Adventures in Pop Tart Baking

That's right, I made my own poptarts. The real things, the ones from Kellogg's, are my Achilles heal. I lived on diet coke and chocolate poptarts when I was in college. The were my breakfast most days. I love them, I can't help it. Even now, when I know how terrible they are, they are my go-to breakfast when I'm running late. I can get one strawberry tart at the gas station for $0.69. And then I feel like crap the rest of the day. Hubby loves them too.

So, I set out to make my own and try and make them at least a little healthier. I found the recipe at Smitten Kitchen. I followed her recipe almost exactly, except I did the half whole wheat, half white flour version. And they were pretty good.

Homemade Nutella tarts

 I made two different kinds. One with raspberry jam and one with my homemade nutella. But, my nutella is very crumbly because I store it in the fridge and I made it with coconut oil, so they don't look as  pretty as hers do! I also made one that was half and half because I had just a little jam left from the first four. That one was amazing!

Raspberry tarts

 Apparently my fork pricks didn't make it all the way through the top layer, because they all puffed up quite a bit. And the tarts with the jam in them are a little soft still, they didn't bake up hard like the others did. I'm thinking they could've gone in for a little bit longer.

Baked and cooled the next morning. Not bad really.

The verdict: These are good, but they aren't the same. Which is okay I guess. They're good on their own. And if I keep some around, I won't succumb to the 8am frenzy that is the gas station!

This post is part of the Simple Lives Thursday and Pennywise Platter!

The Best Homemade Ice Cream Ever

And I'm not kidding, at least that's what my husband says :)

This is a recipe based on an Alton Brown recipe, but entirely different.

Ingredients:
3 cups heavy whipping cream
3 cups 2% milk
1 1/2 cups rapadura or sucanat*
2 vanilla beans

Heat milk and sugar in a saucepan on medium heat. Scrape seeds from vanilla beans and place beans and pods in pan with liquid. Heat to 170°F or until the very first bubble appears. Do not let it boil!

Mixture heating on the stove.

Turn heat off and let cool on the stove. Once cooled down, strain and place in fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight. Then process according to your ice cream maker's instructions.

Straining to cool. Yes, it was mostly cool at this point,
but my kitchen was VERY cold. I refuse to turn the heat on yet :)

After processing, it will still be quite soft. Place in freezer until hardened. This is where I add cocoa powder to some of it to make it chocolate. I mix about 1/2 a cup of cocoa with about 1/3 of the ice cream before hardening.

Then eat, both are delicious :) My hubby says the vanilla is so good that it's not worth making anything else! It has a little bit of a carmel-like flavor. It also isn't too sweet and, as my husband said, has a nice, refreshing taste. It doesn't leave you thirsty like some ice creams can. And, I feel good eating it. I know that there's only good things in it (for the most part anyway) and it's delicious. Enjoy!

*It is VERY important to use rapadura or sucanat, not regular white sugar. This isn't just for health reasons, but because it's what imparts the unique flavor to the ice cream and makes it oh-so-delicious!

This post is being shared as part of the Pennywise Platter.

Adventures with Summer Squash: Recipe

I don't have any pictures for this one, but it was very delicious! Hubby didn't care for it so much. He said he was tired of chicken stirfry. Whatever. I loved it. I mentioned it a couple of weeks ago.

1 c quinoa, soaked and rinsed
1 lb chicken, cut to strips
1 3/4 c chicken stock
1 c peas (I used my snow peas)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 T olive oil
1 T white wine
2 T tomato paste
1/2 c finely grated Romano cheese
salt and pepper to taste

I found this recipe (or the recipe this was loosely based on) because I had things on hand that needed to be used: chicken, a summer squash, tomato paste and mozzarella cheese. So I added some mozz and only put a little bit of the romano in. I also cut up the squash and added it, along with some fresh basil and oregano. It made it a little more Italian tasting!

