Baking Bread at Home

At any given time you will find this container in my extra fridge in my garage.  It has a 6 quart capacity and it came in a 2 pack.  This one holds my bread dough, the other one holds flour.  I actually have other containers for flour, but when I started baking bread, I purchased flour in larger quantities and so I have to fill not only my old canister, one of these too.

Last fall, I had read and tried some no-knead bread recipes with success.  As much as I enjoy baking, I usually avoided anything that involved yeast and kneading and waiting.  I'd thought about a bread machine, I know many people who love them, they often use them for the mixing, kneading and rising part of the task and then bake the bread in the oven.  But I just had not spent the money on one.  Then my friend Allison told me about a book devoted to no-knead bread.  I actually ordered it via my Amazon app right then and there and it arrived two days later.  And to be very cliche- The rest was history.

The basic idea behind no-knead bread is that you can just mix the ingredients together, cover and let rise and then bake them in a specific way that allows it to rise again and bake.  That's my very, very simple explanation.  There is some science involved with the moisture of the dough and letting rise and all that good stuff too.  The book that I have, Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day has really changed my life.  It really does take just five minutes and I have really made more bread from scratch and not purchased bread at the store very often.  Not just this French style boule loaves in my photos, but sandwich bread and breakfast bread as well.

In the above photo, on the left is the dough right after I mixed it.  On the right is after it sat on the counter for about an hour.  It's actually ready to use after 2 hours, but it's a bit easier to work with if you then put it in the fridge and it gets cold.

This is a photo of one of my very first loaves.  I forgot to cut slits in the dough.  But it still turned out very nice.  I bake mine using Pampered Chef's stoneware covered baker, keeping it covered for part of the cooking time which creates the steam needed to create the crackling crust.  In the book they explain all about having the moisture (steam) in the baking process and how to achieve that.

Above is another close up photo of one of my more recent loaves that has the nice slit in the top and a crisp crackling crust.  On Christmas Eve I made several loaves and served them warm with a dish of good olive oil with a drizzle of thick balsamic vinegar mixed in for dipping.  Pure heaven!

This is a loaf of Cinnamon Raisin Bread.  I made this using the Buttermilk Bread recipe in the book.  Leftover slices of the bread also made delicious French Toast!  I have also made mini loaves that I paired with a jar of homemade pumpkin butter and gave those as teacher gifts at Christmas.

The primary reason the book titles says that you can make bread in five minutes a day is because when you mix the dough at the quantities given in the recipe, it's enough for several loaves, so after that initial mixing (which is also very easy to do by hand and takes just a few minutes) you let it rise, then you can put it away in the fridge and just pull out some to bake when you want.  Easy!  The secondary title of the book- The Discovery that Revolutionizes Home Baking is the absolute truth.  It's made me want to try other breads and because I've purchases larger quantities of flour and yeast, I always have the ingredients on hand and it saves me money. Besides a large variety of bread recipes, the book includes recipes for dishes you can make with your bread.  It's just a fantastic resource and it's been living on my kitchen counter.   If you are at all interested in baking breads, I highly recommend you get this book.

Easy Marinara Sauce

Start the sauce off with finely diced carrot, celery, onion and garlic.  And then you have the finished tomato goodness!

 So I have recently been making this sauce quite a bit for a variety of reasons.  I've taught my cooking students how to make it.  I've been working quite a few Make Ahead Meal nights where we have made the sauce, I made Chicken Parmesan for clients multiple times in the last month and this is the sauce I list with that recipe.  I make spaghetti for my family every other week.  You could say this sauce has been on my mind a lot.  So I decided it deserved it's own post.  For me, this sauce is a starting point; I simmer lean beef or sausage in it for a meat sauce.  I throw in other veggies like mushroom, spinach or kale.  It's the sauce I use for lasagna, chicken parm, baked ziti or spaghetti casserole.  Make a big batch, split it up in containers and freeze it.  I usually always have some in my freezer because I can turn it into a meal very quickly on a busy night.  But also, a single batch can be made quickly and eaten just as quick.  :)

Erika’s Easy Marinara Sauce

1 tbl olive oil
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 medium carrot, finely diced
2 ribs of celery, finely diced
1/2 onion (yellow or red, whatever you like), finely diced
1 32 oz can crushed tomatoes (can be the kind seasoned with oregano and basil, or not)
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 6 oz can tomato paste
6 oz of water or broth (just fill the tomato paste can)
1 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning (contains basil, oregano, thyme, marjoram, rosemary, minced garlic, crushed red pepper)
2 tsp. sugar (or equivalent sugar substitute)

Directions
In medium pot heat oil over medium heat, add garlic, carrot, celery and onion.  Stir frequently and cook down until they are soft and begin to caramelize.
Add the Italian seasoning, stir and cook a few minutes more until the seasonings are fragrant.
Add cans of tomatoes, sauce and paste. Fill paste can w/ water or broth (I use water) and add just some of it to pot. Stir to incorporate the paste into the sauce. If it seems too thick, add more water.  Simmer for 5 minutes.
Add sugar (or substitute), stir and taste, if too tart for your taste, add more sugar.
Cover the pot and let the sauce boil. The sauce can still boil even on a lower heat; this can keep it from boiling over in the pot and/or splattering when you lift the lid. Let it simmer, stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes.
At this point, it's ready for use or you can keep simmering for 30 minutes. 

Options:  After the initial 15 minute simmer, I have added uncooked ground Italian sausage and/or ground beef or turkey.  Lean beef must be very lean to minimize the added oil to the sauce, but I have found that cooking the meat in the sauce really enhances the flavors together.  Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour on low.

Add chopped spinach or kale and let it cook for another 15 minutes.  Or include mushrooms when you are first starting with the carrot, celery and onion.

