Fried Chicken and Cheesesteaks

A response to "Food Stamped"

2011-12-30T09:45:00.000-05:00

We took an interesting documentary DVD out from the library this week - "Food Stamped" - it was written / directed / edited by a couple named Shira and Yoav Potash.

Shira Potash is a nutritionist, employed directly or indirectly by the food stamp program to teach kids in the public schools about healthy nutrition.     In the documentary this young couple sets out to live for a week, in terms of groceries, on the $50 which is a higher-than-average allotment for a two adult household.

She did this following the example of a few congressmen and congresswomen who also followed the same challenge for a week.

Points on which I agree with Mrs. Potash's theories:

1) We have an obesity problem AND a malnutrition problem in this country, especially among the poor.

2) Access to healthy food is difficult for the poorest citizens of our country, especially those without cars in urban environments with only corner stores.

3) A lack of education is one of the biggest problems.

4) Basing a lot of their meals on the cheap and nutritious proteins of beans and eggs was a good starting point.

BUT I also take issue with some of what she demonstrated and said:

1) She set up some straw men arguments .... the choice is not between living on ramen noodles or buying $5 bottles of organic, gourmet salad dressing.      In trying to still eat not only organic but FRESH organic, she didn't do much to demonstrate the "least of the evils" choices she could have made.

2) Eating salad and eating out of season produce every day is a new phenomenon, and one that started as almost a parlor trick for the wealthy to show off at their dinner parties.     It is NOT necessary nutritionally.

3) Whole Foods and similar gourmet grocery stores are just that - gourmet!    Of course they aren't going to be the source of daily sustenance for anyone who is on a tight enough budget to have only the money provided by food stamps.     Food stamps is a last resort type of thing - and I'm glad it's there for those who really have no other options - but if it DID allow daily consumption of $5/jar coconut oil, it probably would be a bit too generous ...

4) There was no individual highlighted in the documentary who was doing well in making those dollars stretch.    I certainly agree without a game plan and careful thought it would be hard to feed your family for $1.10/person/day.    But they couldn't find one single person who was doing it pretty well?

5) There was no acknowledgement that her husband might need more food than her - the quantities served seemed to be about equal.

6) I don't know how you would do this on the challenge, but another factor is that when you're cooking from scratch, you replace different ingredients each week.     This week I might need to buy whole wheat flour and a can of rolled oats, but I'll have enough olive oil and vinegar left from last week to dress my salads ....

So what would I have liked to see her do differently, and what would I like to see her more realistically teaching her students?

1) She slammed canned veggies as less nutritious, but didn't focus on frozen at all ... frozen green beans are likely just as high in nutrients as fresh green beans bought anywhere but a farmers market because of the transportation time .... but are frequently available for $1 for a pound bag.      Same with frozen spinach, frozen corn, frozen peas ....

2) She indicated she couldn't have peppers and showed a $8.99/pound fresh red organic pepper!   Ummmm ... who would EVER pay that?    I get frozen sliced bell peppers, tri color, for 1.99/pound.    And it's ALL useable ... no seeds/core/stem to throw out, which makes the effective price per pound higher.

3) Skip the expensive bread (either pull out your bread machine or get a normal store brand whole wheat), and instead spend money on a frozen bag of chicken tenderloins.      I think I pay about $8 for a 2.5 pound bag.    Easily enough for a few meals.    In fact one bag of frozen chicken tenderloins and a couple pounds of 80/20 ground beef would allow at least some meat for every dinner.   Or our local Trader Joes has chicken drumsticks, antibiotic free and organic, for about 1.29/pound.

4) If you're really tight on funds, serve EVERY meal with a generous portion of some type of whole grain carb ... for one dinner she had a beans and greens that they said was tasty, but didn't seem to be enough quantity for her husband.     Especially when you are that tight on portions, grits, whole grain penne, cornbread, whole wheat toast, etc ... all can help fill you up.

I guess my major issue, especially with someone employed by tax dollars to teach poor kids, is that she wasn't offering PRACTICAL solutions within the realities of poor families.   Whining that they can't afford the most gourmet choices won't help them do a bit better with what they DO have available.

Really easy Unmashed potatoes - organic, unprocessed and cooked in the microwave!

2011-07-20T20:43:00.000-04:00

This is unpretentious weeknight cooking to be sure, but also very tasty!