The original recipe said to marinate the chicken in the oil, salt, pepper and garlic for about 20 minutes. I didn't really have the time, so I just sauted the garlic with the onion and cooked the chicken after that with the salt and pepper added to it. Deglaze the pan with the white wine (I think I used more like 1/4-1/2 cup, because I had just a little left in the bottle), then add the tomato paste and mix. Add the quinoa, veggies and stock. Simmer about 15 minutes. Mix in cheese and any additional spices. Serve.

It warmed up pretty well for lunch the next two days too.

This post is a part of the Simple Lives Thursday blog hop, The Pennywise Platter, and, because I got it up late, the Friendly Friday blog hop!

Adventures in Sourdough: Pizza on the Grill

Since I have been so busy lately, my sourdough starter has moved to a smaller jar, a jar that lives in the fridge. So I'm not using it as often, but I also don't have to worry about feeding it as often. When I need it, I pull it out, stir it up and sit it out in the laundry room to warm up for about a day. Which I did Monday. Tuesday was BBQ chicken pizza day.

I mixed up the sourdough pizza crust recipe from gnowfglins and let it sit for about an hour while I tried to tame the tomato jungle on Tuesday. Then used about 1/2 the dough for the pizza and put the other half on the table to sour some more*. I rolled it out with some cornmeal on the pizza peel.

I also had a whole chicken in the fridge that needed to be pulled apart, which I did. I took about 1 1/2 cups of the already-cooked chicken and warmed it up in a skillet with a little bacon grease. Once that was warm, I added about a cup of tomato sauce and about 1/4 cup of some barbecue sauce. I stirred that up and spread it out on the pizza. Then I just shredded some cheese on top.

Usually, I would also saute some onions and peppers in with the chicken. But, I didn't have any peppers on hand and I really didn't feel like cutting an onion. Since I used pre-made sauce, I didn't think it would be missed too much. (And I confess, it was store bought sauce from Trader Joe's! Hubby loves the stuff, but I guess it's a step up from Sweet Baby Rays, right? LOL)

My grill was preheated and I just slid it right on the grate. I wasn't a believer in grilled pizza, but it does work, I promise! No gooey dough falling between the cracks. It helps to get the grill good and hot when you first start and then turn it down a little after you put it on. Moving it over to indirect heat can also help. You don't want too much of a flame because that can cause the bottom to burn before the top is done.

Despite my initial trepidation, it doesn't fall through!

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a finished picture, and we ate it all, so, I promise it was good! It should take about 15 minutes, but check it after 10. Depending on your grill temperature and the weather (hotter outside = hotter inside the grill!), it can take up to 30 minutes.

 I've had an issue before where I put too much cheese on and it melted over the side. Which, of course, caused it to flame up and smoke...which wasn't good. But no worries, I was able to save the pizza!

Almost ready, yum!!

This post is a part of Simple Lives Thursday Blog Hop and Pennywise Platter Thursday.

*With the rest of the dough, we had cheesy garlic bread with dinner on Wednesday. Rolled it out on a stone bar pan, spread some of my whipped garlic butter on and topped with freshly grated parm. I baked it while the pasta was cooking on 400°F. It was DELICIOUS!

Oh what a night! [Pork Chops with Broccoli, Penne and Cheese Sauce]

Last night was a busy night for me. A volleyball night, three matches. I got home about 6, had to be to the park for a 6:30 game. I changed my clothes, grabbed a cheese stick and a bunch of ice water, hopped on my bike and got there with plenty of time. We had 6:30, 7:15 and 8:00 matches, three games each. And it was HOT! Like upper 90's with 100% humidity, no clouds and no breeze. The sand was almost too hot to stand on, all the way down and really dusty, we haven't had rain in about two weeks. I had fun though and we did okay. No heat exhaustion. And luckily the last games had a little shade from trees. But boy, was I glad I rode my bike. It created a breeze on the way home that felt awesome...though I forgot I live uphill from the park!

But this isn't about volleyball, this is about food! I got home about 9:15 and by 10:10 I had made dinner, eaten dinner and showered, it was awesome. I'm not going to give a real recipe for this, because it's just too easy. This one will just be a narrative. And I was too tired to remember a picture. But believe me, it was very good, and pretty!

