Last year, while I was looking for Halloween-themed recipes, I stumbled onto this one. Please believe me when I tell you it is like crack and if your health/weight loss routine is of any importance to you, you should really not make this. Or, make it and take it to a gathering so lots of people can have a small amount. But be prepared to share the recipe.
It is not an exaggeration to say this is one of the most addictive snacks I've ever had or made. Even when I know I should stop, when I know I've reached my limit and then some, I still want more. It's sticky and crunchy and wicked good!
Goblin Grub
Original recipe posted here.
6 1/2 C rice Chex cereal
4 1/2 C Golden Grahams cereal
1 C sliced almonds (or chopped nut of your choice)
2 C coconut
3/4 C butter
1 C sugar
1 C corn syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
In a very large bowl (and I mean VERY large), mix both cereals, almonds and coconut. Set aside.
In a large saucepan, combine butter, sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil, being sure butter is fully melted, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. It will bubble up a little when you add the vanilla, so be careful.
Pour sugar mixture over cereal mixture and stir well to completely coat the dry ingredients. Spread the mix out onto wax paper to cool.
Dump it all back into a bowl or portion it out into individual serving bags or dishes. This recipe makes a ton - somewhere in the vicinity of 11 cups of mix!
Sometime shortly after Halloween last year, I forgot about this recipe. For the sake of my waistline, I hope the same thing happens again this year...
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Yesterday's loss of power, falling tree branches and heavy rains made the day a little more interesting than I typically like. The kids were great sports about it and we spent the electricity-free time playing UNO and doing a science experiment involving how many drops of water will fit on a penny (any guesses?) and discussing cohesion and surface tension.
We did get our power back after a couple of hours and, by crazy random happenstance, had the perfect dinner already planned - broccoli cheese soup and baking powder biscuits! This soup is perfect in so many ways. It's relatively quick, very easy and can help use up those bunches of broccoli you bought, forgot about and recently unearthed from the bottom drawer of the fridge (not that you would ever do that) - the ones that aren't quite prime anymore, but aren't bad enough to just toss out. This meal is wonderful for those days when the weather is crappy, you're cold and tired and just want to snuggle on the couch under a blanket. Days like yesterday.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Makes 8-10 good size servings and reheats well (for those of you not feeding a small army at every meal)
5-6 C broccoli florets - fresh or frozen
6 C chicken broth
1 1/2 C milk or half and half (I have used 2%, skim and a mix of skim and heavy cream - all have been delish, but the mix of milk and cream made a smoother texture, I thought)
1/2 C + 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 - 3 C grated cheddar
A few slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 small onion, finely diced
Cook up the bacon to desired crispness. Pour out all but a tiny bit of the grease. Saute the onions in the leftover bacon grease while you work on the next step. Set the onions aside.
Steam broccoli (fresh or frozen), then chop however finely you like it. If you want a super smooth soup, throw the broccoli in the blender and puree it. I prefer to keep some of the texture, so I just rough chop it on my cutting board. Set aside.
Combine broth and milk in a large pan over medium high heat. Slowly whisk in flour and cook, stirring occasionally, until desired thickness. I like to cook mine until it's about the thickness of unset pudding or melted ice cream. Stir in broccoli and onions and reduce heat to low.
Cook about five minutes, then dump in the cheese. Continue to cook until the cheese is completely melted and the soup is piping hot. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
Scoop out into bowls and top with sliced green onion and crumbled bacon. Serve with biscuits or crusty bread of your choice. Eat and nearly die of bliss.
Recipe originally found at Lynn's Kitchen Adventures website, but changed in a few ways to suit our family.
We did get our power back after a couple of hours and, by crazy random happenstance, had the perfect dinner already planned - broccoli cheese soup and baking powder biscuits! This soup is perfect in so many ways. It's relatively quick, very easy and can help use up those bunches of broccoli you bought, forgot about and recently unearthed from the bottom drawer of the fridge (not that you would ever do that) - the ones that aren't quite prime anymore, but aren't bad enough to just toss out. This meal is wonderful for those days when the weather is crappy, you're cold and tired and just want to snuggle on the couch under a blanket. Days like yesterday.