Budget Beef and Broccoli

Much like my Cheap and Easy Turkey Stir Fry, semi-authentic beef and broccoli can be made with just a few pantry/freezer staples.  It's the sort of thing I can put together when I'm getting low on groceries or low on cash and need to shop frugally.  It can also be a great regular option in your meal planning since it takes just a few cheap ingredients and if you keep your pantry stocked, you'll have everything you need to have this dish ready in no time.  And if you think about what you pay for a pound of lean ground beef and a little less than a pound of fresh broccoli, you find yourself with a very inexpensive meal!

This is not an Earth-shattering revolution in cooking.  It's very simple. You can easily make this same recipe using more traditional thinly sliced flank or sirloin steak.  Both are fairly inexpensive cuts of beef.  But the difference is that generally you marinate that in garlic and soy sauce and dredge in flour or cornstarch.  I happen to like this recipe, still fairly simple (to me at least) and more like what you might expect in a restaurant.  The beauty of  my budget version, besides being cheap is it's basically a one-pot meal, it's relatively low calorie if you are using 75% or 80% lean ground beef, and broccoli is a great source of Vitamin C as well as a good source of Vitamin A.

Budget Beef and Broccoli

Ingredients
1 lb Lean Ground Beef
1 generous tablespoon Canola or Vegetable Oil
2 Crowns of Broccoli (about 1/2 lb), chopped into fairly small pieces.
2 Cloves minced/crushed Garlic or 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
Fresh Cracked Pepper (just use as little or as much as you like)

Sauce
1 tablespoon Soy Sauce (reduced sodium is best)
 1/4 cup Water or Beef Broth
2 teaspoons Cornstarch
1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce (optional, but you really should just have a bottle if you do any Asian cooking)

Directions
In a wok or a heavy bottom skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Break off the ground beef in bits, no need to roll them into balls, just pinch off pieces and place on the pan, try not to let them touch. Let them sear for a few minutes, then add fresh garlic or garlic powder, then using a spatula, move things around to turn over the pieces of ground beef.  Add the broccoli and mix it all up.  If you have a lid for your pan, cover it or just grab a cookie sheet and cover it for a bit (like 3-4 minutes) so the broccoli can steam and get crisp/tender. 

In a measuring cup or small bowl, mix the sauce ingredients together.  Uncover the pan, move the beef and broccoli to the outer edges of the pan and pour in the sauce in the middle of the pan, then using your spatula, start mixing everything around.  As the sauce heats and begins to boil, the cornstarch does its magic and creates a thicker, shiny sauce.  Mix thoroughly to coat everything.  If you want it saucier, just pour in another 1/4 cup of broth and mix it around.  If you didn't use broth, just add more water with a another 1/2 teaspoon each of soy sauce and oyster sauce.  Cover the pan for another couple minutes, then turn off the heat and let it rest for a couple more minutes then serve. 

Optional Sauce:  This dish is also excellent with a Japanese twist using teriyaki sauce instead.  And I love this simple homemade teriyaki sauce from Savory Sweet Life. When I do it this way, I add some broth or water with soy and oyster sauces into the pan as mentioned above, then right before the end, I pour in the teriyaki sauce and stir everything together to coat it.

Tomato, Avocado and Corn Salsa

Summer is here and I have many recipes I would love to share here, but I'm going to start with this one and hopefully add photos very soon.  I'm starting with this one because it's great when you need to bring an appetizer with you to a summer barbecue and perfect for the upcoming July 4th holiday.  Not to mention it's delicious and simple and the sort of thing you can make with ingredients from your own garden or local farmer's market.

Tomato, Avocado and Corn Salsa

2 avocados, pitted and cut into small cubes
3 medium tomatoes, diced
2 ears of corn or 1 ½ cups corn kernels
Fresh chopped cilantro (about ¼ of a bunch)
1 lime
Salt and fresh ground pepper
½ tsp chili powder

Place corn with the husks still on into the microwave and cook for 5 minutes to steam.  Or you can remove the husks, wrap with plastic wrap and then steam.  (no need to do this if using kernels already off the cob).  When cool, use a knife to slice downward and remove the kernels.  Can be done in advance and refrigerated.
Place corn, diced avocado and tomato into a bowl, season with salt, pepper and chili powder, squeeze all the juice from the lime and add cilantro.  Gently mix to incorporate it all.  Serve with tortilla chips or use to serve on tacos or in a salad.
Make ahead option- Combine everything except the avocado and just the juice from half of the lime.  When ready to serve, cut the avocado and add it with the remaining half of the lime juice and stir to combine.
Other items like diced onion, jalapenos and crushed garlic are great additions, but it’s very fresh and simple as written.

The Well Stocked Pantry

Written by Chef Elisa Hindes, Sous Chef for Whole Foods Market and blogger, A Life in Pie

The Boy Scouts had it right when they coined their motto, “be prepared.” As with scouting, preparation is the key to success in cooking. While many an exciting new dish can be made by improvising with what you have laying around, preparation will save you precious time and money. The foundation of preparation in the kitchen starts with a well-stocked pantry. Keeping the essentials on hand will not only help you to avoid last minute problems (“I swear I had that!”), but enable you to cook a wide variety of foods without constant back-breaking trips to the grocery store.

When it comes to cooking, our mantra is fresh is best. But in the pantry, there are many dried, canned and boxed items that will prove invaluable to you. Here you will find a list of the essential items that will keep you cooking. Let’s assume that we all have flour, sugar, salt and pepper in our cupboards and build from there.

THE BASICS

Stock or broth – chicken at a minimum but beef and vegetable are also helpful. The low sodium variety is best so that your food is not overly salty.

Canned, diced tomatoes in juice.

Canned tomato paste.

