to make into fried rice.

It was fun getting back into using my cookbooks!

Recipe Roundup

Belated Recipe Roundup

LSiehLeave a comment

I currently sound like Darth Vader and have almost no appetite. Except of course, when my stomach abruptly demands food and then hates me for actually eating. I have a cold, which turned nasty, and has taken up residence in my lungs. Not exactly the best conditions for food blogging. I’m feeling slightly better, which is good, but still ended up taking a few days off to try to recover. Fancy is being very cuddly. She insists on sitting with me and keeps following me round to make sure I’m okay.

The Husband drove me to a vending event this past weekend and stayed to help me sell, which was nice. I ended up selling the Yoga Frog bag, which made me happy. I wanted it to go to someone else who would like it just as much. It was a nice event. I was not in the best shape to fully appreciate it, but it was still fun. I made some new flowers while there, but they are in a box waiting to have their picture taken.

Anyway, now that you are all caught up, on to the recipes!

1- Sausage and Mushroom Penne Skillet from an Oscar Mayer recipe card.

Modifications: I added a bunch more veggies, zucchini, onions, and multicolored peppers. We also used chicken sausage instead of Italian sausage. Also, we had pepperjack and smoked Gouda cheese, so I used those instead of all mozzarella. I was laughing a little when I made this, because this is essentially one of my quick meals, although I typically make it with no cheese. It was delicious! I think I will add cheese from now on.

2- Irish Stew from Crockpot Best Loved Slow Cooker Recipes. Section: Spring and Summer Sensations

Modifications: None made. It was good. I didn’t have very much of it, but the Husband enjoyed it. I finally found lamb stew meat in the store. I might kick up the seasonings a bit, but other than that, it was good.

3- Pizza from Bernard Clayton’s Complete Book of Small Breads. Section: Pizza

Modifications: None. I was home all day when I made this, so I did all the rise times it requested. It’s definitely not a quick recipe, but it turned out to be very soft and pillowy. It was a Sicilian style dough shaped into a rectangle. The Husband thought this was the best pizza crust I had made.

I sort of followed the recipe for the pizza sauce that was included as well. I used half a can of diced tomatoes and two cans of tomato sauce. Added dried spices instead of fresh and that’s about it.

The pizza was topped with diced ham, mushrooms, green pepper, and onion. It was very good. We’ll definitely add this to the pizza rotation.

4- Chicken Stir Fry, method by me. This one was a miss. Stir fry is one of those things that I really need to actually follow a recipe. Otherwise, I mess up the proportions and everything is off. It was not inedible, but it wasn’t good either. I used a bag of frozen stir fry mix and some marinated chicken from the freezer.

We also had French Onion Soup from the crockpot, but I’ve talked about that recipe already. Tonight I am not feeling like cooking. I will probably have chicken soup and crackers. The Husband will have leftover pizza, I think, if there isn’t food at his meeting. Hopefully my body will start healing itself soon and I’ll feel up to cooking and crafting again.

Recipe Roundup Birthday Party Edition
Party Posts · Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup Birthday Party Edition

LSiehLeave a comment

I thought the party post might get long, since I am my mother’s daughter and constantly worry I might run out of food, so I made it its own post. I made too much food, but it worked out well for everyone, I guess. I didn’t get a picture of the table, but several people walked in and said “whoa!” 🙂

Having a dessert party was the perfect excuse to try out some baking recipes. I did have a few savory options as well, homemade pico de gallo, some lentil bean chips, and a small cheese tray. I didn’t have a pickle tray because it was a dessert party, but my Dd got my Mom to call and offer pickle recipes, just in case I needed one. The pickle tray has become a running family joke and comes up for every party, so I’ll give you the back story for when it comes up again.

A year or two ago, I was preparing for our annual Epiphany party and was struck by the sudden, uncontrollable feeling that I needed a pickle tray, despite never having wanted one before. My Mom always made sure to have one on the table at parties and it must be a Midwest thing, because I don’t know that it’s a thing elsewhere.

