At Home on this Mountain
Friday, September 5, 2008
Family Reunion and a recipe
Posted in EatingWe spent Labor Day at my Grandpa and Grandma's house this year. Well, my folks have their RV parked on the G's property so we were at their house too! Anyway, it was something of a reunion since my dad's whole family was there except his sister's family and *my* sister's family (but they're moving to the same town as the folks, as I type!) It's always fun to see the cousins (especially since 3 of the kids there weren't born the last time we were all together. Here's a picture of us:
In the back row, from the left, we have my dad's younger brother (who is the same age as my husband), then my dad in the brown shirt with the gray hair and goatee, my dad's identical twin (holding the black dog), my brother, my husband and my grandpa. In the middle row we have my youngest cousin, his mom (holding him), his older brother (in the white shirt), my Aunt M. (married to Dad's twin), my mom, me, RK and my grandma. And in the front, the daughter of Dad's younger brother, TH, AC in front of my mom and MJ. Oh and in the very front is Jose, my mom's Chihuahua.
I had a giggle at the picture since my dad is standing behind my aunt and his brother is standing behind my mom. It's not the first time they've gotten briefly confused. This time it was because Dad was setting camera and timer so he had to run and get in the picture wherever he could find a spot.
And here's a scrumdiddlyumptious recipe that Aunty M. made for us on Monday. It was easy peasy and everyone loved it, even the kids!
1 big can black beans (about 3-4 cups if you're using homemade), drained and rinsed
2 normal sized cans Rotel tomatoes with green chiles (I think I will try it with some salsa when I make it)
2- 8 oz blocks of cream cheese, softened
Combine everything in a large bowl. Serve with tortilla or corn chips. That's it! So yummy too!! And pretty easy to make some NT style changes for an even healthier treat. My favorite!
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Wednesday, August 13, 2008
First Birthday Cupcakes
Posted in EatingHere is the promised recipe for RK's birthday dessert. These would make very nice muffins for breakfast and we (almost) all enjoyed them as cupcakes too.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees (you'll turn it down later).
Combine in a medium bowl and mix well with a wire wisk:
2 cups flour (I used AP this time but would normally use whole wheat pastry)
1/2 tsp baking powder (I will increase this to 1/2 T when making with WW flour)
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
In a large bowl combine (stirring well to thoroughly combine wet ingredients):
3 eggs
3/4 cup agave nectar
10 T liquid fat (EVOO or VCO or melted and cooled butter)
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cups grated carrots
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and fold gently until just moistened throughout. Pour into greased or paper-lined cupcake tins. I used a 12-cupper and filled them 3/4 full so they would have a nice crown. They turned out lovely that way!
Put the tins in the oven and immediately turn down to 400 degrees. Bake for abotu 20 minutes.
For cupcakes I mixed together a couple ounces of cream cheese and a little agave nectar (maybe 2 tsp?) and a splash of vanilla. I think I added a little milk too but then had to add a little powdered sugar to thicken it all up again. It was a very soft spreadable type icing and quite yummy. Experiment with that and see if you don't end up as happy as this:
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Monday, August 11, 2008
Menu Plan Monday August 11-17, 2008
Posted in EatingMonday- chili dogs, coleslaw, oven fries
Tuesday- cabbage rolls, fried okra, bread
Wednesday- enchiladas, Mexican rice, salad
Thursday- leftovers or sammies
Friday- pancakes, bacon, eggs
Saturday- taco salad
Sunday- spaghetti carbonara, salad, bread
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Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Menu Plan Mon-Tuesday July 21-27
Posted in EatingI haven't been planning my menus much lately, on paper/screen anyway. I've just had a general idea of what I want to use up, what I bought at the farmers market and what everyone has been asking for. I've been playing it pretty much by ear. I thought this would be a good week to try a bit of advance planning though. So here goes:
Monday
breakfast- waffles
lunch- leftover baked pasta, garlic bread
dinner- corned beef hash, fresh corn on the cob (garden), sliced roma tomatoes (garden)
Tuesday (must go to bank and grocery for a few odds and ends; soak pintos for tomorrow's dinner)
breakfast- oatmeal
lunch- Pippi's
dinner- It's our 8th anniversary so I'll give the kids some mac and cheese and put them to bed early, then serve my love a nice grass-fed sirloin steak, more corn from the garden, tomatoes and maybe some boiled red potatoes. I need to think up something for a dessert as well.