Pork Chops with Broccoli, Penne and Cheese Sauce

• 2 pork chops
• 1 1/2 cups cream
• 1/2 t black pepper
• 1/2 t ground mustard
• 2 c shredded cheese
• 2 servings frozen broccoli
• 2 servings penne

I put a pot of water on with the lid to boil quickly. Then I got out to pork chops that had thawed in the fridge. I heated my cast iron skillet with a little bacon grease. Then I just sprinkled salt and pepper on the pork chops, both sides, and put them in the skillet. I have a meat press and used that on the pork chops. By this time the water was boiling. I put in some Dreamfields Low-Carb Penne* and frozen broccoli and put the lid back on. (Then I went upstairs and got a change of clothes).

After a few minutes, I flipped the pork chops and the water was back to a boil. I set the timer for 4 minutes and instructed my husband to turn the pork chops off when the timer went off and to turn the noodles/broccoli off 4 minutes after that. Then I took a quick shower!

When I got out of the shower, I drained the noodles and broccoli, drained the liquid off of the pork chops that had accumulated and poured it in the saucepan and turned that back on to heat through again. Into the pot I put the cream, pepper and mustard. I mixed it up well and heated it. You don't want to let it get to a rolling boil, just barely a simmer. Once that heated, I added the cheese and stirred it until it was melted. Then I just added the noodles and broccoli back in and mix to combine. I didn't really measure when I was making this, so you may have to play around with the quantities for what you want. Add cream, or more cheese or even more spices. Err on the side of not enough, you can always add more if you need it, but it's hard to take it out if you've put too much in.

That's it! I loved it. I don't think my Hubby was too impressed with the cheese sauce. I used a couple of awesome cheeses I got from Whole Foods, though I can't remember off the top of my head what they were. He's not a fan of "stinky" cheese, so that may have had something to do with it. But one that I used just smelled like macaroni and cheese, I had to use it!

It was good, very good. I will definitely make it again, but probably just for myself. I think it will warm up great for lunch.

*I know this isn't really a real food, but I am really trying to be low-carb still, I have about 20 lbs. to lose, at least! Eating just real food isn't doing it for me. Thanks to this pasta, this meal is very low-carb. (And, this is an associate link, just so you know!) I have been able to occasionally find this in the store, and it's becoming more common to find it, but Amazon is usually the best deal.

Adventures in Noodle Making

Well, as promised, homemade low-carb noodles! These were so easy, it was ridiculous.

• 2 cups Bob's Red Mill Low-Carb Baking Mix
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup cream
• some water

On a clean cutting board or counter, pile baking mix and make a well in the middle. Add egg and cream to well and beat. Gradually mix in baking mix to wet mixture. Mix into a workable dough (add extra water if necessary, you don't want it quite as well as a bread dough).

Now, I wish I had a pasta maker, but I don't. So I just rolled them out and cut with a pizza cutter. If you remember correctly, I made these while I was sick, so I didn't try very hard. They are a little on the thick side. Normally I would have separated the dough into three or so batches, but this was all I could muster. And they were perfect for what I needed.

I dried them for about an hour before I added some into chicken stock with chicken, a few herbs and some green beans from the pantry, canned last summer :) The perfect meal for a sick day.

The rest of the noodles I let dry for the rest of the day. I am storing them in the fridge though, since the baking mix has flax seed and some other things that don't always store well at room temp., like almond meal.

Yummy Low(er)-Carb Dinner

I love chicken chunks. Love them a lot. And my hubby really loves chicken nuggets and fried chicken too. So earlier this week I experimented. I used my Bob's Red Mill baking mix as a breading for chicken and it was delicious!!

Ingredients

2	c Bob's Red Mill Low-Carb Baking Mix
1/2	c panko bread crumbs
2	chicken breasts, cut into 1" chunks
2	t onion powder
2	t garlic powder
1	t chipotle powder
1	t curry powder
1	egg
1/4	c cream
1/2	c water

Directions

1. whisk together egg, water and cream in one bowl
   
   
2. in another bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients for dredging
   
   
3. heat about 3 inches of oil to 350 degrees in dutch oven (I used a candy thermometer to keep temp constant)
   
   
4. soak some chicken in the egg mixture, then dredge in breading mixture and fry a few at a time. Transfer to newspaper to drain excess oil off.
   