So, I posted about it on Facebook and tagged my Mom, blaming her for my late night pickle run. All sorts of people chimed in, including my cousin reminiscing about the pickle trays at family parties. My Mom jumped in, shocked that I was not holding up the family tradition of a lovely pickle tray. A lovely family friend, Pauline, tried to reassure me that it would be fine and that the family parties were always so nice, and suggested I take a rest. My loving, though sometimes sarcastic, Mother then commented “She can rest when she has a pickle tray.” Of course, I laughed hysterically and made the darn pickle tray.

Have I mentioned that I love my family? Truly, I do. (The way you know they like you is if you get teased.) So now, whenever we have parties, one of my parents will call to find out if I have the pickle tray ready. Last year, I bought my Mom a couple of different kinds of pickles just so she would have to serve them.

Anyway, random family history aside, I did use six new recipes and I made pico de gallo, which is one of the only ways the Husband will eat tomatoes. I think at some point I had a recipe for the pico, but I have no idea where I got it from, so now it’s something I just make. I’ll try to get approximate measurements the next time I make it.

1- Giant Easter Egg Cookies from M&M’s Fun Stuff Cookbook. Section: Party Time

Modifications: I didn’t decorate them and I made them a bit smaller. They were a sugar cookie dough and were pretty good. The Husband liked the second recipe better. I would make these again. The Husband got me this cookbook for our first anniversary for a paper present. No pictures, they went to work too fast.

2- Kid’s Favorite Chocolate Chippers from the above cookbook.

Modifications: None! I actually made these for the Husband to take to work, as his coworkers had been requesting treats. They were well liked, the tin came back empty. I’m not a fan of plain chocolate chip cookies, but these were pretty good. They are the Husband’s favorite kind of cookies though and I sometimes make someone else make them for him. No pics of these either.

3- Tempting Truffles from The Lady Had Seconds. This cookbook doesn’t have sections. There are about five more recipes at least that I want to make.

Modifications: No mods, but I accidentally made toffee bits with the caramel. It has you melt down the sugar until golden and then add the cream and butter. The sugar seized up and made hard caramel when I added the cream and butter. I managed to melt most of it down though, so they just had crunchy bits in some of them. I rolled them in blue sanding sugar, gold and silver sugar, and gold edible glitter. They were so pretty!  And they tasted good too.

4- Chocolate Strawberry Cupcakes from Food Network Magazine. Jan/Feb 2017, v. 10, n. 1

Modifications: My strawberries went bad, so these didn’t have the chocolate dipped strawberries on the top. Also, I’m not a fan of white chocolate, couldn’t find my piping bag nozzle, and was running out of time, so only made dark chocolate frosting. I also used homemade chocolate strawberry jam for the regular preserves. They were divine! The frosting had melted chocolate and was a buttercream. It is so smooth and delicious. The cupcake also turned out very fluffy and light. I would make these again in a heartbeat.

5- Carrot-Walnut Cupcakes from the same Food Network. This issue has a year of cupcakes, one for each month and I want to try them all.

Modifications: I used pecans instead of walnuts. These were also delicious. Fancy was extremely excited that I was working with carrots. She kept inching closer and closer to me. I finally peeled a carrot so the peels fell directly on her head and she thought it was the best game ever! It was pretty cute.

These had a cream cheese frosting and really, I think they may qualify as breakfast food… I read somewhere that cupcakes are just “muffins with hats” and I’m pretty sure this means I can eat them for breakfast. 🙂

6- Blood Orange Bars off of a Pinterest find. https://www.bakedbyanintrovert.com/blood-orange-bars-recipe/

Modifications: I omitted the food coloring, so they aren’t as vibrant as the picture. They have been on my list since last winter, but I keep missing the blood oranges. These were good. Just like lemon bars except a little more pudding like, I would say. Lighter flavor than I was expecting too, but my oranges were maybe not all as juicy as they could have been.