Wednesday (put pintos in crockpot in the morning)
breakfast- corned beef hash with scrambled eggs
lunch- leftover Chinese from Sunday, pbj pitas for those who wish
dinner- tacos, refried beans, Mexican rice
Thursday (bake pita in morning)
breakfast- scrambled egg pitas
lunch- egg salad pita sandwiches, pretzel sticks
dinner- burritos with Wednesday's leftovers (probably in pitas because I will be low on tortillas from tacos)
Friday
breakfast- baked oatmeal
lunch- leftover burritos
dinner- Chili's downtown before the ball game (hopefully with my parents)
Saturday (pull chicken to thaw for Sunday dinner)
breakfast- blueberry coffeecake, fried eggs
lunch- grilled cheese, tomato soup
dinner- Alton Brown's french toast, bacon
Sunday
breakfast- omelets, biscuits
lunch- something on the run; we'll hit the farmers market after church
dinner- chicken cacciatore, fresh veggies, polenta
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Thursday, May 29, 2008
Jambalaya and the first garden veggies
Posted in EatingLast night's supper:
I bought the yellow squash from the vegetable stand, as our squash plants are still just a small green dream of suppers to come. The rest came from the garden- the first of the peas, mostly in the pods, some lamb's quarter (also known as a weed) and a bit of swiss chard. I had never eaten swiss chard before. It's tasty. I just sauteed the squash in a big bit of butter for 3 or 4 minutes then added the green stuff and some salt and pepper for another 2 minutes and chucked it in my pretty new bowl.
All the things on table are from my yard sale trip with Chas last weekend. The doily, the bowl and the platter were 50 cents each. That was the average price of all the things I bought actually.
The jambalaya is from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything although I used kielbasa instead of shrimp and 2 CANS of tomatoes instead of 2 cups of fresh ones (that was a bit of a whoops but it worked out well) I also used brown rice which extended the cooking time to at least an hour (and I put the lid on for a portion of the cooking time). In lieu of fresh bell pepper (which I should have in spades in a couple months) I used a pickled pepper from last year's bounty. My garnish is a few leaves of wood sorrel which has a slightly tangy taste when eaten alone but adds only color to this dish. Honey said it was the best jambalaya he has ever eaten (because growing up north of Seattle you know he's a serious authority on Cajun food) which made me happy. We'll definitely be having this again, much to TH's dislike. I used a whole kielbasa (1 pound) but half would have easily sufficed. This dish would double nicely for a bigger crowd- we had plenty of leftovers as it was.
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Saturday, February 2, 2008
Dinner in February
Posted in Eating1 Feb- brats, kraut, oven fries, steamed carrots
2 Feb- split pea soup with ham, french bread, raw carrots with ranch
3 Feb- skillet chicken teriyaki, rice
4 Feb- salmon puffs, twice baked potatoes, veg
5 Feb-
6 Feb-
7 Feb-
8 Feb- ham and pineapple pizza, carrot sticks
9 Feb-
10th-
11th-
12th-
13th- tacos, frijoles, mexican rice
14th- LOVE DAY! Breakfast for dinner- heart-shaped sausages, pancakes and scrambled eggs, juice
15th- Marlboro Man sandwiches, oven fries, raw veg
16th- lentil veggie soup, french bread
17th- roast chicken, mashed potatoes, veg
18th-
19th- beans, rice, tortillas
20th- lasagna, bread, raw veg
21st- black bean soup, tortillas
22nd- pepperoni pizza, raw veg
23rd- taco salad
24th- beef stew, biscuits
25th- Eat Out
26th- Texas Auntie's lentil soup, bread
27th- enchiladas, frijoles, mexican rice
28th- pancakes, bacon, eggs
29th- LEAP DAY- tried to think of a "jumpy" kind of menu for tonight; I came up with: fried chicken legs, baked "jumping" beans, oven fries (they do tend to leap off the platter) and finger jello for dessert- sort of wiggly/jumpy
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Sunday, January 13, 2008
Quick and Dirty BBQ Sauce
Posted in EatingDearest found a package of "lil smokies" (as we call any small hotdog-like product in my family) in the fridge and hoped they were for lunch today. He found them about 10 minutes before my macaroni and cheese was due out of the oven. He also hoped I had BBQ sauce to go over them. Not wanting him to doubt the wonder-womanhood of his wife I headed to the interweb to find a recipe. Of course I can never leave well enough alone and I never have all the proper ingredients for any recipe, even if I take the recipe to the grocery store with me while I am shopping. So here's the original recipe.
And here is what I did for ours. Everyone liked it but I think TH was put off by the small bits of onion (although he didn't say so) because he only ate 4 of the "smokies" instead of his usual 12. Sounds like a good way to keep the food budget intact
Quick and Dirty BBQ Sauce
1/2 large onion, finely chopped (nearly minced)
2 T bacon grease (aw yeah!!)
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup tomato ketchup
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
3 T Worcestershire sauce
2 T spicy brown mustard (really not all that spicy but different from yellow mustard, which you could also use)
In a medium saucepan melt bacon fat and sauté onions for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic on top of the onions and cook for a few more minutes, stirring after a minute or so. Stir frequently to avoid burning the garlic (blech!) Add the brown sugar and stir, then allow to simmer a bit while you assemble the wet ingredients in your handy dandy two-cup measure. Mix up all the wet stuff in the measuring cup and add to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium/medium low heat for 5-20 minutes (or until your family insists they must eat NOW regardless of the food's state of doneness)
This is a little thicker than most homemade sauces- more the consistency of a store-bought sauce although still not that thick. I used to use the Hillbilly Housewife's recipe and it was tasty but thin. I cooked today's sauce about 5 minutes on its own, added the sausages and cooked about 5 more minutes and served. I imagine longer cook time would thicken the sauce more and blend the flavors better. As it was everything was bee-wicious and no one complained. Dearest was pleased and remains happily ignorant of my true non-Wonder Womanhood. All is well in Lindsey in AL-land.