   
5. Chicken pieces are done when they are nice and golden brown on the outside, just 3-4 minutes is all it takes.

Read more: http://caloriecount.about.com/fried-chicken-chunks-recipe-r319849#ixzz0dodB1LwJ

These were very yummy! I will definitely be making them again. I served them with butternut squash french fries baked in the oven. Delicious! The chunks run about 10 carbs/serving (approximately) and I don't think Hubby even realized they were low-carb. The baking mix gave the breading a really great texture because not only does it contain different flours, but also oat bran and flax seed meal. (BRM mix contains: Vital Wheat Gluten, Whole Grain Oat Flour, Oat Bran, Oat Fiber, Flaxseed Meal, Whole Grain Rye Flour, Wheat Bran, Whole Grain Soy Flour, Sea Salt, Evaporated Cane Juice)

Adventures with Beef-a-roni!

My husband grew up on boxed meals. His parents both worked, his mom worked nights, and a lot of the time it was either he and his siblings cooking, food brought home, or something from a box. He loves the stuff, that and canned pasta.

However, I just can't do it. I'll buy him a few cans of the pasta stuff for when he's cooking for himself, but I can't in my right mind buy a box of beef-a-roni and make it for dinner! That's why I'm very happy I found a from-scratch beef-a-roni recipe! I've modified it a bit, but I'll post the original recipe here first.

Ingredients

1	lb ground beef
1/2	lb macaroni
2	c water
1 1/2	c tomato sauce
2	t sugar
1	t mustard
1	t pepper
1	t onion powder
1	salt to taste
2	c shredded cheese

Directions

1. Brown and drain ground beef
   
   
2. Add spices and mix to combine.
   
   
3. Pour in water and pasta, bring to a boil.
   
   
4. Simmer 15 minutes.
   
   
5. Turn off heat and stir in cheese.
   

Read more: http://caloriecount.about.com/beef-roni-recipe-r318265#ixzz0dcuUSQhC

The first time I made it, I stuck to the recipe and my Hubby loved it! And it's easy enough that he can even make it himself! Since going low-carb, I've had to modify it a bit. I'm still working on getting it just right, but it works for us :)

First change is to boil his noodles separately. This is actually making it difficult to get the right water ratio in the meat portion, but I'm getting close.

Instead of noodles for me, I usually steam some cauliflower or broccoli. It's surprisingly good over cauliflower!

I'm using my own home-canned tomato sauce with very little sugar in it, and then I only use about 1 t of splenda. I also cut up about 1/4 of an onion and saute it with the ground beef instead of onion powder.

And last but not least, I add garlic :) We love garlic! It makes everything tasty!

I unfortunately didn't get a picture of this from dinner last night, but it's not the most photogenic of meals anyway. But it's beef-a-roni, use your imagination! :)

Adventures with Cauliflower Soup

Yes, you read that correctly, cauliflower soup. I myself was skeptical, but I'm expanding my horizons, and I'm glad that I did!! The original recipe came from Pioneer Woman. Thanks for the inspiration :)

Unfortunately, everyone liked the soup so much I didn't get a chance to take a picture. But it was delicious. I used ham stock and put in a little bit of ham I had in the freezer from the holidays. I omitted the salt as a result of that. So good! Have I said that yet :)

6 servings. 6 carbs per serving!

Ingredients

1/2	stick butter
1/2	onion
1/2	carrot
1	stalk celery
1	cauliflower head (or two if they are small. You can also use frozen.)
2	T parsley
2	quarts stock (chicken, ham, veggie or beef will work)
1 1/2	cup whipping cream
2	t salt
1	c sour cream

Directions

1. Cut up cauliflower, celery and carrot into bit sized pieces. Place in roasting pan and roast at 375 for about a 1/2 hour. (This step isn't completely necessary, but I think it makes it tastier!)
   