1) wash potatoes (mine were organic from the CSA)
2) cut them up in bite size pieces (don't peel)
3) place in microwave safe large bowl, cover with water
4) cook until tender (took about 16 minutes in my microwave with about 8 cups of chopped potatoes)
5) pour off water (doesn't need to be too thoroughly)
6) mix in some butter, thyme, paprika, salt (if you forgot to take butter out of the freezer until now, microwave for one more minute)
7) stir and serve in the same bowl!

So easy, so good ... and don't worry about adding some butter - its still MUCH better for you than most processed foods!

In a pickle? or jars of lovely quickles ...

2011-07-20T09:54:00.000-04:00

I don't know why, but it wasn't until AFTER my daughter was born that I started really enjoying pickled foods. With the weekly bounty of vegetables arriving from the CSA each week, plus my fondness for visiting farmers market in high summer, I've had plenty of fresh produce recently ... sometimes a bit too much. So I started looking into pickling. But as a full time working mom, spending 8 precious hours with my hot water canner was a no-go. But then I started coming across the phrase "refrigerator pickle" and "quickle".

As I read more recipes, many seemed to have a basic theme: 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups water, 1/4 cup kosher or pickling salt, brought to boil and poured over a jar of prepared veggies and spices (peppercorns, whole allspice, garlic cloves, cloves, hot peppers, etc). We later discovered that any that don't have a distinct garlic bite needed more sugar, so I added a sugar syrup the next day to the beets and the tupperware container full of mixed veggies that didn't fit in the jars.

Here's my results:

Beets, with some freeze dried ginger, allspice, cloves, sugar, peppercorns in jar:

Greens beans, carrots with minced freeze dried garlic, peppercorns, allspice, mustard seeds, little sugar, onion:

cucumber slices with significant garlic, peppercorns, mustard seeds:

My top secret brownie recipe

2011-07-19T16:18:00.000-04:00

This gets really good reviews every time I bring it to work, so I figured I would share.

1) buy a box of brownie mix (or better yet get it practically free with a double coupon on sale)

2) store on shelf for really long time

3) open brownie mix, preheat oven

4) replace "oil" listed on box with equal quantity of melted butter

5) replace "water" listed on box with equal quantity of cold leftover coffee

6) add eggs per instructions, stir it all together

7) add a handful of roadkill bunny (i.e. chopped dark chocolate - the lindt store sells broken bunnies cheap post Easter)

8) add a handful of mini marshmallows

You will have to bake this a bit longer than the box says because of the extra gooiness from the added chocolate and marshmallow. I like it served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Everything on the grill

2011-06-27T10:03:00.000-04:00

One of my goals in the summer is to have yummy meals without heating up the kitchen, so I grill just about everything, especially the wonderful produce coming from my CSA.   I facilitated this by buying some sturdy metal pans - two 8" bread pans, and a quarter sheet pan ... both WITHOUT non-stick, so I didn't have to worry about the high temperatures on the grill:

Cauliflower and/or broccoli:   wash, chop into bite size pieces, put in bread pan, shave a bit of butter on top, cover with foil, cook on top rack of grill.

Beets: remove stems and leaves, wash well but GENTLY so as not to remove skin.    Place in bread pan, add about an inch of water, cover with foil, cook on top rack.     Take off, allow to cool, use fingers to rub off the skin, then slice and keep in fridge for salads the next day.   Beets are naturally sweet but need a touch of salt or a little salad dressing in a salad  ... or serve warm, sprinkled with some chevre and toasted almonds ... or make a beet and green bean salad with a bit of Italian vinaigrette ....

Green Beans: butter/bread pan as above

Potatoes and spring onions:   same idea as this, but chop the potatoes small, and the onions thin.    Mix with some butter or oil, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, thyme and paprika.   Cook with the sheet pan directly on the grill (closer to the heat), and stir frequently.

Squash: Slice zucchini or other summer squash thin, mix with one thinly sliced onion and one red bell pepper.   Drizzle with olive oil, salt and black pepper.   Cover tightly with foil and cook on the top rack until the onion is completely cooked.

Dessert:   wash, (pit if cherries, cut if strawberries or rhubarb), toss in a bread pan with just a little sugar, break 1/2 a frozen pie crust over the top in small pieces, bake uncovered on top grill rack! I've now made them with multiple combinations of sour cherries, blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and rhubarb ... every one turned out great!     I lean towards under sweetening.   You can always serve with some vanilla ice cream.