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Wednesday, January 2, 2008
January Dinners
Posted in EatingI am hoping to stock up on some bulk staples this month and the next. So I am trying to simplify a few nights a week- more soups, stews and beans, fewer "fancy" dishes that require last minute grocery runs. That way I can squeeze out an extra few dollars for 50 pounds of kidney beans and 50 pounds of brown rice. Just one of the many reasons I love the cold weather- it's not yet 30 degrees today and it's already almost 4:00 pm! Hooray!! I do love the South but I do not love the heat. I enoy the cold and my beef stew and hot tea while I can :D
1- chili beans, brown rice, cheese
2- hamburger stroganoff, veg
3- pancakes, eggs, bacon
4- doctor's appt and big shop today- something easy or frozen
5- homemade pizza- ham and pineapple, raw veg
6- whole chicken in the crockpot, gravy, mash, veg, rolls
7- salmon patties, twice baked potatoes, veg
8- taco soup in crockpot, cornbread
9- lasagna, bread, raw veg
10- cheese omelets, toast, maybe hashbrowns
11- hot dogs, macaroni salad
12- Marlboro Man sandwiches, oven fries
13- pizza casserole (let me know if you have a T&T recipe for something like this)
14- kielbasa and kraut, mash, veg
15- split pea soup, french bread, cheese, fruit
16- tacos, frijoles, spanish rice
17- tater tot casserole, veg
18- fried rice, lumpia
19- pot roast, roast veg
20- tuna casserole
21- shepherd's pie, biscuits, fruit
22- lentil vegetable soup, bread
23- spaghetti, bread, raw veg
24- pancakes, bacon, eggs
25- bratwurst, kraut, oven fries
26- fried chicken, mash, veg
27- corned beef hash, veg, bread
28- beef stew, biscuits, cheese
29- chili, cheese, crackers, raw veg
30- enchiladas, spanish rice, frijoles
31- potato pancakes, tuna, applesauce, sweet pickles
I have pretty much all the meat for all of these dishes in my freezer. WE bought a side of grass-fed beef in August and it has been such a blessing! We also butchered 2 dozen chickens in May and we're really pleased with that as well. If we could just get settled in with a couple of dairy animals so I could make my own cheese, I'd be well pleased. I am really pleased with myself this week because I won't go shopping until the 4th and I'll still be ok for suppers until then. I had to do some finagling because I am about out of cheese (except for the mozzarella for Saturday's pizza) so a lot of my old standbys are a no-go this week.
I hhink I may need to start making a batch and a half of my pizza crust and dividing it in 2 instead of 3. We need a bit more than one pizza nowadays. The kids are always mad that there isn't more when they've finished their first helpings. I'll just make 2 slightly smaller pizzas instead of the huge one I usually make. I won't need twice as much of the other ingredients but they'll think they're getting more because there will be more pieces- I am evil like that
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Thursday, December 20, 2007
Goodies, goodies everywhere...
Posted in Eating...and not a bite to eat (until Christmas)!!
I used to be like that. I'd never let anyone eat more than one piece of any Christmas cookie or candy until the first time everyone got together- usually Christmas Eve. Nowadays I am more lenient and let husband and the kids have a bite now and then. I still want to have enough to take with us the 26th (to Greate-Granny's) and to eat on Christmas Eve and the Big Day itself. I am trying to celebrate Christmas as a season, rather than just getting ready for a single day. I want to make sure and enjoy my family now and in the days after Christmas as well, when there's usually such a letdown (for me anyway) Also, it made Honey very cranky to see dozens of his favorite cookies and not be allowed to eat any of them
So, what I am making this year...so far I have made 8 different types of goodies. I have one or two more to try before all is said and done. Today I am mostly working the sewing room, finishing all those gifts I should have made a month ago. C'est la vie as a procrastinator of the first degree!
My all time favorite goody in the world, better than any store bought candy bar or fancy European chocolate: old fashioned fudge. I was so intimidated by this as a new cook. I thought I could never make something so fabulous myself. I have such fond memories of my mom making fudge and waiting for it to be cool enough to eat and eating the scrapings from the sides of the pot after she had poured it into the pan. For years my job was to butter the pan. I am pretty confident now but I still get a bit of a rush every time I eat a bite of my very own fudge.