Broccoli Cheese Soup
Makes 8-10 good size servings and reheats well (for those of you not feeding a small army at every meal)
5-6 C broccoli florets - fresh or frozen
6 C chicken broth
1 1/2 C milk or half and half (I have used 2%, skim and a mix of skim and heavy cream - all have been delish, but the mix of milk and cream made a smoother texture, I thought)
1/2 C + 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
2 - 3 C grated cheddar
A few slices of bacon, cooked and crumbled
1/4 small onion, finely diced
Cook up the bacon to desired crispness. Pour out all but a tiny bit of the grease. Saute the onions in the leftover bacon grease while you work on the next step. Set the onions aside.
Steam broccoli (fresh or frozen), then chop however finely you like it. If you want a super smooth soup, throw the broccoli in the blender and puree it. I prefer to keep some of the texture, so I just rough chop it on my cutting board. Set aside.
Combine broth and milk in a large pan over medium high heat. Slowly whisk in flour and cook, stirring occasionally, until desired thickness. I like to cook mine until it's about the thickness of unset pudding or melted ice cream. Stir in broccoli and onions and reduce heat to low.
Cook about five minutes, then dump in the cheese. Continue to cook until the cheese is completely melted and the soup is piping hot. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
Scoop out into bowls and top with sliced green onion and crumbled bacon. Serve with biscuits or crusty bread of your choice. Eat and nearly die of bliss.
Recipe originally found at Lynn's Kitchen Adventures website, but changed in a few ways to suit our family.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Black Pepper and Molasses Pulled Chicken
I originally found this recipe on MyRecipes.com, but since I've tweaked it pretty heavily, I'm not going to link the original recipe. If anyone wants it, let me know and I'll add a link to the original.
8 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp mustard (spicy, regular yellow, coarse ground, whatever floats your boat)
2 Tbsp molasses
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp fresh ground pepper (I just keep grinding more on until it looks right, so I'm not sure this measurement is accurate - I'm probably using close to double this amount)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
5 or 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch pieces
Combine all ingredients in a large pan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cook 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and sauce is beginning to thicken. Reduce heat to medium-low and remove chicken to a plate. Shred the chicken as much or as little as you like, then toss is back into the sauce. When it's all shredded and heated through again, serve as desired. The sauce should be quite thick and there shouldn't be much of it left in the pan, it'll mostly be coating the chicken.
I usually serve this on kaiser rolls, ciabatta bread or other good, crusty bread, but it's also great spooned over mashed potatoes. Because the sauce has a sort of smoky barbecue flavor, I like to serve this with cole slaw and chips, or if I'm feeling a little healthier, a veggie tray.
The leftovers, if you have any, are excellent the next day. Just throw them back into a saucepan and heat. If they're too dry, add a small amount of ketchup or BBQ sauce.
This recipe is one that we come back to time and again - it's super simple, quick and delicious. Since I buy my chicken breasts individually frozen, I just pull out as many as I need in the morning and let them thaw while I go about my day. Perfect.
8 Tbsp ketchup
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp mustard (spicy, regular yellow, coarse ground, whatever floats your boat)
2 Tbsp molasses
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp fresh ground pepper (I just keep grinding more on until it looks right, so I'm not sure this measurement is accurate - I'm probably using close to double this amount)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
5 or 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 2 inch pieces
Combine all ingredients in a large pan and stir to combine. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cook 20-25 minutes or until chicken is cooked through and sauce is beginning to thicken. Reduce heat to medium-low and remove chicken to a plate. Shred the chicken as much or as little as you like, then toss is back into the sauce. When it's all shredded and heated through again, serve as desired. The sauce should be quite thick and there shouldn't be much of it left in the pan, it'll mostly be coating the chicken.