   
2. Melt butter in soup pot or a dutch over. Add diced onion and cook for a few minutes (I added garlic too!). Add roasted veggies and parsley. Stir to combine.
   
   
3. Cover and cook on very low for 15 minutes.
   
   
4. Pour in stock, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer.
   
   
5. Ladle about 1/2 of the soup into a blender or food processor and blend. Return to soup.
   
   
6. Add cream and simmer on low for a few minutes. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary.
   
   
7. Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add 2-3 ladles of soup and mix with sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.
   
   
8. Serve immediately.
   

Read more: http://caloriecount.about.com/cauliflower-soup-recipe-r314516#ixzz0d6s60JCP

Homegrown Dinner

Well...not completely, but close to it! While making dinner tonight I realized it was almost a 100-mile diet meal. (and no, this isn't what was supposed to be on our menu tonight, but I was using things up!)

Beef stew of sorts with my first potatoes, my green beans, beef stock I made, beef from a local butcher and local meat, noodles from local Amish, some spices from my garden and a carrot from God-knows-where. Like I said...almost. The garlic was also from GKW, but the onion came from a local farm stand :) The butter and olive oil were also not local. I'm half-way there I guess!

Adventures with Ginger Beer!

Just a quick post today, didn't get any pictures yet, but I am making a lacto-fermented ginger beer (not really alcoholic though). I am following the recipe from a series of YouTube videos from Herb Mentor.

I just started yesterday. When it looks like something other than a jar of water with ginger in it, I'll update. If this works well I will definitely be making other flavors. Maybe this will help me kick my Dr. Pepper habit (though the cravings are dwindling)!

I am on the prowl for a place to buy bottles locally. I'm looking for the EZ cap kind that can be reused. I know IKEA sells some...but they're an hour away!

Recipe holder

The other day I came across a very nice looking recipe book holder that sits on the counter and immediately thought, "Oh, I need that!" But I don't. I know I don't. I very rarely use a cookbook and when I do, I usually put it on my kitchen table because I don't have a lot of counter space. I also have this ingenious little device that I utilize almost every day. (The paper clip and paper, not the soup cooling on the counter, sorry).


I have paired the trusty clothespin with a box of paper I saved from the garbage heap. About two years ago, we had some things printed at work to be used in the warehouse. They were supposed to be printed on bright yellow paper, but the printing company got mixed up and did it on white. Two big boxes filled with half sheets of printed paper were going to be thrown out. My boss knew I wouldn't like it and asked me if I wanted them to recycle. And of course I did.

First, I paired the pages with a bunch of cereal boxes I had saved up and made some cut notebooks for Christmas gifts. Then I gave one whole box to my mom. She homeschools my sisters (3 at that time I think) and I knew she could use the scrap paper for a lot of different things. I have kept the other box and still have about 3/4 of it.

I recently discovered that these pages were a perfect size for recipes! If I find something I like that isn't in book I own, I write it on one of these pages and when I need it, I just clip it up to the cupboard, easy peasy. When not in use, these bad boys are stored via binder clip in the back of my calendar. This makes them easy to sort through for when I'm planning meals. I also keep blank pages there because you never know when you'll run across something yummy. I have been slowly converting all of my random sheets of paper over to this method and it has been making my life just a little bit easier! I used to use magnets on my fridge to hold the loose pages, but that's on the opposite side of the kitchen from my stove and my spice cupboard.

So, to sum up what ended up a long post. I have found a cheap and easy way to keep my recipes at eye level while also keeping paper out of the landfill! Now I just need to find a use for the rest of it!

A happy new arrival!

They're here!


My seeds arrived last night, and I can't wait. I get to start seeds this weekend :)

And, my adventures in cooking a whole chicken in the crockpot were interesting. It gave a new meaning to falling off the bone. I think the only thing holding it together in the end was the skin! I got a lot of meat from it, but it was a greasy, gross, disgusting process. My husband tried to cut into it and it just collapsed from the inside out!



The meat wasn't that good though. So I think I will save roasting chickens for the weekend so I can roast it in the oven. It takes more to get the meat off the bone, but it tastes much better, in my opinion.