Then there are the chocolate covered cherries, cream cheese mints, and butter toffee from my old standby, the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. The plaid one- I have the 2000 edition that Honey bought the year we got married. He has supreme confidence in any recipe in that book. I don't love it quite as much as he does but it is a great starter book for learning to make all sorts of normal foods in every category- breads, cakes, pies, candy, cookies, meat, vegetable, casseroles. It really is a good book.
My dear one's favorite cookies of all time- the nut cup. I have gotten more than a few laughs from the name but that's what it was called in the church cookbook in which we first saw it probably 20 years ago. I think some folks call them pecan tassies. They're little pecan pies in a cream cheese/flour/butter crust. I bake them in mini muffin tins and they are just precious!
My favorite Christmas cookie is the giant ginger cookie recipe that I found in BHG magazine in November
of 1998. I don't make them giant any more- they're still a great size with my new cookie scoop. They're just right after they've been in the freezer a week or two. A little bit chewy, a little bit snappy and a little bit spicy- kind of like me. I guess I should have been a cookie instead of a woman.
And a new cookie on the board this year- the peanutbutterscotch chip cookie. Honey LOVES peanut butter cookies the rest of the year (We finally settled on Chas's recipe as the best we have tried- we tested 5 or 6 a couple years ago) A month or so ago someone brought a batch of peanut butter cookies with butterscotch chips into the shop where he works and he was in love. With the cookies- not the customer. So I picked up some butterscotch chips last month at Aldi and I made them yesterday. Wowsers! I think there should be a law that all peanut butter cookies must contain butterscotch chips. I really don't think anyone would object once they'd tried them.
And the other newbie this year is caramels. I am a big fan of any caramel but I have never made them myself. They seem relatively simple, just time consuming. The recipe is also in the plaid book. They haven't been made yet- probably Sunday or Monday. I also plan to get my sewing all done before Monday so the kids and I can decorate sugar cookies and make some pinecone birdfeeders for their gifts to loved ones.
That's it for now. I should be posting some photos to go along with the names of the goodies in a few days. Maybe not until after Christmas though since I won't have them all out on display before then. For now they're all safely tucked inside of my new thrifted tins- fairly easy to access but not as tempting as an open platter.
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Monday, November 26, 2007
Dinner in December
Posted in EatingJust a quickie post today, to let everyone know what we'll be eating for the next month. Because I know how much you care
12/1 Marlboro Man Sammies, oven fries
12/2 Skillet chicken teriyaki, brown rice, broccoli
12/3 shepherd's pie
12/4 Mama was sick, as was little brother, so we had PBJ and leftovers (or nothing) for supper
12/5 lasagna, french bread
12/6 pancakes, bacon, eggs, juice
12/7
12/8 tater tot casserole
12/9
12/10 kielbasa and sauerkraut, twice baked potatoes
12/11 split pea soup, bread, raw veggie
12/12 tacos, Mexican rice
12/13
12/14
12/15
12/16 corned beef hash, veg
12/17
12/18
12/19 turkey noodle soup
12/20 hmmm- i've forgotten already
12/21 crockpot breakfast casserole hot dogs, oven fries or chips
12/22
12/23 homemade pizza, raw veggie
12/24 egg rolls, fried rice, egg rolls, sweet and sour sauce (all homemade!)
12/25 beef roast, other things I still need to research and plan
12/26 to the grandfolks' house for Christmas with my folks and grands
12/27 leftover from Tuesday
12/28 taco soup
12/29 kielbasa and kraut, mashed potatoes
12/30 fried chicken
12/31 lasagna
My husband will be home 10 or 11 days in a row during Christmas week so I will have to do some extra lunch work. We'll be having grilled cheese, tuna sandwiches, egg salad sandwiches, macaroni and cheese, beef stew, tomato soup and hot dogs. I have the items necessary for most of those things in my pantry or fridge most of the time. We'll also probably eat out a time or two because that is how we roll. Oh, he has also requested Marlboro Man sammies again for that week so we'll probably do that too. We'll have eggs and toast for breakfast most days with waffles or oatmeal from time to time for the sake of variety.
12/5 Edited to change some things around. These changes have left me with nachos or taco salad to cook at some point if I need to change things up last minute, It's a good last minute type meal, when I don't really feel like cooking so it's a good one to have floating around the schedule. Now I need to get that turkey out of the freezer so it will be thawed in time to cook Friday.
12/15 Had to edit again. Perhaps this will give you an idea of just how often I don't follow my menu plan. It all works out in the wash though.
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Tuesday, November 6, 2007
Chilly Day Chili
Posted in EatingWe had this for supper tonight. My husband deemed it the best chili ever. I had only made it once before and I followed the instructions too well and left the house trusting that the amount of water called for was enough. It wasn't and they burned and reeked. This time they turned out much better. So here's what I did, with thanks to the original author who has since been forgotten.