I usually serve this on kaiser rolls, ciabatta bread or other good, crusty bread, but it's also great spooned over mashed potatoes. Because the sauce has a sort of smoky barbecue flavor, I like to serve this with cole slaw and chips, or if I'm feeling a little healthier, a veggie tray.
The leftovers, if you have any, are excellent the next day. Just throw them back into a saucepan and heat. If they're too dry, add a small amount of ketchup or BBQ sauce.
This recipe is one that we come back to time and again - it's super simple, quick and delicious. Since I buy my chicken breasts individually frozen, I just pull out as many as I need in the morning and let them thaw while I go about my day. Perfect.
Friday, October 22, 2010
Regarding Cookies
One side effect of my fall cleanup and recipe book making is that I've been going through my old recipe magazines/cookbooks/handwritten recipes and making note of ones I want to try. This is my current winter baking list - this does not include things I don't use a recipe for or MW Candy (obviously this is non-negotiable, it must be made), nor does it include anything in my usual repertoire.
In no particular order...
In no particular order...
- Russian Tea Cakes
- Peppermint Snowball Cookies
- Espresso Thumbprint Cookies
- Chocolate Hazelnut Corners
- Poinsettia Blossoms
- Heavenly Cappuccino Praline Bars
- Snowman Cookies
- Pecan Wafers
- Malt Fudge Brownies
- Shortbread Brownies
- Macadamia Nut Cookies
- Anzac Cookies
- Peanut Butter and Toffee Blondies
- MJ's Gingerbread Cookies
- Spice Mingles
- Toffee Coffee Brownies
- Peanut Butter and Ginger Crackles
- Glass Candy
- Spicy Vanilla Pecans
- Gingersnaps
- Peppermint Taffy
- Honey Butter Caramels with Sea Salt
- Shortbread Lemon Bars
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Snack Crackers
My Mom used to make seasoned oyster crackers - they were delicious! I remember making them once when Bryant and I first got together, but it wasn't the same. They just weren't as good. As the years passed, my tastes developed a little more and I've come to realize that I really needed to make my own crackers. I found about a million recipes, so I sorted through a few and took what I liked. Then I made my own version. Scooter could have easily eaten a whole batch by herself - she LOVED them!
Snack Crackers
18 oz oyster crackers (Pookie used to call them moisture crackers)
1/3 C vegetable oil
1 1/2 Tbsp ranch dressing mix (the powder)
1 tsp lemon pepper (or fresh ground pepper, if that's more your style)
1 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 tsp garlic salt
In a small bowl, combine the dressing mix, lemon pepper, dill weed and garlic salt. Mix well and set aside.
In a very large bowl, combine the crackers with the oil, stirring well to coat. Sprinkle on the seasoning mix and stir very well to make sure the flavors get evenly distributed.
I don't know for sure how long these'll last because my kids had them gone in a heartbeat, but I would think they'd be fine up to a week. Just be sure to store them in an airtight container.
This is a great recipe on so many levels - it's easy enough that anyone able to measure ingredients and use a spoon can make it. It's a great one to tweak with your own seasonings and measurements. Or, be like Bryant and don't measure a thing - just toss in a little of this and a little of that and make it different every time. It's up to you.
It travels relatively well, so it's a great one to make and portion out to take on day trips. We like to go walking in the woods or spend the afternoon at the park, weather permitting, and we're often gone several hours at a time. In lieu of buying extra snacks or finding a drive-thru, I try to pack granola bars, small bags of crackers or boxes of raisins; whatever we happen to have on hand. I think this would be perfect for those days.
These would also be a good substitute for popcorn if you know someone with braces or who just doesn't like popcorn (I really don't know how that's even possible). The only issue I could see is that your fingers will get a little "seasoned" so if you're going to play on the Wii or any other game system while eating these, you'll need to wipe down the controllers when you're done.
So the next time you see oyster crackers on sale, grab a few bags and make these delicious snack crackers - you'll be happy you did.
