Snack Time!

One day it suddenly occurred to me that I could probably save a little money by making my own graham crackers. As it turns out, they aren’t at all difficult to make, are preservative-free with ingredients that I control, and taste just plain amazing. This little discovery has opened up a whole new world for me. I now look at boxes and bags of snack foods and start plotting how I could make them myself and make them better.

I’d never really thought about graham crackers outside of the box, so to speak. Some foods have simply become normal in their processed, packaged forms and I think that a lot of people, like me, forget that with just a little time and effort food can exist out of the box.

When we make foods ourselves we are able to control the ingredients that go into them. For instance, more organic and local ingredients can be incorporated and preservatives are left out. I also believe that when we see the ingredients that go into the food and participate in the production of what we’re eating we are more likely to make healthy choices. It’s hard to ignore that stick of butter or cup of sugar when you’ve just seen it on its way into your food.

My foray into graham cracker production seems to be the tip of the iceberg. I’m now working on finding, testing, modifying and inventing granola bar, cracker and more graham cracker recipes. Stay tuned for the results.

Soup Season: Italian Sausage Soup

1 lb Cooked Country Style Italian Sausage
4 Cups Diced Potatoes(about 4 medium)
1 Cup Diced Onion(about 1/2 a medium onion)
1 15 oz Can Cannellini Beans
1 14.5 oz Can Diced Tomatoes
4 Cloves Crushed Garlic
6 Cups Beef Broth
2 Cups Water
2 1/2 Teaspoons Italian Seasoning
1 Bunch Fresh or 1 Box Frozen Spinach 

Combine all ingredients except the spinach and simmer until potatoes are done. Add spinach just before serving so that it retains some of its form and doesn’t become slimy and gross. I simply added chopped fresh spinach to the bowl, enough to nearly fill it because spinach reduces in volume so much, and let the heat of the soup cook it.

It couldn’t be more simple. This soup barely takes more time and effort to make than warming up a prepared can of soup–but it tastes oh-SO-much better!

Tamale Pie

I suspect that variations of this dish emerged and enjoyed some popularity int the 1950’s, the casserole age. I don’t remember ever eating it, it wasn’t part of my grandmother’s casserole playbook, and yet I still found the idea of it floating around in my head. I love tamales and I wanted the approximate taste and texture of them without all the work. Well, here it is:

Filling Mixture

1 Pound Ground Beef
1/4 Onion, Diced
1 Can Beans (I used kidney beans I had on hand, black or pinto would work nicely too)
1/2 Can Corn
1 Small Can Tomato Sauce
1 Package Taco Seasoning (or your favorite taco seasoning blend)
1/2 Cup Water

Brown and drain the fat from the ground beef and the onions. Mix in the rest of the ingredients and let the liquid cook down at a medium temperature. While the filling is cooking down prepare the “crust.”

“Crust”

1 Heaping Cup Corn Meal
1 Cup Cold Water
3 Cups Boiling Water
2 Cloves Garlic
Salt To Taste
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Combine the corn meal and cold water. Slowly and carefully mix in the boiling water and add the garlic and salt. Allow this mixture to thicken at medium high.

Spoon half of the “crust” mixture into the bottom of a greased 8-inch square baking dish. Layer the filling on top of that and smooth the rest of the “crust” on top. Cover with 1 cup shredded cheese and bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

It’s Lemon Thyme! Roasted Chicken (with roasted veg)

Ahead of time, mix together:

1 Tablespoon Dried Thyme (fresh would be fantastic, if you can)
4 Garlic Cloves Minced
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Pepper
4 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Allow this mixture to develop for at least four hours then coat your chicken with it and stuff the cavity with a quartered lemon.

Roast at 375 degrees until internal temperature is 165 degrees or juices run clear when pierced. Let it rest before serving.

I chose to serve it with roasted brussels sprouts, turnips and acorn squash. I cut the turnips and squash into 1/2 inch pieces, roughly the same size as the brussels sprouts, and coated everything in olive oil. I salted them and let them roast with the chicken for about 40 minutes. I’ve found that almost any vegetable is delicious when cooked this way.

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

Banana Bread is possibly the easiest and most loved dessert/snack/breakfast treat ever. It’s a quick bread which means that it uses either baking powder or baking soda instead of yeast, kneading and time to make it rise. It takes about ten minutes to put it together, about 50 minutes to bake and a bit of cooling time. Tada! Banana bread! Yeah, it’s that easy.

While the oven is heating to 350 degrees combine:

1 Cup White Flour
1/2 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips 

These are your dry ingredients. Keep them dry while, in a separate bowl, you mix well:

1 Egg
3 Very Ripe, Mashed Bananas
3/4 Cup Sugar (You can use only 1/2 Cup if you want to cut back on the sugar.)
1/4 Cup Cooking Oil 

Quick breads use the muffin method of preparation which means that you only mix the dry with the wet at the very last minute and you just barely mix it together. If you mix it too much you’ll end up with a hard little brick. Once the wet and the dry are just combined–there will still be lumps–pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until the top is a nice goldeny brown.