1 lb dry kidney beans, washed and sorted; soak 'em if you want to, I seldom remember to do so
1 large onion, chopped- no one will notice it in the finished product
1 bell pepper, chopped- ditto to above re:onion
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or equivalent in powdered
1 T oregano
1 T cumin
4 T chili powder (yes, those are tablespoons)
1.5-2 T salt
Combine ingredients above in crockpot. Add about 6 cups water. Cook on high for most of the day- 6 hours should do it. Check from time to time to see if the water level isn't below the beans. If it looks a bit dry, add some more water but try to avoid it getting actually dry. Not good eats.
When the beans are tender, brown:
1 lb ground beef (or even half a pound to go ultra-tightwad) and add it to the crockpot along with:
1.5 c tomato something- I like diced or pureed but fresh, sauce, stewed or whatever wil also work
Allow to cook for at least another hour to blend the flavors.
We like this with shredded cheddar cheese and saltines alongside. I also like to serve something cold like a salad, carrot sticks with ranch dip or devilled eggs. Tonight it was devilled eggs. Oh, this makes about 8 cups.
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Sunday, November 4, 2007
A recipe
Posted in EatingSomething to tempt your tastebuds. Good any time of the year but especially so when the weather is getting cooler and you don't mind turning on the oven. We had this for lunch with some steamed brocolli and it was "bee-wicious" as TH says.
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
1 lb dry macaroni (approx. 3.5 cups)
1 stick (4 oz) butter
1/2 lb velveeta or similar cheese, cubed
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1- 12oz can evaporated milk
1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese for topping
Cook macaroni in boiling, salted water for about minutes, until slightly tender. Drain and return to pot. Immediately add butter, mozzarella and Velveeta . Stir to combine and slightly melt the cheeses. Add milk, evap, eggs and salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Pour into a buttered 2 1/2 quart casserole or crockpot. Sprinkle with shredded cheddar and bake at 400 degrees F for 30-40 minutes or until thickened but still slightly wet in the middle. Let stand for 5-10 minutes to thicken up. Alternately, cook on high in crockpot for about 2 hours or low for 4-6 hours, depending on your crockpot, of course.
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Friday, November 2, 2007
What we're eating in November
Posted in EatingWell, another month has gone by and I haven't managed to blog about anything except what's for supper. I want to blog, I really do. I think of a dozen things a day that scream, "Blog me!!" but if I sat down to do it I would get wrapped up in other people's blogs and never get anything done, including the blogging. So I am content to read other's adventures when I am not having my own and trust that y'all know I really am doing things. As Christmas approaches you might be seeing more sewing posts, but maybe not since my family reads this (from time to time...I think...) and I wouldn't want them to get a sneak peak at their gifts.
Without further ado, here's what we're having for supper this month:
1- pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, grape juice
2- hot dogs, chips (was supposed to be baked mac and cheese but I went to visit with Chas instead
)3-
4- shepherd's pie, veggie, bread and butter
5- Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich and oven fries
6- chili, crackers,
7- taco salad, refried beans, Mexican rice
8- cheese omelets, toast, fried potatoes
9- pepperoni and pineapple pizza, carrot sticks with ranch
10- tuna casserole
11- corned beef hash, veggie, bread and butter
12- kielbasa and kraut, mashed potatoes, veggie
13- Constitution Party Meeting- we'll go out to eat
14- spaghetti, raw veggie, french bread
15- pancakes, bacon, scrambled eggs, juice
16- nachos
17- tater tot casserole, veggie
18- skillet chicken teriyaki, rice- my husband adores this meal and I remove the leftovers from their bones and it makes a perfect Bento for his lunch the next day.
19- salmon patties, twice baked potatoes, veggie
20- Someone's Texas Auntie's lentil soup, bread
21- taco salad
22- Thanksgiving at my brother's house- I'm making sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, devilled eggs and a pumpkin pie
23- grilled cheese and tomato soup
24- baked macaroni and cheese, devilled eggs, raw carrots
25- meatloaf, mashed potatoes, veggie, bread
26- Big Grocery Shop and Pack Meeting- dinner out
27- baked beans quintet, brown bread, devilled eggs
28- skyline chili
29- crockpot breakfast casserole, biscuits
30- crab alfredo, french bread
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Thursday, October 4, 2007
What's for dinner in October
Posted in EatingHere's what's cookin' in October. You might notice a pattern this month. We're having an egg-heavy breakfast for supper every Thursday night and soup every Tuesday. I can do that now that the weather is getting tolerable. Some months I write out enough dinner ideas and choose them each day or every couple days. This month I actually assigned them all ahead of time. I am a wild woman.