Snack Crackers
18 oz oyster crackers (Pookie used to call them moisture crackers)
1/3 C vegetable oil
1 1/2 Tbsp ranch dressing mix (the powder)
1 tsp lemon pepper (or fresh ground pepper, if that's more your style)
1 tsp dried dill weed
1/2 tsp garlic salt
In a small bowl, combine the dressing mix, lemon pepper, dill weed and garlic salt. Mix well and set aside.
In a very large bowl, combine the crackers with the oil, stirring well to coat. Sprinkle on the seasoning mix and stir very well to make sure the flavors get evenly distributed.
I don't know for sure how long these'll last because my kids had them gone in a heartbeat, but I would think they'd be fine up to a week. Just be sure to store them in an airtight container.
This is a great recipe on so many levels - it's easy enough that anyone able to measure ingredients and use a spoon can make it. It's a great one to tweak with your own seasonings and measurements. Or, be like Bryant and don't measure a thing - just toss in a little of this and a little of that and make it different every time. It's up to you.
It travels relatively well, so it's a great one to make and portion out to take on day trips. We like to go walking in the woods or spend the afternoon at the park, weather permitting, and we're often gone several hours at a time. In lieu of buying extra snacks or finding a drive-thru, I try to pack granola bars, small bags of crackers or boxes of raisins; whatever we happen to have on hand. I think this would be perfect for those days.
These would also be a good substitute for popcorn if you know someone with braces or who just doesn't like popcorn (I really don't know how that's even possible). The only issue I could see is that your fingers will get a little "seasoned" so if you're going to play on the Wii or any other game system while eating these, you'll need to wipe down the controllers when you're done.
So the next time you see oyster crackers on sale, grab a few bags and make these delicious snack crackers - you'll be happy you did.
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Knitting and Kidlets
I asked for blog suggestions on Facebook this morning and thus far, I've gotten only one response. "Knitting??? What's going on the with the kiddos?" So here you go, Kelly...
Knitting:
The vast majority of my knitting in recent days has been gift knitting. That's why there's no real update or information about it. I will say this - the project I'm putting most of my effort into is made with yarn from recycled pop bottles and is crazy soft. It's also deep charcoal grey, which I'm absolutely loving! The pattern is simple enough that I can knit it without looking at my needles, but interesting enough to make a pretty finished fabric. That's really all I can say - I'm not sure if the intended recipient is a reader or not.
I have one other gift knit in progress - it's green, a wool blend and has cables. The recipient of that one is a reader, so that's all you're getting there, too.
I did spend a few minutes last week learning how to make a ballband dishcloth. For those of you who don't know what that is, here's a link to a photo. I've always been afraid of working with two colors at once and have only done it in one project (but in that project I was making stripes, so I just carried the unused yarn up the side), this is different. I've spend a lot of time on Ravelry and other sites looking at these cloths and waiting until I felt ready to try them. But then I realized what I was doing - I have a tendency to put off anything I'm unsure of and I know myself well enough to know that if I didn't just jump it, it was never going to happen. So I grabbed two contrasting yarns from my stash and set to work. Remember a few sentences ago when I said I spent "a few minutes?" Yeah, that's not an exaggeration. It was super easy and I felt like a colossal fool for being so nervous about it.
I did rip out the one I started, but not because it wasn't going well. I ripped it because I'd just grabbed two yarns from my stash and they didn't work well together. But I bought orange and black yarn this past weekend, so I'm hoping there's a Halloween colored ballband cloth in my near future.
As far as the kidlets, there's not a lot of change going on. The Boy has been itching to find someone to play D & D with, so we're looking into a game store nearby that hosts lots of groups for everything from Magic games to D & D and everything in between. I'm hoping to get him involved either there or a youth center around the corner. He has a hard time meeting people and socializing is not his forte, so I have been pushing him to pick something to get involved with.