My friend Kayla brought a delicious chocolate cheesecake and if we are very lucky, maybe she’ll share the recipe. I just had a piece for dessert tonight and it made me very happy.

The tablecloth under everything is one my Grandma Shirley made for me for my 16th birthday, I believe. I had a tea party that year, so it is all tea party foods and menus. I was excited to use it again. It’s so pretty and springy that it seemed to be the perfect fit.

My serving dishes are a mix of old fancy serving plates and new ones. We use Fiesta-ware every day, so the party table should be colorful and fun as well. Mom gave me the flamingo tray for Christmas and the Rose plate is from my Grandma Shirley. It’s fun to be in a place in my life where we need fancy serving plates.

So those were my party recipes. Some people were surprised that I chose to bake my own birthday treats, but for me baking is stress relief and a way to connect with people. It brings me great joy, so why wouldn’t I share it?

Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

LSiehLeave a comment

I didn’t do much crafting this weekend, as we were partying it up! I did do a whole bunch of baking though. 🙂 I ended up trying six new recipes for the party. I’m going to make the party its own post, as I tried so many new things.

1- Hearty New England Dinner from Taste of Home Market Fresh Cookbook. 

Modifications: I cheated and left out the cabbage. The Husband doesn’t eat it and so we didn’t have any, and I’m not a huge fan of it cooked anyway. This was from the cabbage section though, so I may have to try another recipe, since I ignored that part. We never actual ate this as a meal. I had it as a snack the night it was made, but I started it late, so it wasn’t done until 10 pm.

Oh my gosh, this was delicious. I have actually made a pot roast that was too dry before, using a larger crock pot, but this was good. It had 2 cups of broth in it, which kept it very moist. It didn’t include potatoes, like my normal recipe. I fudged a recipe for onion soup mix, it was just basically beef bullion, onion powder, pepper, and garlic powder. The only other thing it called for was dried onions and I just used a little more fresh onion.

2- Shredded Beef Sandwiches, method by me.

Modifications: I added sautéed peppers and mushrooms and Gruyere cheese. I also made my own french bread with a recipe I think I’ve shared and now can’t find from Tasty Kitchen. Mmmm…. so good. This would be a good option to use up leftover pot roast for sure.

3- Asian Pork Chops, marinade by me, Cooked by the Husband. I have talked about these before, but I threw soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic powder, and white pepper over the chops in a pan and the Husband threw them in the oven when he got home. I had also left carrots with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and he roasted them along with cooking the chops. Apparently they were both delicious.

4- Silver White Cupcakes from The Good Housekeeping Cookbook edited by Dorothy B. Marsh. Section: Our Best Cakes. 

Modifications: Used orange flavoring instead of vanilla. I frosted them with a basic orange buttercream. This was my family’s traditional Easter cupcake recipe and the cake I most often requested for my birthday. I was excited to have my own copy of it now. We found the cookbook in a bin at the thrift store and the lady at the checkout was very jealous.

This cookbook is fun because it shows the shift from the 50’s where things were just getting more “ready made” into the 60’s where it was suddenly cool to have store bought things. There are a few bizarre recipes in here and the cake section has a few pages that talk about how to jazz up store bought cakes. The bread section does it too. I keep looking through it for dinner ideas, but it’s such  big book, I think I get a little overwhelmed.

I was terrible at taking pictures of things this past week. I wasn’t home for some of the dinners and the ate all the other foods before I could get out a camera. I will try to do better this week and have the Husband take a picture of Tuesday’s dinner before he eats it.

Now, on to the party foods!

 

Recipe Roundup
Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

LSiehLeave a comment

This week, I used a new cookbook! Technically it is a calendar that my older brother gave me a long time ago. I also made two familiar recipes, beef stew and mac and cheese that I didn’t use a recipe for.