10/1- spareribs, penne alfredo, steamed carrots
10/2- split pea chicken and rice soup, bread and butter, devilled eggs
10/3- tacos
10/4- pancakes, sausage, eggs
10/5- grilled cheese, tomato soup, raw carrots
10/6- Scotch eggs, mashed potatoes, veggie
10/7- shepherd's pie, biscuits, jello
10/8- baked macaroni and cheese with ham chunks
10/9- black bean chili on rice, raw carrots, ranch
10/10- lasagna, salad, french bread
10/11- ham and cheese omelets, toast, hashbrowns
10/12- potato pancakes, tuna, applesauce, sweet pickles
10/13- minute steaks, baked potatoes, salad
10/14- tater tot casserole, veggie
10/15- meatloaf, mashed potatoes, veggie, bread and butter
10/16- baked beans quintet, brown bread, raw veg
10/17- enchiladas, refried beans, Spanish rice
10/18- breakfast casserole, biscuits
10/19- grilled cheese and tomato soup
10/20- skillet chicken teriyaki
10/21- corned beef hash, corn, bread and butter
10/22- salmon puffs, twiced baked potatoes, veg
10/23- lentil stew, cornbread, carrots with ranch
10/24- spaghetti, french bread, salad
10/25- omelets, hashbrowns, toast
10/26- nachos, raw veg, fruit
10/27- roast chicken, rice pilaf, veg
10/28- tuna casserole, veg, bread
10/29- kielbasa with kraut, mashed potatoes, veg
10/30- wintery chicken soup with pasta (Dairy Hollow House Soup and Bread Cookbook) bread
10/31- tacos, refried beans, spanish rice
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Sunday, September 9, 2007
September Menu...oh, and a baby too!
Posted in EatingSo we had our baby- 6 weeks ago yesterday. I have been a little busy and more than a little tired so the blog has gone by the wayside. I am finding that I enjoy reading them far more than writing them. I always thought I wanted to be a writer (even as a small child) but I realize now that what I really want to be is a reader :) Are there any jobs out meeting that description? One I can do from home with a multitude of interruptions, sometimes every 30 seconds? Oh wait! I have that job already.
Anyhoo- baby Rosie is now 6 weeks old and I am starting to feel guilty about my terrible grocery "budget" (ha! that's a laughable word in this context) from the past few months. So this month I buckled down, took inventory of my pantry and freezers and made up a list of a month's worth of suppers. I also took stock of our snack situation so we won't be caught out when those post-nap munchies strike. Here's what we'll be eating for supper in September:
spaghetti with carrot sticks, homemade dressing and some kind of bread (my oven will be fixed this week- yippee!) - we'll be having this meal twice
goulash with similar sides to the spaghetti
9/1 stuffed pepper filling with salad- we don't care for the whole pepper for serving so I just make the filling with bits of chopped bell pepper. Not a huge hit with the kids but Honey and I love it.
baked beans quintet (a lovely crockpot baked bean dish) with brown bread and raw carrots
9/6 *minute steaks, macaroni salad, devilled eggs
salmon puffs, rice pilaf, veggie
tater tot casserole (anotehr that can go in the crock if I don't want to heat up the kitchen)
9/4 tacos, refried beans and Spanish rice- we've had this once already and will have it again before the month is out
"green stew"- my secret name for split pea soup, french bread, raw veg
black bean chili over rice, maybe some fruit salad (depends on what we have around when I make this)
orange chicken, brown rice, sticky rice balls
corndog casserole, cooked veggie
*fried chicken, crockpot macaroni and cheese, green beans
*skillet chicken teriyaki, brown rice, broccoli
lentil stew, cornbread, raw veg
*BBQ ribs, leftover baked beans from when we have baked beans quintet (I'll freeze enough leftovers to go with this) coleslaw
roast beef with carrots and potatoes (all cooked together)
9/8 hamburger stroganoff, green beans, devilled eggs
shepherd's pie, bread and butter, veggie
hambuger vegetable soup, sour dough bread, raw veggie
9/7 *pancakes, sausages, scrambled eggs
*potato pancakes, tuna, applesauce, litte pickles
*leftovers
9/5 *ham and cheese (or just cheese) omelets, leftover fruit from fridge, cottage cheese
9/3 hot dogs, crockpot macaroni and cheese, sliced garden tomatoes
we had dinner (for free!) at a church block party on 9/2 and we will be gone one day this week. Hopefully that's all the eating out we'll do for supper this month. That's another area of my budget that really needs some attention (or less attention, depending on how you look at it :))
Anything with an asterisk does not generate enough leftovers for Honey's lunch so it has to be served on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday when he doesn't need lunch the next day (the boss buys lunch on Fridays- nice, no?)
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Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Some random things
Posted in EatingI had a few other pictures on the camera. The first is my yard sale find from week before last. This lovely, heavy picnic hamper and the dishes displayed on top set me back a whopping $8, and just a few miles from home. I also spent $10 on a box of very old sewing notions. It was probably too much to spend but now I have miles of red and pink rickrack as well as some lovely yellow velvet-y ribbon.