Scooter has decided to learn Draconic (the language of the dragons) and has been studying a lot. We found and printed a Draconic alphabet, as well as a list of over 100 common words for her to work with. I'm sure that'll be a great asset to her when she's applying to colleges...
Pibb has been reading a series called, "The Last Apprentice" by Joseph Delaney. The books are between 200 and 400 pages each and there are seven or eight, although he's not finished with the series, so I imagine there will be more. He spends most of his time either playing with Legos and Bionicles or reading. It's very gratifying to see him enjoy reading - it was extremely difficult to teach him to read. He was convince he couldn't do it for a really long time.
Midge is struggling with the same thing. He knows the letters and he knows some words, but he's sure he isn't able to do it, so he barely tries. We've just started a program of learning 10 new Dolch sight words each week. Every day he has activities with the words (one day he gets to play with my alphabet stamps and "write" each word in his word journal, one day he gets to write the words with colored pasta, etc...) The idea is that by the end of each week, he'll have learned 10 new words, learning all 220 Dolch words and 95 commonly used nouns by the end of the school year. He's also had more interest in reading lately, asking for two or three chapter books each day and I think that's a good motivator for him. He wants to know the stories, but I don't have time to spend 5 hours a day just reading to him, so he's having to try to read them on his own.
Pookie is sweet, as always. His main focus lately seems to be Legos and following his brothers around. He's been paying attention when the bigger kids do school and has started recognizing letters and sounds without my formally teaching them to him. He also knows all the numbers 0-9 and can write them on his own. He loves to pretend to visit the ice cream store and is constantly bringing us pretend ice cream to eat. Maybe I should take him to Cold Stone again....
And now I need to go make breakfast burritos (for lunch), but I'll be back tomorrow with a recipe!
Knitting:
The vast majority of my knitting in recent days has been gift knitting. That's why there's no real update or information about it. I will say this - the project I'm putting most of my effort into is made with yarn from recycled pop bottles and is crazy soft. It's also deep charcoal grey, which I'm absolutely loving! The pattern is simple enough that I can knit it without looking at my needles, but interesting enough to make a pretty finished fabric. That's really all I can say - I'm not sure if the intended recipient is a reader or not.
I have one other gift knit in progress - it's green, a wool blend and has cables. The recipient of that one is a reader, so that's all you're getting there, too.
I did spend a few minutes last week learning how to make a ballband dishcloth. For those of you who don't know what that is, here's a link to a photo. I've always been afraid of working with two colors at once and have only done it in one project (but in that project I was making stripes, so I just carried the unused yarn up the side), this is different. I've spend a lot of time on Ravelry and other sites looking at these cloths and waiting until I felt ready to try them. But then I realized what I was doing - I have a tendency to put off anything I'm unsure of and I know myself well enough to know that if I didn't just jump it, it was never going to happen. So I grabbed two contrasting yarns from my stash and set to work. Remember a few sentences ago when I said I spent "a few minutes?" Yeah, that's not an exaggeration. It was super easy and I felt like a colossal fool for being so nervous about it.
I did rip out the one I started, but not because it wasn't going well. I ripped it because I'd just grabbed two yarns from my stash and they didn't work well together. But I bought orange and black yarn this past weekend, so I'm hoping there's a Halloween colored ballband cloth in my near future.
As far as the kidlets, there's not a lot of change going on. The Boy has been itching to find someone to play D & D with, so we're looking into a game store nearby that hosts lots of groups for everything from Magic games to D & D and everything in between. I'm hoping to get him involved either there or a youth center around the corner. He has a hard time meeting people and socializing is not his forte, so I have been pushing him to pick something to get involved with.
Scooter has decided to learn Draconic (the language of the dragons) and has been studying a lot. We found and printed a Draconic alphabet, as well as a list of over 100 common words for her to work with. I'm sure that'll be a great asset to her when she's applying to colleges...