I realized writing that out that I’ve slowed down on using new recipes, mainly because most of my evening hours have been taken up by one or another of my jobs. I think I may have to adopt a friend’s method of making dinner, which is to make it in the morning and warm it up or finish it at night. It’s something to think about at least. A plus would be that I would get to eat the dinner if I made it in the morning.

Dinner timing is something that is still evolving, but I’m enjoying the challenge. Perhaps once I have my Sundays back, I can do some weekly prep on as well.

Anyway, I have confidence that we can figure it out eventually. Now, on to the recipes.

1- Muffins from How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. 2010 Calendar, Month: October

Modifications: This is the second time I have used this recipe. I forgot the oil the first time and had added protein powder to the batter as well, but since there was no oil, they turned out not very good. They were pretty dry and dense. Luckily, I had only made a half batch, so not as many went to waste. The second time I made these I remembered the oil and left out the protein powder, but added cardamom and cherries. They still weren’t very good actually, a bit bland. I think I will stick to my normal recipe.

2-Beef Stew in the crockpot. I didn’t use a recipe for this. I’ve made this often enough that I just throw everything in now and don’t measure. I browned the stew meat in some olive oil first and then added it to the crock pot with a carton and a half of beef broth, two large sliced carrots, 3 medium potatoes, half a chopped onion, a bay leaf, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and oregano. Let it cook for 7-8 hours and you will have deliciousness. I didn’t actually eat this. It made a smaller amount than I thought and the Husband ate it for dinner and two lunches. We bought a smaller crock pot after our big one developed a crack, we think from cooking meals that were too small. This one is a 5 quart and it’s perfect for us.

3- Mac and Cheese with Ham, Butternut Squash, Mushrooms, and Onions. Recipe by me! Fancy followed us all over the house and was very sad that we wouldn’t share.

So I always start the cheese sauce for mac and cheese with a roux. I think it tastes better that way and helps it be creamier. The Husband says this was the best batch of mac and cheese I’ve made out of the three other recipes I’ve made, including the bacon one, so I’m thinking I’ll continue to make a roux. Why mess with something that isn’t broken?

I’ll give you the method, again, I don’t measure when I make this, so I can’t tell you exactly what I did. It’s different every time. So to start, I added olive oil and butter to about half an onion in a sauce pan. (The Husband had made noodles for me earlier.) Let it bubble and let the onions get soft. This batch I accidentally browned the butter lightly, but it just made it taste more delicious. Then I added chopped mushrooms-1/4 cup?, diced ham- 1/4 cup?, and frozen chunks of butternut squash and let them cook. I added around a 1/4 cup flour and stirred it all together. I also added salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper at this point.

When everything was lightly coated, I threw in milk, probably about a cup, and a quarter cup or so of chicken broth. Stirred everything until it started thickening up and added about 4 oz of Colby Jack shreds, 8 oz of cheddar, 4 oz of pepper jack and some shredded parm. The Husband had requested that it be extra cheesy for shells and cheese, so I was pretty generous with the cheeses.

I added the already cooked small shells and stirred until it was incorporated and then I threw it in a 350 degree oven and we took the dog for a walk around the park for about half an hour. It was delicious.

The Husband liked it a lot and had I not told him there was butternut squash in it, he wouldn’t have known. We have an agreement that I won’t hide veggies, but I generally don’t make separate meals. He’s an adult and can pick out what he doesn’t like. The squash was so soft though that it melted into everything and you couldn’t even taste it.

3- Szechuan Shrimp from Cook’s Library Wok and Stir-fry. Section: Fish and Seafood

Modifications: I added honey to the sauce. When I tasted it the first few times it was a salt bomb and was terrible. I have learned since experimenting with real Chinese food, that the thing I had been missing before was a balance of the salty/sweet/hot/umami. This recipe called for low sodium soy sauce, but that stuff tastes horrible, so we don’t use it. The honey took the edge off the salt, but wasn’t really a flavor you noticed.