For this roast, I simply cut up some potatoes and carrots, added 1 cup of veggie stock and some onions and celery. I rinsed and patted dry the chicken then sprinkled it with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika. I cooked it on high for 1 hour while I got ready in the morning and then on low for 8 hours.

I'll be making a bone broth this evening.

Center Cut Pork Chops with Creamy Dijon Sauce

Pork chops in creamy dijon sauce with asparagus and quinoa.

This is a really good recipe I found here when searching for a good pork chop recipe a while ago. I tried it, and I loved it! I've made it quite a few times, but brought it back last week after quite a few months without it. I almost couldn't find it again! I thought I had it bookmarked, but I guess I didn't, I nearly panicked! But I found it, and now I can share it all with you :)

For this recipe, I used bone-in pork chops this time, and the only problem I found was trying to fit them all in the pan. I ended up cooking in two batches! Also, this time I didn't have any white wine to cook with, which is unlike me, so just didn't use it. I found the sauce wasn't quite as good, but I made my veggie broth with white wine, so that's the broth I used. Like I said, not quite as good as the original, but still good.

Ingredients

24	ounce boneless pork chops
2	T butter
1/4	c diced onion
1	glove garlic, crushed
1/3	c dry white wine
1/2	c chicken stock
1	t dijon mustard
1/2	c cream
2	t sage

Directions

1. Salt and pepper pork loins. Heat pan to medium, melt butter and add chops. it should sizzle, not smoke.
   
   
2. cook 3-4 minutes each side or until brown and cooked through. Remove and set aside.
   
   
3. Add onion and cook 1 minute, scraping pan.
   
   
4. Add garlic and saute another 30 seconds. Turn up heat and add wine. Cook until almost dry. Add stock and reduce by half.
   
   
5. Add cream and mustard and cook until thickened. Stir in herbs and add chops back to the pan to warm.

For the asparagus, I just cut it up and put it in my small skillet with some olive oil and a seasoning blend. I think I've talked about this before. Heat on medium for about 12 minutes, it's perfect. This goes really well with the sauce from the pork chops.

Pork Loin Roast

This recipe is simple and quick. It's more of just a recipe for a rub, rather than the pork loin itself.

1/2 c brown sugar
2T chili powder
2T cumin

Mix these three ingredients together and rub on all sides of the roast.

I like to put mine in a crockpot with potatoes and carrots. Cover veggies (just) with chicken or veggie stock and put roast on top. Cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 3-4. This makes a great roast to eat, but it's even better shredded for sandwiches!

Since the camera is dead, I didn't really get a pic, sorry.

PS, hi Nena!!

Making My Own Veggie Stock

Yesterday I decided it would be a good day to make some veggie stock. I ran out of what I had in the cupboard (store bought) and decided to do it myself. Why? Two reasons really. 1) It's much cheaper. 2) I know what's in it, and as of yesterday Hubby has to watch his sodium intake*.

Cost Comparison:
Store bought: 2.00 (best sale I could get, on sale with a coupon) for a 1 quart carton.
Home made: 1.39 celery + 0.75 carrots + .01 onion = 2.16 for 6 quarts. Add in the cost of the water, olive oil, salt and pepper and gas to heat it all and we're looking at 2.50 at THE MOST. Awesome.

So how did I get an onion for a penny? I don't know. I went to the Asian grocery store last night to pic up veggies for this and some Panko since it's on my way home. The only veg that had for this was the onion, and they were out of Panko, but I did get some noodles my Hubby has been requesting. The noodles were marked 2.99. I handed they guy my noodles and the onion and my total was $3.01. He told me not to worry about the penny. I'm sure the noodles were discounted somehow, but since I didn't get a receipt and paid in cash, I'm assuming the onion was one penny :)

The recipe below calls for white wine, which I used only because I had an open bottle, but it isn't necessary. It adds to the cost, but it's still less than store bought (on sale and with a coupon).