Pibb has been reading a series called, "The Last Apprentice" by Joseph Delaney. The books are between 200 and 400 pages each and there are seven or eight, although he's not finished with the series, so I imagine there will be more. He spends most of his time either playing with Legos and Bionicles or reading. It's very gratifying to see him enjoy reading - it was extremely difficult to teach him to read. He was convince he couldn't do it for a really long time.
Midge is struggling with the same thing. He knows the letters and he knows some words, but he's sure he isn't able to do it, so he barely tries. We've just started a program of learning 10 new Dolch sight words each week. Every day he has activities with the words (one day he gets to play with my alphabet stamps and "write" each word in his word journal, one day he gets to write the words with colored pasta, etc...) The idea is that by the end of each week, he'll have learned 10 new words, learning all 220 Dolch words and 95 commonly used nouns by the end of the school year. He's also had more interest in reading lately, asking for two or three chapter books each day and I think that's a good motivator for him. He wants to know the stories, but I don't have time to spend 5 hours a day just reading to him, so he's having to try to read them on his own.
Pookie is sweet, as always. His main focus lately seems to be Legos and following his brothers around. He's been paying attention when the bigger kids do school and has started recognizing letters and sounds without my formally teaching them to him. He also knows all the numbers 0-9 and can write them on his own. He loves to pretend to visit the ice cream store and is constantly bringing us pretend ice cream to eat. Maybe I should take him to Cold Stone again....
And now I need to go make breakfast burritos (for lunch), but I'll be back tomorrow with a recipe!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Menu Plan 10/16 - 10/29
First off, let me apologize for the lack of posts around here lately. There's no real reason for it, I guess I just got sidetracked. We did get a lot done this past week or so and school has gone pretty smoothly lately, so maybe it's not such a bad thing. I am, however, determined to pick up the pace a bit and hope to post at least every other day, if not daily.
Today I'm posting our menu plan with links to a few of the recipes. Also, I'm listing a movie for each day. Coming up to a holiday, such as Halloween, The Boy likes to list all the holiday appropriate movies we own and put them in a hat, draw one movie for each day and make a schedule for us. That way we don't miss out on anything. So here's my list of meals and movies for the rest of October. Enjoy!
10/16
B - Basic muffins with streusel topping
L - Roasted potatoes
D - BBQ meatball subs, chips
M - Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, season 2
10/17
B - Pancakes
L - Sandwiches
D - Cheeseburger calzone, chips
M - We actually skipped the movie, but it was supposed to be Halloweentown.
10/18
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Spaghetti O's
D - Bowtie Lasagna, steamed broccoli, breadsticks (Since I'm linking the recipe directly, let me just point out my modifications... I'm using medium shells instead of farfalle this time (the store was out) and I use only half the sour cream called for - it's enough. This recipe is very filling and a single batch is plenty for all of us and reheats well the next day for lunch.)
M - Frankenstein (1931, black and white)
10/19
B - Breakfast burritos
L - Sandwiches
D - Pigs in blankets, baked beans
M - Halloweentown 2
10/20
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Cheesy pasta with broccoli
D - Mushroom and Swiss Sliders, oven fries
M - The Wolfman (1941, black and white)
10/21
B - Eggs to order, toast, milk
L - Sandwiches
D - Apricot glazed pork loin, green beans, potatoes au gratin
M - Say Cheese and Die/The Ghost Next Door (Goosebumps)
10/22
B - Peanut butter baked oatmeal
L - Corn dog muffins
D - French toast, sausage
M - The Nightmare Before Christmas
10/23
B - Granola
L - Eggs salad sandwiches
D - Bean and sausage mush, fries (recipe below)
M - Gremlins 2
10/24
B - Pancakes
L - Roasted potatoes
D - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn
M - Corpse Bride
10/25
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Grilled cheese sandwiches
D - Black pepper and molasses pulled chicken sandwiches, veggie tray
M - How I Got My Shrunken Head/Cry of the Cat (Goosebumps)
10/26
B - Pop up pancakes
L - Sandwiches, baby carrots
D - Broccoli cheese soup, biscuits
M - Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, seasons 3 & 4
10/27
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Cheesy pasta with broccoli
D - Sweet and sour meatballs over rice, fortune cookies
M - The Haunted Mansion
10/28
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Sandwiches
D - BBQ pulled pork, green beans, scalloped potatoes
M - Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, seasons 5 & 6
10/29
B - Basic muffins with streusel topping
L - Soup and crackers
D - Taco salad, quesadillas
M - Beetlejuice
There's been some curiosity as to exactly what bean and sausage mush is, so I'm posting the recipe. This is one that Bryant made before we were together and, if I recall correctly, came from a book of game recipes. We don't always have venison on hand, so we often make it with sausage instead.