Kohlrabi!

2011-06-16T20:24:00.002-04:00

This is one of those "oops forgo the picutre before it was devoured" posts .... but I'm getting a CSA share from Lancaster Farm Fresh again this year after two years off. One of the unusual vegetables in this past Monday's share was Kohlrabi.

I looked up how to cook them and found a variety of suggestions ... but I didn't want to heat up the kitchen. so I washed them, sliced off the leaves, sliced them into 1/2" slices, and put them in a metal dish with some butter. I covered that with foil and put it on top rack of my grill. Sooooooo good! It's like a cross between a tender broccolli stalk and an artichoke heart.

Yum Yum Yum

A few links I thought I would share ...

2011-05-18T18:07:00.010-04:00

I want to try this:
Pickled Beets

pdf of local Chester County Food resources

I'm really enjoying the variety and challenge of a CSA again:
The marvelous Lancaster Farm Fresh CSA - they're still accepting applications

Cheese drawer odds and ends Mac & Cheese

2011-01-08T14:55:00.003-05:00

A loose recipe I make every so often when I have some good cheese on hand ....

1st. Boil and drain one pound of pasta to al dente, drain and set aside. (I tend to use penne or ziti, but if you have elbows on hand, that is fine too)

2nd. Make a roux - melt half a stick of butter in a large pot. Whisk in about a quarter cup flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it's a light brown with a light scent of toast.

3rd. Mix in about a pint of milk, stirring constantly as it comes up to temperature (the flour will thicken the liquid as it comes to a boil). Season with mustard (dry powder or a prepared dijon or brown would be best), a few tablespoons of sherry or white wine, paprika, garlic powder or finely minced garlic, onion powder, pepper (preferably white pepper), nutmeg.

4th. Mix in about a pound of cheese, shredded. In my last batch I think I used fontina, cheddar, parmesan and a little bit each of Parrano and swiss. Any "real" cheese (except those studded with apricots or jalapenos) will work. Items that say "velveeta" or "cheese product" just won't do. This is a GREAT way to use up any bits in your cheese drawer. Anything from asiago to ricotta to brie to dubliner .... your mac and cheese will be different each time, but for a mouse like me, always a success. Save a little of one type for the top. Mix the rest in, stirring until it is all melted.

5th. Mix the pasta into the milk/cheese mixture. Taste to make sure it is seasoned to your liking. If you want, add some chopped ham or turkey or chicken (cooked) at this point. You could also mix in any veggie that is not high water content - already roasted pepper or cooked and drained peas, for instance.

6th. Divide into casserole dishes. This will make two good size round casserole dishes, or one generous 13 x 9 plus a bit left over.

7th. Top with the reserved cheese you saved for the top, and if desired some buttered panko crumbs or bread crumbs or crushed ritz crackers.

8th. Refrigerate for later or pop into a 375 degree oven until bubbly.

Side dish: spinach and artichokes

2010-12-30T13:45:00.004-05:00

I've made this a couple of times recently and its fairly easy and really good. Plus leafy greens are supposed to be good for you ....

Take a large pan and heat a bit of oil, lard or bacon grease (a tablespoon or two, though I never measure). Meanwhile rinse about a pound of fresh spinach. Throw the spinach in the pan and stir occasionally while it wilts. Season with a bit of onion powder and a bit of garlic (I used one frozen cube of crushed garlic, but garlic powder or fresh garlic will work as well). Add some squeezed lemon juice and sprinkle with salt. Add one can of drained artichoke hearts, preferably the small ones.

Serve warm with dinner!

Aunt Sachi's Clam Dip

2010-12-27T16:15:00.003-05:00

Anyone who knows me in person might be surprised to know I had a Japanese Great Aunt. By marriage, but still my aunt, she was a quarterly visitor during my growing up years. She and my Uncle Bob taught me to use chopsticks! After over 90 years on this earth she now rests peacefully in Arlington Cemetary next to my uncle, who retired an Army Colonel.

My sister made her clam dip this past weekend, and you should make it for the upcoming Eagles football game or New Years weekend!