Dried pasta – Try keeping several varieties, including a long noodle such as spaghetti or fettuccini and a short noodle, such as penne or elbow.

Soy sauce – a naturally brewed variety, called tamari, is preferable over the usual supermarket brands.

Worcestshire sauce – great for adding a meaty flavor and color to sauces, gravies and roasts.

Olive oil – extra virgin is your best friend for sautéing and making dressings and marinades.

Vegetable and/or canola oil – your second best friend for sautéing and making dressings and marinades.

Vinegar – cider and white wine are good versatile vinegars to have on hand but red wine, rice, and balsamic are so widely used it is hard to leave them out.

Cornstarch – used for thickening sauces and gravies and also comes in handy in some breading applications.

Canned beans – kidney, pinto and black beans can be used in a variety of cold and hot dishes.

Canned fruit – pineapple and mandarin oranges right out of the can are perfect for tossing into both green and fruit salads.

Rice – long or medium grain white rice and brown rice will cover your bases in everyday applications. If you like to get fancy once in a while, stock some Italian arborrio rice for making risotto.

Condiments -- ketchup, mustard (Dijon and yellow), mayonnaise, barbeque sauce and hot sauce. 

Honey- Sometimes just a few drizzles can add a little sweetness to a vinaigrette or a sauce.

Dried herbs and spices – OK, this one could be an article on its own but the essentials include rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, dill, tarragon, bay leaves, paprika, garlic powder, chile powder, cayenne pepper, cumin, and coriander. An all-purpose blend such as Jane’s Crazy Mixed-Up Salt or Mrs. Dash can also come in handy when you need to simply season a burger or piece of chicken. If you really want to go crazy, buy whole spices and grind them yourself in a coffee grinder (for spices only, please). Otherwise, try to buy small quantities from a store that sells bulk spices so you’re sure to use them up while they are still fresh.

Capers – these salty, tart little bundles of flavor are the berry of a flowering shrub. Use them in Italian and Mediterranean cooking.

Sundried tomatoes – they are one of the biggest food “fad” ingredients for a reason. You can’t beat them for adding concentrated, sweet tomato flavor to any dish.

Bread crumbs – Japanese panko crumbs create a light, crispy coating on anything fried. Standard dried breadcrumbs will do in a pinch. Or make your own by drying out the leftover odds and ends of bread in a low oven and grinding it in the food processor.

Peanut butter – not just for sandwiches, you can use it in Asian dishes and dressings.

FOR THE FOODIES

Here are a few extra ingredients for the gourmets out there.

Anchovies – much maligned salty little fish, essential in pasta puttanesca and many other Italian, French and Mediterranean dishes.

Olives – kalamata, Spanish, oil cured, the list goes on.

White truffle oil – when you really want to impress someone, drizzle a tiny amount over pasta or risotto with mushrooms.

Premium olive oil – it is well worth the high price when you want the flavor of the oil to come through, usually in uncooked applications. 

Ethnic spices and spice blends – such as garam masala, curry, fenugreek, smoked paprika, cardamom, star anise, Chinese five spice powder and Schezuan peppercorns.

Asian condiments – chili sauce, black bean sauce, hoisin, oyster sauce, fish sauce, you get the picture.

Coconut milk – a must for Thai cooking.

Breakfast Burritos

My sister is a fabulous chef and she inspires me all the time.  As a side note, she's is the genius behind A Life In Pie.  Before she had her current job as a sous chef with Whole Foods, she was doing some catering and supplying several of her local coffee carts with breakfast burritos.  When my baby boy was born, she came to visit and supplied us with a bunch of burritos which provided me with easy breakfast for the family both on weekdays or when we're out the door early on the a weekend for a soccer game.  My husband loves to have them on hand at work because it can give him a filling start to a busy day where he often doesn't have a chance to eat until the late afternoon.  Ever since her visit in May, I've managed to usually have a supply of breakfast burritos in our freezer.
There are plenty of recipes out there for breakfast burritos.  I've had people ask me how I do it, so I thought I should finally take a moment to share.  So really I don't consider this a recipe so much as it's just a how-to.  Or more accurately, my how-to.  But the beauty of it, is it can become YOUR how-to.  Made them how you like, the sky is the limit on the combination of fillings.  Also, breakfast burritos are cheap!  For the size of tortillas I use, it's only a couple spoonfuls of filling and a pinch of cheese, so you can make a lot with not that much.  These aren't enormous restaurant breakfast burritos that put you in a coma, these are the perfect size to fuel your morning.

Breakfast Burritos
2 russet potatoes, diced fairly small
olive or canola oil
4 eggs, scrambled with about 1/4 cup milk
salt, pepper or seasoning salt
1/2 lb bulk breakfast sausage
1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded cheese
12 tortillas (I use the Jumbo size sold at my local Costco)
Plastic wrap and zipper bags for storage

Heat a large pan over medium high, drizzle enough oil to coat the pan and add the potatoes.  Stir frequently and season as you like.  When the potatoes are cooked there and many are crispy, transfer them to a plate or bowl while you finish the other parts.  Using the same pan, add the breakfast sausage, breaking it apart into crumbles.  When that's cooked through, turn the heat to medium, you can spoon off any extra oil or grease and discard.  Then pour in the scrambled egg and milk mixture, stir constantly and quickly to cook the eggs.  Turn off the heat to avoid overcooking the eggs.  Add the potatoes back in, combine it all together and then set aside to cool for a bit.

See how much filling that makes?

Prepare to roll your tortillas- Take a dinner plate, stack about 4 tortillas on it, pop it in the microwave for about 30 seconds.  (Unless your tortillas are at room temp which in that case you can skip that part and just stack them all on the plate)  Get your cheese ready and then take about 2 spoonfuls (I use a dinner spoon, which is bigger than a tea spoon), add a generous pinch of cheese, then fold the burrito.
Wrap the burrito tightly with some plastic wrap, then on to the next one.