For 8 servings:
2 packages of rope sausage or kielbasa
2 or 3 28 oz cans of baked beans, any flavor
Fries, potato wedges, slices, etc... Whatever shape of potato you like, cooked as desired (this isn't great with mashed potatoes, though, so use something with some texture to it)
Slice the sausage up fairly thin (1/2 inch slices) and fry it until it's caramelized and hot all the way through. Dump in the beans and heat thoroughly. Serve the bean and sausage mush over fries. That's it. Very simple, inexpensive and filling.
As always, leave a comment if you want a particular recipe.
Today I'm posting our menu plan with links to a few of the recipes. Also, I'm listing a movie for each day. Coming up to a holiday, such as Halloween, The Boy likes to list all the holiday appropriate movies we own and put them in a hat, draw one movie for each day and make a schedule for us. That way we don't miss out on anything. So here's my list of meals and movies for the rest of October. Enjoy!
10/16
B - Basic muffins with streusel topping
L - Roasted potatoes
D - BBQ meatball subs, chips
M - Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, season 2
10/17
B - Pancakes
L - Sandwiches
D - Cheeseburger calzone, chips
M - We actually skipped the movie, but it was supposed to be Halloweentown.
10/18
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Spaghetti O's
D - Bowtie Lasagna, steamed broccoli, breadsticks (Since I'm linking the recipe directly, let me just point out my modifications... I'm using medium shells instead of farfalle this time (the store was out) and I use only half the sour cream called for - it's enough. This recipe is very filling and a single batch is plenty for all of us and reheats well the next day for lunch.)
M - Frankenstein (1931, black and white)
10/19
B - Breakfast burritos
L - Sandwiches
D - Pigs in blankets, baked beans
M - Halloweentown 2
10/20
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Cheesy pasta with broccoli
D - Mushroom and Swiss Sliders, oven fries
M - The Wolfman (1941, black and white)
10/21
B - Eggs to order, toast, milk
L - Sandwiches
D - Apricot glazed pork loin, green beans, potatoes au gratin
M - Say Cheese and Die/The Ghost Next Door (Goosebumps)
10/22
B - Peanut butter baked oatmeal
L - Corn dog muffins
D - French toast, sausage
M - The Nightmare Before Christmas
10/23
B - Granola
L - Eggs salad sandwiches
D - Bean and sausage mush, fries (recipe below)
M - Gremlins 2
10/24
B - Pancakes
L - Roasted potatoes
D - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn
M - Corpse Bride
10/25
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Grilled cheese sandwiches
D - Black pepper and molasses pulled chicken sandwiches, veggie tray
M - How I Got My Shrunken Head/Cry of the Cat (Goosebumps)
10/26
B - Pop up pancakes
L - Sandwiches, baby carrots
D - Broccoli cheese soup, biscuits
M - Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, seasons 3 & 4
10/27
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Cheesy pasta with broccoli
D - Sweet and sour meatballs over rice, fortune cookies
M - The Haunted Mansion
10/28
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Sandwiches
D - BBQ pulled pork, green beans, scalloped potatoes
M - Simpson's Treehouse of Horror, seasons 5 & 6
10/29
B - Basic muffins with streusel topping
L - Soup and crackers
D - Taco salad, quesadillas
M - Beetlejuice
There's been some curiosity as to exactly what bean and sausage mush is, so I'm posting the recipe. This is one that Bryant made before we were together and, if I recall correctly, came from a book of game recipes. We don't always have venison on hand, so we often make it with sausage instead.