2 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
2-3 cans of chopped clams, drained with juice reserved
1 tablespoon chopped chives (dried or fresh)
1 tablespoon onion soup mix
2 teaspoons hot sauce (Tabasco, for instance)

Mix about half the reserved clam juice into the cream cheese until smoth. Add clams, chives, soup mix and hot sauce. Thin to desired consistency with remaining clam juice. (make it just a little more moist then you think - it will firm up a bit) Refrigerate overnight for best flavor and consistency.

Serve with ripple chips, crackers and/or cut veggies!

Really, really yummy cocoa Brownies - almost flourless

2010-02-27T12:11:00.000-05:00

This recipe will make your arm hurt. But it is soooooo good. Really worth it vs. brownie mix (though I make those often enough too).

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used natural, dutch would work too)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cold large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour

Grease the bottom of a 13 x 9 pan. Preheat oven to 325°F.

Combine the butter, sugar, cocoa, and salt in a medium heatproof bowl and set the bowl in a wide skillet of just simmering water (I actually do this right in my dutch oven and haven't ruined a batch yet) . Stir frequently, and continue until the mixture is smooth and hot enough that you want to remove your finger fairly quickly after dipping it in to test. You will actually see the cocoa powder start to get smooth and shiny.

Remove the bowl from the skillet and set aside briefly until the mixture is only warm, not hot.

Stir in the vanilla with a wooden spoon. Add the eggs one at a time, stirring and stirring adn stirring after each one.

When the batter looks thick, shiny, and well blended, add the flour and stir until you cannot see it any longer, and THEN beat vigorously for another 40 strokes with the wooden spoon.

Spread the mixture in the prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick plunged into the center emerges slightly moist with batter, 25 - 30 minutes. Let cool completely on a rack.

It's fairly easy to make a gluten free version of this - because there is so little flour to start, just replace it with a gluten free all purpose from the grocery store. If you half the recipe, bake in a 8 x 8 pan, and bake for 20-25 minutes.

Royal Icing

2009-12-17T07:28:00.001-05:00

A wonderful icing for gingerbread cookies or cutout cookies. Left to dry overnight it will completely harden. Perfect as the "glue" for a gingerbread house or to attach decorations and sprinkles to cookies. I would NOT attempt this if my mixer was broken.

1/4 cup of pasteurized egg white (buy in the carton in the egg section at the grocery store)

1 pound powdered sugar

1 Tablespoon of lemon juice

1 Tablespoon of vanilla

water, if necessary

food coloring (paste type), if desired

Mix the powdered sugar into the egg white, vanilla and lemon juice about a cup at a time. Once somewhat combined, turn mixer to a high setting (using whisk attachment) and beat until stiff peaks stage.

Once you reach this stage you can use in a few different ways:

1. Spread the thick mixture directly onto cookies.

2. Use as "glue" in cookie house construction)

3. Scoop out approximately a third of this recipe into a smaller bowl. Combine with about a tablespoon of water and food coloring of your choice. Spoon into a sandwich size zip-top bag. Cut a VERY small hole in one corner, and use to squeeze onto cookies. (Do the same thing omitting the color to decorate with white)

Christmas Cookies: Gingerbread (gingerbread men, gingerbread starts, gingerbread trees ....)

2009-12-17T07:06:00.005-05:00

Ingredients:

1 cup unsalted butter, slightly softened

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons ground ginger (for a spicy cookie - use less if you like)

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon (again, for a spicy cookie)

1.5 tsp ground cloves

pinch of salt

pinch of ground allspice, just because it there in the spice drawer

2 teaspoons baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

1 cup molasses (I used blackstrap, but regular will be fine too)

5 cups all purpose flour

In electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until creamy. Add spices and salt and mix well. Add the baking soda mixture and molasses - beat for a while until thoroughly combined or until you reach the commercial break of the holiday special you are watching. Add the flour one cup at a time, then beat for two more minutes until well mixed. Let the dough stand while you go eat dinner or some other activity of your choice for about an hour.

Place a piece of wax paper or parchment paper on the counter. Put about a third of the dough in the middle of the sheet, then rip another piece off of equal length to make a parchment-dough-parchment sandwich. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out. Make sure to flip over your "sandwich" every minute or so. If the paper on either side starts to crinkle into cracks of the dough, carefully peel off the paper and lay it out flat and roll away. (Deep cracks will result in cracked cookies when baked). I think you are supposed to be getting the dough no greater than a quarter of an inch thick. If you ever figure out how to accomplish this, please let me know. Mine are probably 1/2 inch thick.