Soup Season Part 1: Potato Soup with Peas and Cheese

Soup season has started early in Bozeman with this past weekend’s early snow and frigid temperatures. This winter is expected to be especially harsh and with the terrible economy soup is a warm, comforting and inexpensive dinner choice. I’m starting soup season off with my tried and true potato soup.

I can’t give you exact measurements for ingredients here because I haven’t measured them for about twelve years. The amount of vegetables should just look right to you. If you’re a moderately skilled cook you’ll know the right amounts. I will, however, update the recipe with exacts next time I make it.

I started making this soup when I was sixteen and, in my experience, it is everyone’s favorite. Boyfriend after boyfriend has enthusiastically devoured bowl after bowl. I usually eat so much of it I can barely move. The recipe, as I found it in a magazine, did not have peas or cheese and it included some kind of meat, most likely ham. I was a vegetarian at the time (on a bet) and always left out the meat. The peas and cheese are recent additions to the recipe and if you do like meat then about a cup of cubed ham is a nice addition.

5 Medium Potatoes, Cubed
2 Small Carrots, Chopped
2 Small Celery Ribs, Chopped
1/2 Small Onion, Chopped
1/4 Cup Butter
1/4 Cup Flour
2 Cups Milk 
1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1 Cup Frozen Peas
Salt and Pepper

 In a large soup pot, add water to the potatoes until they are just covered. Salt and pepper the water. Start the potatoes on a high burner and Chop the rest of the vegetables. I usually give the potatoes a couple of minutes head start on the carrots and celery and then add the onions last. This way none of the vegetables get cooked to mush. You want to cook the vegetables until they are soft, but still retain their shapes.

Once all the vegetables are nearly done cooking start a cheese sauce in a medium sauce pan. Melt the butter over medium-high heat. Mix in the flour and then gradually add the milk while whisking to avoid lumps. Add the cheese to this mixture and gently boil it until it is smooth and thickened. It doesn’t take long and it’s a huge mess if it burns to the bottom of the pan, so watch out!

Incorporate the cheese sauce into the undrained vegetables and add the peas. Let the soup gently boil a few more minutes so the peas get cooked.

This makes about four large servings. 

Serve with bread on a cold day… Although I’ve enjoyed it very much on hot days too!

Bread Pudding With Pears

Bread Pudding With Pears

4 Beaten Eggs
2 Cups Milk
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar(Packed)
1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
4 Cups Dry Bread Cubes(French Bread, Ciabatta, or whatever you have that would be good)
2 Fresh Pears Cut Into 1/2 Inch Cubes
1/3 Cup Raisins

Beat together eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.
Mix bread cubes, pears and raisins in an ungreased two quart baking dish.
Pour egg mixture over bread and fruit. Be sure that the bread mixture is completely soaked.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
Serve warm!

The End.

 

Tasty Baked Chicken Strips

1 lb. Chicken Breast (cut into 1 inch strips) or Chicken Tenders

1/2 Cup Plain Yogurt

1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper

1 Teaspoon Salt

1/2 Cup Seasoned Bread Crumbs

Mix the yogurt, garlic powder, pepper and salt. Add the chicken strips and coat with mixture. Roll in bread crumbs and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Turn once halfway through baking. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

These chicken strips are quick, easy and lower in fat than fried chicken strips. The yogurt gives them a tiny bit of bite. I make a double batch and freeze the already mixed leftovers. I take them out of the freezer in the morning and by dinner time it takes less than half an hour to roll them in bread crumbs and bake them. Talk about fast food and delicious!

Summer Buzz II

I actually made the Coffee Ice recipe using my electric ice cream maker and it is a decadent, extravagant treat!

I upped the vanilla extract to 1/2 teaspoon and I left the mixture in the ice cream maker until it thickened and was sort of milkshake-like. Then I put it in a container in the freezer to harden. It has a slightly grainy texture that reminds me of a frappuccino and talk about rich, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth flavor!

Summer Buzz

The last few days have been warm enough that I’ve gotten frozen coffee drinks to help keep me awake through the 3pm drowsies. They are wonderful, tasty and I’d make them at home if I owned a blender. Lest you think that certain Seattle based coffee shop chains originated the frozen coffee treat I give you the retro recipe Coffee Ice from Mrs. Owen’s New Cook Book and Complete Household Manuel– published in 1897!

Mrs. Owens’ New Cook Book and Complete Household Manual By Frances Emugene Owens

Unfortunately this recipe doesn’t include anything other than a list of ingredients, so the reader must refer to the general directions for water ices given at the beginning of the frozen foods section.

Mrs. Owens’ New Cook Book and Complete Household Manual By Frances Emugene Owens

I’m going to try this recipe in my modern, electric ice cream maker and see how it turns out. My guess is it’ll be thicker than the coffee drinks I’ve been getting, but pretty tasty! Watch for an update!