Here's a little video I found to show you how to wrap a burrito- Burrito Wrapping Instructions

My finished burritos!  I made 12 with just that small inexpensive amount of filling

Place them all in a zipper bag or a airtight container and place them in your freezer.  When you want to eat one, a frozen one takes about 2-3 minutes in the microwave if it has a turn table, or if not, do it in one minute intervals just to be sure it heats evenly.  If it's not frozen, it takes about a minute.  We often stick them in to heat, go finish getting ready, then grab them on the way out the door.

So- The possibilities are endless.  Increase the "fuel-factor" and saute kale or spinach with mushroom in a little olive oil, then use 2 whole eggs, 2 egg whites scrambled together and add some diced ham or use turkey sausage.  Or make it more authentic; black beans, eggs, salsa (or diced tomatoes) and cheese.  Sometimes when we have leftovers from tacos, like rice, beans and a little meat, I just use that with a a couple of eggs and the leftover cheese.  Leave a comment to let me know what combination of filling you make!

Potato and Vegetable Hash

I love breakfast.  Sometimes when we have busy mornings and I only grab a Luna bar or something snack-like for breakfast, I still need to then have a real breakfast.  Even when it’s noon, I still need breakfast before moving onto lunch.  Awhile ago I was out to breakfast and I saw an item on the menu called Farmer’s Market Hash.  I actually didn’t order it, but I saw it and I kept thinking I wanted to create my own version at home.  So the beauty of this is just the method, the ingredients and amounts don’t matter.  I love recipes like that.

Start with potatoes and veggies of your choice.  I used purple, red and Yukon gold potatoes, a sweet potato, carrots, some red onion and kale.  Plus a couple of cloves of garlic.  (Or less if you don't like garlic)

Dice everything up pretty small.  Even sizes ensures that things cook equally, but small also helps it all cook quickly.  While you're dicing, heat a pan with some olive oil, probably a tablespoon or so, more if you're making a big batch. Season as you go; I sprinkle with some sea salt, a few twists from my pepper grinder and then toward the end I add my salt-free seasoning.

When the potatoes and other veggies are almost tender, add the kale that you have washed and chopped.  Season everything a little more and stir frequently.  

For me, I consider it done when everything is tender and the outsides are crispy.  I love to eat mine with an over easy egg on top.

Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt

It's that time of year where it's Pumpkin Everything.  I am someone who loves Pumpkin Everything.  I am drawn to the siren song of the Green Mermaid's Pumpkin Spice Latte.  And Pumpkin Scone.  And Pumpkin Bread.  I actually have a post with a recipe for Pumpkin Bread coming soon.  Then I came across a really easy recipe for Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt and I had to give it a try.  I made a couple changes because I thought it would be great to use thick and creamy Greek yogurt and I usually keep only plain on hand, the recipe calls for vanilla yogurt, so I adjusted to sweeten my yogurt.

I used plain Greek yogurt and added 2 tbl of brown sugar and a 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Whisk the yogurt and pumpkin puree together with the spices

Add to your machine and mix!

Yum!

Pumpkin Spice Frozen Yogurt

Adapted From Family Kitchen

1 cup Greek yogurt (make sure moisture is poured off)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt, brown sugar and vanilla together until combined.  Then mix in the pumpkin and the spices.  At this point you could take a little taste to see if you like the sweetness.  With these measurements it’s still  a bit tart, add a little more sugar and taste again if you want.
Transfer the mixture into your ice cream maker and proceed to freeze according to your machines directions.
Once it’s done, I recommend transferring it to a container and placing in the freezer for a few hours before serving.
(In the last photo I added a cookie from Trader Joe’s that’s their version of the European Biscoff cookie, which I LOVE and it pairs really well with pumpkin!)

Roasted Vegetables with Polenta

I made this this weekend to go with the marinara sauce and pasta I was making for my daughter's Birthday Weekend Extravaganza.  It was really easy and turned out delicious.  My inspiration was from a recent recipe I read from Cook's Illustrated, Oven Dried Tomatoes.  I didn't dry the vegetables out, but I liked the idea of starting out with no added oil or moisture.  My natural inclination every time I start to roast something in the oven is to drizzle oil and salt over it.  So with this dish, I thought if they cook down and naturally caramelize a little, the flavors will concentrate. Then you can season them and and drizzle some olive oil or take them a step further and turn it into a sauce or just leaving them as is.  I would also suggest going to the farmers market, picking up a large amount of veggies and making a large batch.  It cooks down quite a bit, so it was fine for what I needed it for, but there wasn't any leftover.  I served this on the side where there was a choice of sauce with beef and sausage, a meatless sauce, pasta and polenta.

Oven Roasted Vegetables
I am giving you the amounts that I used when I made this, but as I mentioned, just get a bunch of veggies to make a large batch.

2 zucchini, first cut into round sliced and then the sliced cut in to quarters
4 large mushrooms
4 carrots (mine were fairly thin and short from my organic produce delivery)
4 roma tomatoes, sliced into wedges and the cut each of those in half
1 large heirloom tomato, sliced same as romas
1/2 red onion very thinly sliced
1 rib of celery, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Olive or vegetable oil for drizzling
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/3 cup water
1 or 2 tsp of Italian seasoning
1 tsp no-salt seasoning (like Mrs. Dash or 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe's)
Salt and pepper to your own taste

Prepare/slice all the vegetables.  Using a large sheet pan with sides (I covered mine with foil to make clean up easier) spread out the vegetables with the crushed garlic, mix them around and season with Italian seasoning and no-salt seasoning.  Place in oven that has been pre-heated at 400 degrees.  Periodically check on them and use a spatula to mix them around some more.
When they are cooked down and the juices from the tomatoes is mostly gone, they are done, about 20 minutes.  You can then serve them as is or do what I did to make it sort of like a thick sauce-
Transfer to a medium pot over medium heat and season them more if you want, drizzle in the oil and mix in the tomato paste and water.  Simmer for about 10 minutes.