And here is the DELCIOUS coffeecake I made this morning. I crossed my fingers as I headed down to the garden and lo and behold, I was able to find almost exactly one cup of ripe blackberries. There are plenty more red, pink and even white ones to pick in the next few weeks as they ripen but this is pretty much every single berry that was ripe this morning. The morning was beautiful- the grass was wet from yesterday's rain (thank you, Lord, for that rain!) and all sorts of silvery, misty wonderful. I should have taken the camera with me but I doubt I could have captured it properly. My stockings were soaked at the ankles and my shoes are still wet inside but the finished product was totally worth it. Actually, the 10 minutes alone in the garden before the heat of the day was totally worth it, even if I hadn't gotten any blackberries.Before:
...and after:
Recipe can be found here:Pleasant View Schoolhouse
which, by the way, is my new favorite blog. I spent a few hours one day (not all at once, but it fits and starts) reading the whole thing. All the way back to October of 2005. It was lovely. Please check it out. Anna has such nice photos and sweet stories. I find the whole blog quite calming and inspiring at the same time. A rare find indeed.
Oh, I made the coffeecake last week with chopped apples and while it was delicious, none of my children would eat the apples- such weirdos. They each had 2 pieces of the blackberry version so I am calling it a success.
| 6 comments | | Link
Monday, April 9, 2007
Ham and Potato Casserole
Posted in EatingI recommended this lovely dish to someone this morning and decided to post my recipe here in case anyone else has leftover ham from this weekend. We had cold cuts so I don't have much in the way of leftovers for this dish but I might have to pick up a ham while they're still on sale today and tomorrow so we can have all the delightful leftover dishes :)
My mom developed this when I was a wee tike and it has been a favorite of my whole family ever since. It has frequently been featured on my birthday (when Mom let us choose the menu for supper) and it was a proud day for me when I finally made it really well. Since this is a "developed" recipe, there aren't necessarily a lot of measurements but I will do my best to guess. You'll just have to do your best to judge when things look and taste yummy :)
Ham and Potato Casserole
Get out a good sized casserole dish- you'll want enough to feed your crowd plus some leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. You'll definitely want to eat it twice. Peel, wash and dice into approximately 1/2" cubes enough potatoes to fill the dish about 2/3-3/4 of the way up. A good baking potato (like a Russet) is best for this because they get a little more mushy when cooked and that's best for this dish. You can use a waxy potato but it just won't be as good- trust me.
Put those potatoes in some cold salted water in a large pot and get them cooking. Boil for about 10-15 minutes or until they are *just* tender but not mushy. Drain off the water and SAVE IT in a large bowl or in your pot. You'll need it for the sauce. Put the potatoes in the casserole dish (after buttering the dish) and add at least 2 cups of diced, cooked ham (leftovers are best, of course) Mix up the ham with the potatoes and set the casserole aside.
Now you're going to make a basic medium-thick white sauce. In a large skillet or medium saucepan over medium/medium-low heat, melt about 6 T butter. When it has melted add in 6 T of flour, 1 tsp salt and about 1/2 tsp dry mustard and mix thoroughly with a whisk until the flour has fully incorporated into the butter and things are starting to get a little bit brown and nutty smelling. You need to stir the whole time and keep the heat fairly low to avoid scorching and stinking. If you burn it, start over with a clean pan. Now start adding the reserved potato water, about 1/2 to 1 cup at a time, whisking the whole time until it's all mixed up and thickened. Continue adding the potato water until you have a nice saucy substance, about the consistency of gravy, maybe just a bit thinner. Now lower the heat all the way down and put in about 2-3 cups of cheese.
This can technically be any kind of cheese (or several kinds) but we always used (and still do use) velveeta (or a store-brand version) or other American cheese. I do not normally like American cheese but it surely is tasty in this dish. I would think an extra sharp cheddar would have similar results. Stir the sauce over low heat until the cheese has completely melted. Now taste a bit on the back of a spoon and add salt and black pepper to taste. Those potatoes are going to soak up a lot of that salt flavor so be sure your sauce is well-flavored or you'll be salting at the table.
Now pour all that lovely sauce over your potatoes and ham in the casserole dish and mix it all up. It can be a bit soupy if you want; some of that will evaporate in the oven. Now have a bite of potato with the sauce all over it (to check the seasonings again, of course) Add any seasoning you think you need a bit more of and taste again. Once it's good, then eat another bite or two (this is my favorite part) and set the casserole aside.
In a small saucepan melt another 3 or 4 tablespoons of butter. Add in about a cup or 1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs (just whiz a few slices of bread in the food processor) and mix well to thoroughly combine. Now sprinkle the buttered crumbs over the top of the casserole and put the whole thing in the oven. Bake at about 375 for half an hour to 45 minutes or until it bubbling and golden brown. This is the hardest part- let it cool on the counter for at least 10 or 15 minutes or you are going to burn the living daylights out of your mouth. We generally eat this with some sort of vegetable on the side and maybe some fruit. Nothing heavy as the dish itself is plenty heavy on its own. Enjoy!
| 1 comments | | Link
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Cookies!
Posted in EatingI don't make goodies nearly as often as I used to (still too often for my conscience but we're getting better all the time) These cookies have been a favorite here since I first found the recipe a few years ago. The original calls for shortening and white and brown sugar so now I have converted it to better meet our food standards :) These are far less guilty than they used to be but I still probably shouldn't eat 6 in one hour, huh?