However you look at it, it's much more cost effective and I know exactly what went into it. Also, the packages stock comes in from the store are very difficult to recycle, and most places, including my village, won't take them. So now I get to use my own containers, freeze whatever I want, and it's super cheap! Plus I have some wonderful veggies to add to my compost pile. I can't wait for spring to start working on it and make it into beautiful nutrients for my garden!

Recipe:
1 lb carrots
1 lb celery
1 lb onion
2 T olive oil
1 T salt
1 T black pepper
1 c white wine
6 quarts water

Directions:

• Chop veggies into about 1" pieces.
• Toss in a large bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Make sure all pieces are coated.
• Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and heat oven to 400F
• Roast veggies for about 1 hour.
• Remove from onion and move from baking sheet to stock pot at medium heat.
• When veggies start to sizzle, add white wine and let it soak in/reduce.
• When it's fully reduced, add 6 quarts water and let simmer for 1-1.5 hours. Veggies should no longer have much of a taste when they're done. All of the goodness goes into the stock!

Chopping veggies.

Make sure oil, salt and pepper is coating everything.

Place in one layer on cookie sheet.

If you don't have a huge one like this, you can use two.

Yummy roasted veggies ready for the stock pot!

Chunky Potato Soup

Dinner last night was a chunky potato soup. Very good. Hubby loves it and I don't think he even minds there isn't meat in it!

To try and cut down on the sodium, I used some of my homemade chicken stock in place of one of the boullion cubes.

Ingredients

3	c diced potatoes
1/4	c chopped onion
1/4	c chopped carrot
2	c milk
3	c water
3	T butter
1	T parsley
1	T cilantro
1/3	c ground Parmesan cheese
2	T flour
1	t salt
1	t pepper
1	t mrs. dash
2	chicken bouillon cubes
2	t Italian seasoning

Directions

• Bring water to a boil, add fresh herbs and vegetables. Let boil for 5 minutes.
  
• Add milk and butter, boil 3 minutes more.
  
• Add spices and seasonings, then flour and cheese.
  
• Stir well so that the flour and cheese don't clump.
  
• Serve when veggies are tender. Top with cheddar cheese and saltines or whatever you'd like!
  

Oven-fried Chicken

Last night was oven-fried chicken, mashed potatoes and roasted asparagus at our place.


I prepped the chicken, went up and workout out on the elliptical, then came back down and prepped the asparagus. Trimmed and halved in a pan with a little olive oil and seasoning. I got this for Christmas from my mom I think and it makes amazing asparagus.


When I flipped the chicken, I just put the asparagus in for the last 15 minutes (okay 20, I always cook the chicken just a little longer to make it crispier!


Meanwhile I started the potatoes. This ended up being a mix of Idaho and baby reds. A little milk, a little butter, a clove of garlic thrown in with the potatoes, a little sour cream and stir. Yum.


I ended up adding a little parm to the asparagus when it was done, and it was very good. But I have a confession to make. The asparagus in January I enjoyed came to my kitchen all the way from Peru. When I realized that, I felt horrible. I know the potatoes were at least from Ohio, and so was the chicken, but PERU? I have a feeling this will be the last asparagus until summer for us. Luckily, it was delicious.


This is an awesome recipe from an Amish cookbook. This never goes to waste. I usually don't use 6 full chicken breasts (the pic shows a half breast), and honestly I never measure the ingredients. It's never bad.

Ingredients

6	boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2	c flour
1	T paprika
1	t garlic powder
1/2	t salt
1/2	t fresh ground pepper
1	t marjoran (optional)
1/3	c canola oil
1/3	c butter

Directions

• Put butter and oil in an 9 x 13 baking dish (glass is best) and put in preheating oven set to 375F.
  
• Mix flour and spices in a shallow bowl or paper bag.
  
• Once the butter is melted, remove pan from oven.
  
• Coat chicken breasts with oil mixture, then coat with flour mixture. Place back in pan. Sometimes I cut the breasts in half for more even cooking if they are large.
  
• Bake for 45 minutes, flip, and bake for 15 more minutes.
  
• The original recipe calls for bone-in, skin on, but I don't use those. If you do, place them skin-side down from the start and then flip to skinless side.
  
• These are good fresh from the oven, reheated or even cold!