Place the dough sandwich on a cookie tray in your refrigerator overnight, or lay it on top of the ice cream containers (or any items the same height) in your freezer for 20-30 minutes. Repeat with the remaning thirds of dough.

Preheat oven to 350. Grease baking sheets. Remove a dough sandwich, which should now be cold and firm, from the fridge or freezer. Peel off the top layer of parchment, carefully flip it over so its is still sitting on parchment, and peel off the bottom layer. Now use whatever cookie cutters you like, and arrange cut cookies on a baking tray, no closer than 1.5 inches apart. If you like you can add the hard cinnamon candies for gingerbread men buttons or raisins before baking. Reroll and refrigerate the scraps from between the cookie cutters. Because you are not rolling on flour, the chance of a tough and overworked dough from the scraps is much reduced.

If you actually managed 1/4 inch thickness for your dough, then try baking for seven minutes. Mine were taking 10-12 per tray, depending on the size of the cookie. Remove to wire racks for cooling.

I decorate mine with royal icing:

Pistachio Wedding Cakes

2009-12-16T21:19:00.000-05:00

New Christmas season, same recipe as last year: Pistachio Wedding Cakes. If it ain't broke ...

Christmas Cookies: Maple Glazed Cookies

2009-12-16T18:51:00.000-05:00

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream together until light and fluffy:

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup Sugar

Mix in:

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup maple syrup

Mix in gently (on low setting if using mixer):

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

Drop batter by rounded tablespoons onto baking tray, spacing 3" apart. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until golden on the edges. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

For glaze: reduce 1/2 cup maple syrup by half. Drizzle over cookies, then sprinkle LIGHTLY with coarse salt. Allow glaze to harden overnight. Store in airtight containers.

Walnut Rum Blondies

2009-12-16T12:04:00.002-05:00

Any recipe that includes butter, brown sugar and rum is bound to be a winner ....

2 sticks butter, melted
2 cups brown sugar
2 egg
2 teaspoon vanilla

2 tablespoons dark rum
Pinch salt
2 cup flour

2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Butter a 13 x 9 pan.

Pour melted butter into mixer, and add brown sugar. Cream until well mixed. Mix in eggs, vanilla, salt and rum. Add flour and beat until just combined. Add walnuts and mix until stirred in.

Scrape batter into pan and spread with spatula until about evenly covering pan. Bake 25-30 minutes, or until done (like brownies be careful not to overbake - they'll set up a bit more as they cool). Cool completely before cutting, if you can wait.

Homemade Cinnamon buns

2009-02-17T21:59:00.001-05:00

These are SOOOO good, and they make your house smell like a Cinnabon while they are baking. (Cinnabon is, I'm quite certain, a registered trademark. I am not claiming these are the Cinnabon recipe. But two different people told me they were better)

In the bread machine, run these ingredients on the dough setting (the second time I made these, I actually set the dough cycle to run right before going to bed, and didn't die because there was milk in the recipe. On the other hand, we keep our house in the mid 50's overnight during the winter nights, so take that into consideration if you try it in the African heat):

1 cup warm milk
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup butter, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 packed (2 1/2 tsp) yeast

When finished, punch dough down and transfer to board:

Very lightly flour, and roll/stretch out, then brush w/ 1/4 cup butter, melted (or spread if you thought ahead enough to have some very spreadable):

Combine 1 cup brown sugar with 1 Tablespoon cinnamon. (GOOD cinnamon. Not been in your cabinet since Reagan was president cinnamon) If the smell isn't incredible when you open the container, don't bother making this recipe)

Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar mixture on all but the far edge (make sure to cover all the way to the edge of the other three sides):

Roll it up. To do this, start by turning the closest edge over once, then run your hands down to finish that "crease", stretching the dough to the sides a bit as you go, and keep rolling. Sprinkle a bit of water on the very edge to help the dough seal to dough to close the roll.