1 cup butter, softened
3/4-1 cup sucanat
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup coconut- it's best if this is plain, unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 cups oatmeal, preferably freshly cracked/rolled
1 cup chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Beat butter until very fluffy (this takes at least 5 minutes in my Bosch- I use the wire wisks, making sure the butter is super soft first, then switch to the cookie paddles for the rest)
Add sucanat and beat for several more minutes until well combined and fluffy again. Add vanilla and eggs and beat to combine. Add dry ingredients and beat or stir by hand to combine. Stir in chocolate chips.
Drop by rounded teaspoons onto a well seasoned baking stone or lightly oiled baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes. The first batch usually takes about 14 minutes in my oven.
Do try to wait until they have cooled before you dig in. Chocolate burns are no fun.
| 1 comments | | Link
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Strawberry Shortcake
Posted in EatingI am a sucker for pretty food and whenever I make something especially lovely I have to take a picture. Here's our dessert from date night last Friday night:
!["Photobucket]("http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h305/MrsKamorri/food/DSC00223-1.jpg")
and my first decent batch of bread after getting my Bosch mixer and my new (second) grain mill:
!["Photobucket]("http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h305/MrsKamorri/food/DSC00218-1.jpg")
The strawberry shortcake was "bee-wicious" and DH and I didn't share a bite of it with the kids- that's what date night is all about ;) Actually we just put them to bed an hour early so they don't know what they're missing. Usually it's stuff they won't eat anyway.
| 2 comments | | Link
Friday, March 2, 2007
If you give a girl a pancake...
Posted in Eating...chances are she'll want at least 4 more, even if she's not yet two years old! Yikes! I have some serious pancake hounds in my house and up until tonight I have been more of a waffle gal. I have several waffles recipes tweaked to perfection but have never made very good pancakes. Now I finally have a "perfect" pancake recipe (quote: my handsome husband)
Without further ado, here it is, in case some of you are stuck in waffle-land with a houseful of pancake fiends.
Basic Pancakes
2 cups freshly ground soft white wheat flour
1.5 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
2 T sugar 1 or 2 eggs
1.5-2 cups milk
2 melted butter, cooled
expeller pressed coconut oil for the griddle
Mix all dry ingredients thoroughly with a wire whisk in a large bowl. Beat the eggs into 1.5 cups of the milk in a separate bowl. Slowly add the cooled butter. Gently add the liquids to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Some lumps are ok.
You probably won't need to oil a nonstick griddle but mine is cast iron so I add about a teaspoon of coconut oil before each batch of pancakes. I keep my stove down pretty low, lower than I would have thought. I only burned one batch before I figured it out :) Cook until the bubbles start to break on the surface, then flip and cook until the bottoms are lightly browned.
Keep on a warm plate in a 225 degree oven for up to 15 minutes.
| 2 comments | | Link
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Preserving the Harvest 2008
~June 22nd~
*11 half-pints
honey-sweetened peach-strawberry jam
~June 27th~
*7 half-pints and 2 pints
honey-sweetened peach jam
~June 28th~
*24 home-grown chickens in the freezer
(7 whole, 17 cut up
plus feet and backs for stock!!)
~July 6th~
*8 pints and 14 half-pints
honey-sweetened peach jam
~July 16th~
*18 cups fresh green beans,
blanched and frozen (a gift from the boss)
*12 pounds ripe bananas,
cut into 1 inch chunks and frozen for smoothies
~July 22nd~
*32 ears home-grown corn
blanched and frozen in meal-sized packages
~July 27th~
*8 pints cream-style corn
(home grown)
~July~
about *8 cups blackberries
and *5 cups wild blueberries
from around our property,
in the freezer
~August 4th~
14 pints
4 half-pints
and 1 quart
hot and spicy tomato salsa
(that's 18 cups altogether)
What I'm reading
The Bible- currently in the book of Acts
The Last Battle by C.S.Lewis
Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelson
What I've Read Recently
At Large and At Small by Anne FadimanHow To Be Good by Nick Hornby
The Book of Joby by Mark FerrariThe Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
World Without End by Ken FollettAnne of the Island by L.M. Montgomery (for the 12th time or so)
What I Watch
The Office
30 RockDoctor Who
HeroesEureka
Scrubs2008 Crafty Stats
Yardage In:
13.5 yardsYardage Out:
3 yardsItems Made: 2
Money Spent:
$58.06
Recent Entries
Family Reunion and a recipe
Put THIS on your blog, Mom!!
Always running
First Birthday Cupcakes
Sand Mountain Academy post up!!
Blogs I Read (almost)Daily
Money Spent:
$58.06Recent Entries
Family Reunion and a recipePut THIS on your blog, Mom!!
Always running
First Birthday Cupcakes
Sand Mountain Academy post up!!