Uncooked veggies, toss them together on the pan with the seasonings and garlic

The finished dish!  I wish I would have plated some up to take a photo but there was no more time or sunlight!

I linked the polenta recipe I use above.  It's from Mark Bittman and it's very easy.  I love it and these veggies served on top of the polenta along with some marinara sauce and a little cheese is excellent.

Polenta Without Fear from Mark Bittman, New York Times

Ingredients

1 cup milk (preferably whole milk)
2 cups water
Salt
1 cup coarse cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 to 4 tablespoons butter or extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup or more freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, to taste, optional

Method
1. Bring milk to a boil with 2 cups water in a medium saucepan and add a large pinch of salt. Adjust heat so liquid simmers. Add cornmeal in a steady stream, whisking as you do to prevent lumps. When it has all been added, let mixture return to a boil, then turn heat to low. Polenta should be just barely simmering.

2. Cook, stirring occasionally and being sure to scrape sides and bottom of pan, for 15 to 20 minutes, until mixture is creamy and cornmeal tastes cooked. If mixture becomes too thick, whisk in some water, about 1/2 cup at a time.

3. Taste and season polenta as necessary with salt and pepper. Take pan off stove, stir in the butter or oil and the cheese if you are using it, and serve, passing more cheese at the table if you like.

Turkey Meatball and Tortellini Soup

I love soups and next to baking, it's probably my favorite thing to cook.  Sometimes I daydream of having a simple cafe that just serves soups, a couple of choices of sandwiches and tasty cookies and cakes.  I just love how the house smells and feels when I have a pot of soup simmering.  But here's the thing; my darling and loving husband in a very Seinfeld-esque way does not feel that soup is a meal.  He does not dislike eating soup, but anytime I would make soup for dinner his response was- "And what else?" Just soup was not enough.  So I decided one day to make a soup that would be worthy of being a meal all by itself.  I did not go to the store to shop for the specific items for this soup and each time I make it, it's slightly different because I improvise with whatever is in the pantry or freezer.  Sometimes I have tortellini on hand, sometimes I just have some sort of shaped pasta.  The meatballs in the soup are something you could make and keep frozen some to have with pasta and sauce, some for making in a soup.

Turkey Meatball and Tortellini Soup

For meatballs:
1 lb package ground turkey
2 tbl Italian seasoning
1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 clove crushed garlic)
¼ c. bread crumbs (optional)
¼ c. grated parmesan cheese
2 pinches of Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Optional:  Add 1 lb of Italian sausage (either pork or turkey)

1.     Mix ground turkey (and sausage if using) with seasonings, bread crumbs, cheese, salt and pepper. 
2.    Roll into 1 inch diameter balls and then place in shallow baking dish to bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes (but check for doneness) or fry in batches on stove top if desired. 
3.    Set aside (can be made in one day in advance then refrigerated or make ahead and freeze for later use.)

For soup:
3     tablespoon olive oil
1     clove of garlic crushed or 2 tsp garlic powder
2     large carrots, diced
2     ribs of celery, diced
Small amount of diced sweet onion (about ¼ cup or less)
2     cups water
4     cups chicken broth
1     tablespoon dried vegetable soup mix
1     teaspoon kosher salt
2.5     cups assorted fresh or frozen vegetables- broccoli, baby carrots, cauliflower, cut corn, green beans (use whatever veggies you like)
1     can diced or crushed tomatoes (if diced, you can mash them yourself or leave as is)
1     16 oz package cheese tortellini
    Grated parmesan cheese for serving

Directions
1.    In a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat, sauté olive oil, garlic, diced carrots, celery and onion.  Sauté until mixture is soft and starting to caramelize.

2.    Add water, chicken stock and vegetable soup mix.  Stir, then raise heat and bring to boil.

3.    Add assorted vegetables, tomatoes, salt and meatballs, bring back to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes but be sure to check on it and stir occasionally.

4.    Raise heat to medium, add tortellini and simmer until they float to top and expand, about 10 minutes.

5.    Serve and provide parmesan cheese for sprinkling on top.

No Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

I'm volunteering at my kids' school once a week teaching a cooking class as a part of their electives offering.  We've had 2 classes and so far, so good.  I've got tons of ideas and recipes, but just one hour each week so I have really had to challenge myself to narrow it down and choose activities that can be completed and cleaned up within that 1 hour.  The first class was all about going over some rules in the kitchen and talking about cooking terms and we made popcorn on the stove top, the "old fashioned" way.   The next class we made breakfast; pancakes, eggs and potatoes.  So this week I wanted to focus on making several no-cook snacks.  I want to share one of the snacks that I found, tested and will use this week.  No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls.
 
There are actually quite a few egg-less cookie dough recipes floating around the Internets.  They're designed for cookie dough fiends or for putting in homemade ice cream.  The recipe I came across is vegan and designed to be healthier for you and gives an option for added protein by adding protein powder.  I thought it would be perfect for the students to make; easy, fun and healthy!  I adapted it to use ingredients I had on hand and I think it keeps it simple, but still delivers a tasty, healthy snack.  I think I might pack some for our next soccer tournament; it's a good little sweet treat between games that has some good carbs and protein for keeping your energy up.

Add all the ingredients except the chocolate chips, mix together

Add the chocolate chips- I used mini ones, I liked smaller bits of chocolate in these.  See how the consistency of the dough is such that it really doesn't stick to the bowl?