Cut into 12 pieces. I do this by cutting in half, then the half in half, then each quarter into three:

Place in a 13 x 9 pan, which you already greased. Turn the oven to 400 degrees. Cover the buns with a cloth just dampened with warm water, and allow them to rise, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in another part of the kitchen, put 1/2 brick of cream cheese (4 oz) with half a stick of butter into the merry go round with 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar and some vanilla (I actually used vanilla paste):

Give'm a whirl!

Bake the buns for about 20 minutes - until they are light brown on top:

Immediately after removing from the oven, spread with the frosting, so it gets ooey gooey melty on top:

By the way - did you know sticky buns, a regional favorite in Philadelphia are made almost the same way, but omitting the cream cheese frosting? You would just put a brown sugar (1 cup)/butter (half stick)/pecan (1 cup, chopped) or raisins mixture on the BOTTOM of the pan before allowing the buns to rise. They come out of the oven, you immediately flip them out of the pan so the gooey mixture on the bottom becomes the topping. If I was making sticky buns I would have used two 9" cake pans instead of one 13x9, for easier flipping.

Doctored Soups: Corn and Roasted Pepper Soup; Tortellini and Spinach Soup

2009-02-16T07:01:00.000-05:00

I love a good soup, made from scratch. With a homemade long brewed stock. But during the winter, especially when our lives are very busy and/or we're fighting illness, I want to eat soup more often than I have bones to make homemade stock.

So instead, frequently I doctor prepared soups:

Trader Joes Corn & Pepper soup:

+ frozen corn

+ some type of already cooked protein (in this case, Langostino Tails, which I've been dying to try. Ok, but I wouldn't buy them again) Canned chicken, frozen shrimp, leftover poultry or sausage would all work.

Heat and serve!

Another soup - tortellini & spinach soup.

Chicken broth:

Add some flavors:

frozen tortellini:

+ some frozen spinach

Reconnecting with an old flame ...

2009-02-11T23:08:00.005-05:00

Look what I found in my basement! He first made my heart light up at a large church yard sale (the type where everyone donates their old junk, and the missions committee gets the money from the sales). For five dollars, he was mine.

By the way - I have yet to be burned buying this type of thing used. So often people buy (or receive as gifts) fancy equipment, use it twice, and store it away .... and you can almost always look up the manuals on the web these days!

We make beautiful music together, don't you think?

Molasses Wheat Bread

3/4 cup water
1/3 cup milk
3 tablespoons melted butter
3 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups bread flour
2 1/4 teaspoons fast rising yeast or quick-rising yeast

- I used medium crust setting, large size (choices on my machine are M, L, XL) and the quick (two hour) bread cycle

Freezer Berry Crisp

2009-02-11T19:37:00.003-05:00

A quick dessert from ingredients on hand - and a VERY flexible recipe to boot. Any combination of berries (actually almost any soft fruit) will mix well. Just adjust the sugar added to the tartness of the fruit.

Berries, from your freezer. I used blueberries:

Cranberries, and some mixed berries - about 8 cups in total:

I added about a cup and a half of sugar (less if it hadn't included all those tart cranberries) and a splash of vanilla:

Meanwhile in another part of the kitchen:

Butter was melted:

Leftover, stale storebought cookies were tried and sentenced to execution by spatula:

Then mixed with about three cups of oats and the butter. (I didn't sweeten because of the cookies. If you're using all oats, add a bit of brown sugar)

Pour the berries into a 13 x 9 pan, followed by the topping. Bake at 375, 35-45 minutes.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream!

Making Do Dinners

2009-02-06T05:39:00.002-05:00

You know, I haven't been blogging much because the last few weeks (or perhaps even the last couple of months) have been more about eating for survival and frugality (i.e. not getting take-out again), then anything particularly interesting. Life has been busy, we've been sick off and on, we are dealing with insecurity in employment, and because of that wondering if we'll have to move .... and yet it didn't dawn on me until this morning that I am probably not the only one who needs "Make Do Dinner" ... so without any claims to originality, chefosity, or gourmet taste, here's a few easy meal ideas.

Stuffed Shells & Turkey Meatballs, from the freezer: I frequently stock frozen stuffed shell, bought frozen at the grocery store, as well as frozen meatballs. Those, with a jar of tomato sauce (or homemade from your freezer, if you happen to be challenging Martha for her crown), layer them in a 13 x 9 pan, and bake for an hour at 400 ... easy dinner.