Menu Deviations

Last night I decided to warm up some soup I had in the freezer rather than make tortellini. I just didn't feel like tomato sauce, which never happens. And dinner tonight is going to be white chicken chili instead of pot roast. I didn't get a lot of prep pictures of me putting it in the crockpot, but will at least get a finished one tonight, I promise.

Here's the recipe for the soup, it's very good! My husband even loved it!

Smoked Sausage Soup (serves 8)
Ingredients

1/2	lb smoked sausage
1	onion, diced
1	celery stalk, diced (or celery seed)
3	carrots, copped
2	garlic cloves, diced
32	oz. chicken broth
1	can diced tomato
1/2	cup dry barley (or rice or grain of choice)
1	bag baby spinach

Directions

1. Cut sausage into bite-sized pieces and brown in skillet.
   
2. Add onion, celery, carrot and garlic. Saute about 5 minutes.
   
3. Add broth tomatoes and grain, bring to a boil.
   
4. Reduce heat and simmer, covered 15-20 minutes.
   
5. Salt and Pepper to taste.
   
6. Remove from heat and add Spinach, stirring until it wilts.
   
7. *I added extra water to this and it turned out great. The chicken broth just didn't seem like enough liquid to me when it all got in the pot.
   
8. *This also freezes very well!

This time around I didn't get the spinach in, we didn't have any, but I did manage a tablespoon of Spirulina :) I also added a couple of diced potatoes for more a more filling taste. That's important in our house. It's a really good way to get the yummy taste of smoked sausage without my Hubby feeling like he needs to eat a whole pound of the stuff. Enjoy.

My Home Made Bread

Last night I didn't get to make my Chicken Parmasean, again! My friends invited me to $.35 wing night at a local restaurant. I didn't get wings, I got a chicken salad, but had a very nice time!

So, I will share my bread recipe today with you instead of the chicken parm.

Milk & Honey Bread

Makes 2 loaves
Ingredients

1 1/2	T active dry yeast
2 1/2	c warm milk
1/3	c honey
1/4	c melted butter
2	t salt
3	c wheat flour
3	c bread flour
2	c white flour

Directions

1. Dissolve yeast in warm milk
   
2. Add honey, butter, salt and mix
   
3. Let proof (stand) for 5-10 minutes
   
4. Add 3 c wheat and 3 c bread flour, mix until smooth
   
5. Add enough remaining flour to form a soft dough
   
6. Turn dough onto floured board and knead for about 10 minutes or until dough becomes elastic (Dough hook on mixer can be used as well)
   
7. Place in greased bowl, turning to coat the top
   
8. Cover with a damp towel and let rise in a warm place until dough is doubled, about 1 hour.
   
9. Punch dough down and shape into two loaves (a little extra flour can be added if necessary, but not too much or the dough can become crumbly)
   
10. Place in greased (and floured if you'd like) 9x5x3 loaf pans. I like to slip the tops a few times, which will prevent the dough from cracking, which can occasionally occur.)
    
11. Cover and let rise until doubled, about 30 minutes
    
12. Bake at 375F for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown
    
13. Coat tops with a little melted butter and turn pans on their side to allow bread to cool and prevent bottoms from becoming soggy
    
14. When cool, slice and serve! This bread is great for sandwiches when sliced thinly, but is hearty enough to use as a "plate cleaner" with yummy stews and gravy dishes.

Bread baking is something I really love to do. It's more economical and much healthier, plus I love it! I've had success with this dough using evaporated or even prepared dry milk as well, even more ways to keep costs down.



As this recipe makes two loaves and there are only two of us, I usually stick one in the freezer. (The loaf in the picture came out of the freezer the day before this picture was taken). I've had great luck with just putting it in a paper lunch bag and then in a gallon-size freezer bag. I don't keep it there for more than a week at the most, and I've never had it turn out badly. I've also used the gallon bag to keep the bread on the counter. Though I don't use any preservatives in this recipe, I've never had a loaf go bad before a week, and the loaf usually doesn't last much longer than that anyway, so I can't be sure how long it could stay good.