YUM!  Creamy peanut butter, a little crunchy texture from the ground oats and chocolate!

No-Bake Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls.

Adapted From Loves Veggies and Yoga


Ingredients

1/2 cup peanut butter or any nut butter of your choice, it can be creamy or chunky (I used creamy)
3 tablespoons oat flour*
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 heaping tablespoons ground flax (optional, this is for some added fiber and Omega 3)
2 tablespoons honey
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 handful mini chocolate chips (or 2 handfuls of regular sized chocolate chips)

Directions
Combine everything BUT the chocolate chips until well blended and smooth.  If it seems sticky or wet, gradually sprinkle in more flour, if it seems too dry or crumbling, drizzle in more honey.  It should easily pull off the sides of the bowl and the mixing spoon.  After it reaches the right consistency, mix in the chocolate chips.  Then take a small spoon and scoop some dough and form into a ball with your hands.  Place on a plate.  Cover the balls with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to firm up for about 20 minutes.
Keep stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container or you can make several batches and store some in the freezer.  Frozen ones probably need a minute or two to soften when you want to eat one.

*Oat flour is just ground up old fashioned (not instant/quick) rolled oats.  I took about 1/2 a cup and pulsed it in my food processor until it was ground up.  It’s not a fine as flour, it’s got texture still, which is good.  If you don't want to bother, just play around with a combination of the regular oats and flour to make the dough the right consistency.

Chili Taco Casserole

 This is one of those homey, not fancy recipes that is filling and should please the kids too.  Just add a salad for your green veggies and you have a  meal. I came across this recipe that was a lower fat version of the original and I adapted it a little to make it what I think is even healthier. Apparently, the original or traditional version of this has a sour cream topping that you add toward the end of baking.  Super yummy I'm sure but having never had it that way, I don't know what I'm missing.  Besides, I just serve sour cream on the side.  The recipe also called for canned chili with beans and I never keep that on hand, but I always have beans and ground beef or turkey, plus the seasonings for chili, so I find it far easier to just put all that together when cooking the ground meat.  So for me, this is a meal I can pull from my pantry anytime.  It's also incredibly easy to just double this so you have plenty of leftovers if you want.  You can also skip the first part and use store bought chips, use baked ones to keep the fat and calories down.

Just stack a few tortillas together and slice into wedges.  My 12 year old helped me do this.

We had to try hard to not eat these before putting them into the casserole.

I browned the meat in a much larger pan and then just turned off the heat to mix everything together.

Chili Taco Casserole
Adapted from Eating Well Magazine


Recipe Ingredients

2 teaspoons canola oil
12 corn tortillas
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 tbl chili powder
2 tsp cumin
1 clove crushed garlic
1 15-ounce can kidney beans, rinsed
1 15-ounce can pinto beans, rinsed
1 lb lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 10-ounce can enchilada sauce (1 1/4 cups)
1 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon grated onion (or dried minced onion will work)
1 cup grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese (4 ounces)

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Coat 2 baking sheets and a shallow 3-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Lightly brush each tortilla with oil and sprinkle with salt.  Cut each tortilla into 8 wedges and arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheets. Bake until crisp, 8 to 10 minutes, rotating the baking sheets midway through baking. Let cool. (Alternative- use purchased baked corn tortilla chips)
Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. In a skillet, brown hamburger and season with chili powder, cumin and crushed garlic.  Season with salt and pepper if desired.  Stir together hamburger, kidney and pinto beans, enchilada sauce, tomato sauce, onions and 3/4 cup of the cheese in a large bowl. Add 4 cups of the tortilla crisps and stir to coat them with sauce. Turn into the prepared baking dish and bake until bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.
Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 2 cups tortilla crisps. Bake for 5 minutes longer.
Serve with sour cream and sliced avocado on the side.

In Pursuit of a Breakfast Cookie

I’m always in pursuit of finding things my family will eat for a quick breakfast on the go.  Muffins and burritos are a standby; but I had it on my brain the other day to find a breakfast cookie that would have some healthy qualities for a good start to the day.  Especially on weekends when we are sometimes out the door very early to get to a soccer game.   I wanted something that will have some carbs for energy and some protein.  Kind of like having a slice of whole wheat toast with a little peanut butter, which is great before a game.  But not that, just for the sake of having variety, does that make sense?

The first thing I did was look at my friend Allison’s blog and her recipe for a breakfast cookie.  She does a great job of packing in all kinds of good stuff.  Problem is, I’ve got picky eaters who have already snubbed homemade granola bars or muffins with too much stuff like nuts or dried fruit.  I looked at oatmeal cookie recipes because I knew they love those and so I thought maybe I would just add a few things to increase the bulk of an oatmeal cookie.  Then I also looked at another breakfast cookie recipe and decided to mainly use that, but consider the base of an oatmeal cookie and the health qualities of Allison’s cookie.

The results are pretty good as far as taste is concerned and there’s room for improvement and making variations to increase nutritional qualities.  And I suppose it's not exactly a cookie, the texture is much more like the top of a muffin.  But that’s the best part of a muffin anyway, right?  I actually started with 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking soda and then I looked at the batter and was nervous it would all run together, so I added more flour and another ½ teaspoon of baking soda.  So I think that gives it a cake-like texture.  If my peanut butter jar wasn't close to empty, I would have added some and if I had people who liked nuts in things I would have added chopped nuts.  I could probably add raisins and they would like them and one of my kids would have loved it with mini chocolate chips.  What I like is the slight banana flavor with the molasses and the oats give it a crunch.  There’s lots of room to be creative and experiment.  The bottom line for me is that although it’s still got quite a bit of sugar (which I think could be reduced), I tried to boost it’s nutritional value with some more protein, fiber and iron.  I can use this as a benchmark to continue to improve it from here.