I also doubled the sauce and added veggies. The original recipe is for an appetizer and we were eating it for dinner. I sautéed julienned carrots, snow peas, mushrooms, and yellow peppers in sesame and canola oil, pulled them out of the wok to cook the shrimp, and added them back in at the end to make it a dinner portion.

This recipe called for you to make a cornstarch/salt/egg white paste to coat the shrimp in and then deep fry it. I didn’t measure the oil, which was a mistake. The crunchy coating ended up stuck to the bottom of the wok. What did stick to the shrimp though seemed to help keep it from overcooking. They were nice and tender, no overcooked rubbery shrimp! The Husband has requested that I try this with chicken or beef too. The sauce was a good sinus clearing spice level and it turned out good.

We had leftovers tonight, but I do have a new pot roast recipe cooking in the crock pot right now that I may turn into dip sandwiches. It had thawed too much for me to re-freeze, so even when schedules shifted, I just threw it in. It should be done by now, so we’ll have good leftovers for the next few days. Hopefully we can eat it all, even with Easter leftovers on Sunday!

Recipe Roundup

Recipe Roundup

LSiehLeave a comment

Has it been a week already? Time moved very fast. We’ve had a couple of familiar recipes this week, chicken potpie and fried ravioli. But we did try some new recipes too, so it balanced out.

The Husband says I shouldn’t talk about the potpie. Really, it was the filling over rice or noodles. It generally works out, but was absolutely the driest thing I’ve made lately and it didn’t reheat well. Potpie was my husband snaring meal, so it was pretty disappointing. I thought I had turned the burner under it off and it was actually just on low. 🙁 There were no pictures taken of my shame….

The ravioli is a pretty simple process too. Dredge cooked and drained ravioli with flour, then dip in beaten eggs, and, dip in seasoned panko or regular breadcrumbs. Fry until brown and serve with a salad or fruit. We were both too hungry for pictures.

Here are the rest of the recipes.

1- Pan Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops from the Food Network website: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/pan-grilled-lamb-shoulder-chops-recipe

Modifications: None, except I just used a regular cast iron skillet, not a grill pan. I also found a very similar recipe in my newest FN magazine as well, but after I had already started the original recipe. It was pretty good. I am not a fan of meat fat, so was a little grossed out occasionally, but it had good flavor. Plus, it was a cheaper cut of meat, but the marinade helped it break down a bit first. We had Ranch carrots too, but they didn’t taste very much like ranch, so I’m not adding the recipe.

2- Potato Stacks from an insert in one of the Food Network magazines- 50 Things to Make in a Muffin Pan

Modifications: Nothing. I followed the recipe and they turned out pretty good. It made a lot though and I ended up using the leftovers mashed up on our elk shepherd’s pie. They had cream and parmesan cheese in them and they were delicious.

3- Curried Lentil Soup from Food Network, September 2016, v. 9, N. 7.

Modifications: I used green onions instead of leeks, since it was what I had. I ate this for lunch during the week and it was yummy. It was nice and spicy from the curry powder. The Husband doesn’t like lentils, so I didn’t have to share.

4- Herbed Chicken and Vegetables from Taste of Home: The New Slow Cooker. 

Modifications: I used carrots in the slow cooker, instead of broccoli. It was pretty good. I used bone on chicken breasts and the chicken was falling apart when we went to eat it. We had it with rice. I used the leftovers for my potpie.

5- Elk Shepherd’s pie, recipe by me. I just cooked up the meat, added Worcestershire sauce, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper, and some frozen mixed veggies, and beef broth. I mashed up the leftover potato stacks and added them on top and them baked it at 350 for about 20 minutes until the potatoes were hot. It was pretty good. The Elk tasted like a cross between venison and beef. I think I could probably sub it in for beef quite easily.

Tonight I’m working late, so the Husband is having leftovers and I’m eating more lentils.