Breakfast foods: eggs and toast (my favorite is frying a piece of bread, with a whole ripped out, then cooking the egg in the middle .... yum); pancakes w/ yogurt and fruit; corned beef hash from a can with a poached egg ...

Fried rice, especially if you have leftover chinese take-out rice and various leftovers to use up.

doctored soups - more on that soon.

Pretty Easy Baked Chicken Wings

2009-01-31T11:15:00.000-05:00

If you don't happen to be in an area experiencing chicken wing shortages this week, try this recipe on for size:

Start with 3-4 pounds of THAWED wings. This was a bag of all drumettes from my local Super Walmart. Yes, I do sometimes I go all out with gourmet food sources.

Add some garlic powder and hot sauce, and marinade overnight.

Then preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Put a few pats of butter in a large pan, and melt them in the oven:

Drain off the marinade.

In a one gallon ziplock bag, make a breading mixture of 2 cups Bisquick, paprika, fresh pepper, garlic salt, and onion salt. Then, add the drummettes about five at a time and SHAKE IT UP BABY!

Bake for about twenty minutes, then turn and bake for another fifteen-twenty:

If you like, toss the baked wings with buffallo sauce. But in all honesty, next time I would probably just increase the heat in the breading, instead DRIZZLE the wings with hot sauce. Either way, pretty tasty. Either way, pretty messy as well.

As is tradition, serve with celery, carrot sticks and blue cheese dressing.

Peanut Butter Frosting

2009-01-24T13:14:00.001-05:00

My grandmother had a birthday this week, and my grandmother adores peanut butter, so I decided to attempt a peanut butter frosting. "THIS IS SO GOOD" is one reaction I received from a coworker (I brought the extras into work), so I decided to share the recipe:

Prepare chocolate cake from a box, or cupcakes, or even just a spoon. Then make your frosting:

1 stick of butter, softened

1 cup of peanut butter (I like Jif)

2-3 cups powdered sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

~ 1/2 cup of milk

Use your mixer to blend the butter and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, about 1/2 cup at a time. Add the vanilla. Then add milk until the icing is somewhat spreadable. It will still be very thick. You could also roll it out like a fondant and lay thick slices over the cake.

I decorated mine with pink M&Ms and white Reeses Pieces. Decorate yours as you see fit.

Pistachio Mexican Wedding Cookies / Russian Tea Cakes

2009-01-21T07:45:00.000-05:00

I never got around to posting my cookie recipes before Christmas. But who says cookies are only for Christmas?

These are a twist on the Mexican Wedding Cake / Russian Tea Cakes. They are seasoned with orange and almond, and feature pistachios instead of walnuts. These are amazing!

2 sticks (8 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups powdered sugar

1 cup shelled, unsalted roasted pistachios, minced

2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest (or reconstitute dry - I get mine from Penzeys)

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon almond extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Heat oven to 350°F and lightly grease baking sheets.

Beat together butter and 1/2 cup of the powdered sugar. (If you have a stand mixer, use it) Beat on medium high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add pistachios, orange zest, salt, vanilla extract, and almond extract and continue mixing until ingredients are well incorporated. Add flour and mix just until incorporated, about 30 seconds (do not overmix).

Shape dough into tablespoon-size balls. Place 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until bottoms begin to brown, about 20 - 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly on the baking sheets, about 10 minutes.

Pour remaining 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar into a medium bowl. Working with 5 or 6 at a time, place warm cookies in powdered sugar, turning gently to thickly coat (you should see very little of the cookie underneath). Let cool and recoat in powdered sugar if a thicker coat is desired. (I skipped the second coating) Repeat with remaining cookies.

Eagles Green: Spinach Artichoke Dip

2009-01-16T07:42:00.000-05:00

1/2 C (1 stick) butter
1 large onion, chopped
20 oz. bag spinach, thawed & drained
1 can artichoke hearts, drained & chopped
8 oz. cream cheese
2 C shredded hard cheese (perhaps half cheddar, half parmesan)
2 T tabasco
Crackers, Tostitos Scoops, Celery and/or pita chips for dipping

melt butter in saucepan, sautee onion until soft.
Add spinach, artichoke hearts, cream cheese, 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese, tabasco. Stir until blended and heated through. Pour into casserole dish, sprinkle w/ remaining shredded cheese. Bake at 350 about 10 minutes until cheese starts to brown.