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookie

Adapted from All Recipes
Makes about 24 depending on the size of your scoop

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 c. brown sugar, packed
1 c. sugar
1 very ripe banana
1/4 c. molasses
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 heaping tablespoons ground flax
1/3 cup vanilla almond milk
2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda

Heat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, oil and sugar until incorporated.  Then add banana, molasses, eggs and vanilla, mix well and then add the ground flax and almond milk and mix together at medium speed until incorporated.

In a separate bowl combine the flours, oats, salt, cinnamon and baking soda.  Combine the flours with the sugar mixture in portions, mixing with each addition just until there are no pockets of flour.

Drop spoonfuls of the batter on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet leaving ample space between each as it spreads while baking.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until just browned on the edges and not wet in the center.

After they cool, wrap each individual cookie to store in the fridge or freezer.  It takes just 8-10 seconds to heat one in the microwave, maybe a few more seconds if it is frozen.  You could even try warming it in the toaster oven which would make it a little crispy on the outside, but soft on the inside.

What I Did this Summer

I had all the intentions of keeping up with the blog all summer. I posted before the July 4th holiday and after that our summer just flew by and I hardly had the chance to sit and write. I thought I would share some photos of things I made this summer and a few links and with kids back at school I'm slowly getting back to it.

Fried Chicken and Waffles





Strawberries!







Filipino Buko (coconut) pie







Made Filipino egg rolls (lumpia) with my oldest







Fabulous Strawberry Pie!







And a sparkling chocolate cake for my birthday girl!







Here's a few links I've come across and wanted to pass along-

A few iPhone apps that are useful for being organized for back to school.

A muffin recipe and back to school lunch and snack ideas from The Meal Makeover Moms

Because my life has become increasingly busy managing 2 kids in school and a new baby, I'm working on some ideas for changing how I cook and manage my kitchen and trying new recipes. I will try to get back to my weekly posts soon. I swear. :)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Simple Grilled Tilapia

Tilapia is a nice, inexpensive white and fairly firm fish that is mild in flavor.  So it's versatile.  I like to use it to make fish tacos and I also like that it grills quickly and with little fuss.  This recipe is really a no-brainer and nothing fancy, just simple and fresh tasting.

Grilled Tilapia with an asparagus, carrot and snap pea stir fry and green salad.  Simple Summer.

Grilled Tilapia
4 tilapia fillets
2 tbl extra virgin olive oil
Juice from ½ a lemon
1 clove garlic, minced
Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper

In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, lemon juice and garlic together.  Place fish in a shallow baking dish and pour lemon juice mixture over, be sure to flip them over to be properly coated with marinade.  Place fish in refrigerator for 10 minutes.  Meanwhile, prepare grill; oil grates and heat to medium high heat.  Season fish with salt and pepper, place on grill and cook for 3 minutes per side until no longer opaque and slightly charred.  Use a good wide spatula to flip the fish, if the grates are nicely oiled it should be no problem to flip, the fish is firm enough to stay intact.  Or if you have a grilling basket and you like to use it, go for it.


Variation- swap lemon juice for lime, add a sprinkle of chili powder or your preferred taco seasoning mix and you have grilled fish for tacos.

Product Review- Newton Fruit Thins

The latest opportunity I was given in the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program was to try Newton Fruit Thins. I was sent a package of the Cranberry Citrus Oat.  I really had no idea what to expect, I actually really like the traditional Fig Newton and some of the other Newton flavors, and I thought maybe it would still be a soft, but thin fruit cookie.  But no, thin means crisp in this case and luckily, I am someone who likes crisp cookies.  In general, I'm not hung up on textures.  I don't discriminate against one texture or another, I guess I like them all.  I digress, anyway...Newton Fruit Thins, are light and crispy with flecks of fruit, in this case; cranberry and it had a hint of orange flavor.  It was also a bit nutty in taste and texture since it contains oat.  I really liked them.  My kids were hesitant, but seemed to like them after trying a couple.  The nutritional information boasts 8 grams of whole grains per serving, which I think is 3 cookies.
I haven't tried the other flavors; Blueberry Brown Sugar, Chocolate Raspberry and Fig and Honey, but I'm thinking the next one I'd try is the Chocolate Raspberry.  These were great to pack as a snack when we were out all day for a soccer tournament.  And I was thinking that crumbled up and sprinkled with some Greek yogurt as an afternoon snack would be very yummy.
So if you pass these by in the supermarket, I would say give them a try and let me know what you think.

Things We Love

This section is devoted to being a comprehensive resource for products and services we love.  Please share with us anything you love and don't see listed here.
Magazines

Bon Appetit- Besides recipes, the magazine features interviews, travel and/or restaurant articles and features about products.
Cook’s Illustrated - Consider this magazine the Consumer Reports for cooking.  No advertisements which means they review and rate both kitchen equipment and food products.  Plus provide excellent articles and detailed recipes.  The website is also full of great information but requires a paid subscription.

Everyday Food - Martha Stewart's magazine for the everyday home cook.  Plenty of easy recipes, often more realistic to make than what you would find in Martha Stewart Living. 

Food Network Magazine- Features a lot of recipes, plus articles, profiles of the network chefs and entertaining ideas.
Real Simple - For everything from home decor to health and finance.

Cooking Light - Very popular magazine that often takes traditional recipes and makes them lower in fat and/or calories.

Shape - Great fitness magazine that also features interviews, fashion and cooking.

 

Cook Books
Paula Deen's My First Cookbook
Williams-Sonoma Kids in the Kitchen: Fun Food
I'm Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat = Cooking
Everyday Food: Great Food Fast
The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition
Joy of Cooking: 75th Anniversary Edition - 2006
Serious Barbecue: Smoke, Char, Baste, and Brush Your Way to Great Outdoor Cooking

Products and Services

Contigo BPA Free Kids Autoseal 2-Pack, Set of 2, Girls Colors

Snapware and Container Store for pantry organization
Reusies- reuseable sandwich and snack baggies
Easy Lunch Boxes- Great re-useable containers that are much less expensive than others on the market.
Get Natured - A blog for living a whole health lifestyle.
Pampered Chef- Outstanding cooking tools, cookbooks and seasonings.

Chef Mark- Remarkable Palate- Personal Chef Services in NYC, plus a great blog with audio cooking tips
Chefs Catalog- Huge catalog of cooking tools and equipment 
 

Food Products

Penzey’s Spices
Trader Joe’s Truffle Brownie Mix- we like to bake from scratch, but this mix is outstanding!

Trader Joe’s Carne Asada or Tri-tip Asada (watch the sodium content, but it tastes great)

Aidell’s Sausages

Aidell’s Teriyaki Chicken Meatballs
Amy’s Organics Bean & Cheese Burritos
Costco Rotisserie Chicken
Everett & Jones BBQ Sauce
Cowgirl Creamery Cheese (SO GOOD!)
Cal Tex Cattle Cooperative (Sacramento area local, grass fed Angus beef)

Farm Fresh to You - Organic produce delivery, commonly referred to as a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture)

Non-Food Related
Chicks-n-Chickens - Lullaby exercises for mama and baby
Etsy - GREAT place to shop for handmade items.  Wonderful for unique gifts, especially for hard to shop people.
Celtic Cloths- Fabric retailer plus all the supplies you need for making your own cloth diapers

Product Review- Magnum Ice Cream Bars

Right off the bat I must confess that I love ice cream. I have a major sweet tooth and baking is my first love, but I never pass up ice cream. I actually love to make ice cream, so look to see some posts from me with recipes this summer.

So, as a member of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker Program, the new premium ice cream bars, Magnum provided the opportunity to try their product, I jumped at it. I chose their Double Caramel which is vanilla bean ice cream dipped in chocolate, then that is dipped in caramel and then dipped in chocolate again. Yum, right? Right! I am always a fan of chocolate and caramel in combination, so when given a choice I'm always going to pick that over something all chocolate or just chocolate and vanilla. It was delicious; the chocolate coating was not a fake waxy flavor, it tasted like chocolate. The caramel in between did not drip too much, but it wasn't firm and chewy. The vanilla ice cream was not a heavy super premium, which I love, but it was a nice creamy vanilla bean. It worked for this bar and tasted good.
Magnum bars come three in a package, which is not enough if you have a family, you'd have to purchase more boxes. They are $5 or less per box, I saw them for $3.86 at Walmart, which I think is a reasonable price for a good size and higher quality ice cream bar. I hope to see them in a larger "family" package or maybe sold at Costco in larger volume. If you love ice cream and ice cream treats like I do, definitely give these a try this summer.

All About Artichokes

Chef Elisa is based in Denver, CO and is a caterer and a chef with Whole Foods Market.

I enjoyed my first artichoke of the Spring recently,and it got me thinking.  I grew up eating artichokes and I have fond memories of this unique little piece of produce, which is actually a thistle.   I remember savoring the ritual of dipping each leaf into Best Foods mayonnaise, scraping my teeth across it to enjoy that small bite of unique flavor.   And most importantly, the delicious heart that lies inside, a prize awarded for your patience in deconstructing the little globe one piece at a time.
I’ve encountered a lot of people who have never eaten a whole, fresh artichoke.  Many people have only eaten the hearts (usually from a can) in pasta and pizza.   But I think everyone should enjoy an artichoke, especially when they are at their peak in Spring.  If you have never tried one and are a little put off at the idea of having to pull your food apart leaf by leaf and scrape the “meat” off of it, you may be encouraged by the artichoke’s health properties.  In researching this article, I was pleasantly surprised to find that artichokes contain cynarin, which is a “phenolic acid compound… that stimulates digestion, protects the liver, and lowers triglycerides and cholesterol.”  So you can feel better about slathering those leaves with butter, mayonnaise or aioli knowing that the artichoke can naturally help your HDL/LDL ratio!

I think the artichoke is best simply steamed, but boiling also works well.  Wash it well, trim the end of the stem and snip off any thorny points on the leaves if you like.   Put a few inches of water in the bottom of your pot, put the artichokes in the steamer basket and in about 30 minutes (depending on the size and toughness of your artichoke) you will be ready to enjoy Spring’s bounty!  To determine if it is cooked, simply poke a fork into the stem at the base of the artichoke, it should be able to slide in and be removed easily.
Every once in a while I like to relive my childhood memories by enjoying an artichoke with just plain old mayonnaise.  It was good enough for me at 10 years old, and it is good enough now!  However, the chef in me really can’t be satisfied with plain mayo all the time.  Usually I like to dress up my mayo with some crushed fresh garlic and lots of lemon juice, usually called an aioli but I take a shortcut and use prepared mayo instead of making my own!  You could put practically anything into your mayo – how about some pesto to pay homage to the artichoke’s Italian roots, or some chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce for a little spice.  If you’re ever feeling ambitious, try making a stuffing with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese and herbs, spoon a little between each leaf and then steam the artichoke until cooked through.  There are a number of simple recipes available on the website for the California Artichoke Advisory Board.
So the next time you’re perusing the produce at your grocery store, don’t be afraid to reach for one of those thistles and try something new.  They’re delicious AND nutritious, and you might even get your little ones to eat them on account of how fun it is to play with your food!

Read more at Suite101: Cynarin: A Compound in Artichokes Reduces Cholesterol and Supports Digestion
Artichoke recipes at : http://www.artichokes.org/recipes.html