For 8 servings:
2 packages of rope sausage or kielbasa
2 or 3 28 oz cans of baked beans, any flavor
Fries, potato wedges, slices, etc... Whatever shape of potato you like, cooked as desired (this isn't great with mashed potatoes, though, so use something with some texture to it)
Slice the sausage up fairly thin (1/2 inch slices) and fry it until it's caramelized and hot all the way through. Dump in the beans and heat thoroughly. Serve the bean and sausage mush over fries. That's it. Very simple, inexpensive and filling.
As always, leave a comment if you want a particular recipe.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Bagels
Years ago I was kicking around some recipe site (I don't even remember which one) and found a recipe for dinner rolls. I was seriously nervous about working with yeast, but the rolls looked really good and fairly simple, so I gathered my courage and gave it a shot.
In the years since then, I've made hundreds of rolls and countless loaves of bread. And then there are the pita breads and bagels... I even went so far as to stop buying bread products of any kind for a short while, I just made my own. There is nothing, and I mean nothing on earth, like taking a bite out of fresh, hot bread from your own oven.
Today I'm sharing my go-to bagel recipe. I have others, but this is the recipe I come back to time and again. If you're like I was, a little nervous about working with yeast, this is a great place to start. These are almost impossible to mess up and the end product is guaranteed to make you popular with whoever you choose to share them with.
Bagels
4 C bread flour (do not substitute all-purpose flour)
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil
2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 C warm water
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, using only the 1 1/4 C water to start. Don't worry about soaking the yeast, instant yeast doesn't need it and you'd be hard pressed to find regular yeast in most grocery stores. The dough should feel stiff, but add the extra water if the dough is crazy stiff or there's flour in the bottom of the bowl that you can't mix in. Plop the dough out onto the counter and knead it for about 10 minutes or until it's uniform and smooth. Cut the dough into 8 equal size pieces and let them rest for no less than 10 minutes, preferably 20 minutes.
Working one piece of dough at a time, roll it out onto the counter and make a snake just longer than both of your hands side by side (or long enough to wrap around one of your hands). Overlap the ends and roll/squish them together to form a circular bagel-to-be. Don't worry if they're not perfectly round, one bite and you won't care what shape they are!
Let the bagels rest again for about 20 minutes. While they're napping, go ahead and get a large pot of water onto the stove. Salt it and bring it to a good, rolling boil. A rolling boil means that even when you're stirring the water, it's constantly moving and bubbling. It's important that the water be fully boiling to get the maximum rise and deliciousness out of your bagels.
After that 20 minutes, your bagels are starting to look a little puffy, so it's time to get the oven heated up and bagels into the water. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Working just one or two at a time, gently drop the bagels into the water. They might sink at first, but fear not, they'll pop back up to the top in just a few seconds. If they sink, your water probably wasn't hot enough. Let them boil for one minute, flip them over and let them boil for another minute. Pull them out and put them on a greased baking sheet while the next set of bagels boil. You want them fairly dry when they go into the oven, so don't skip the drying time. When the next set of bagels is done, take the ones you already did and put them on a greased baking sheet (the one you're actually going to cook them on). Repeat this process until all of your bagels have been boiled.
Put the tray of bagels into the oven and leave them be for 10 minutes. Flip them over with a spatula or tongs (be gentle) and let them bake another 10 minutes.
Now just let them cool for no less than 10 minutes, grab the cream cheese and prepare to feast on a delicious treat.
You can add whatever toppings you like (sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion, etc...) - just have a dry plate handy with whatever you like spread out on it. When the bagels come out of the water, lay them down in the plate, picking up some of the good stuff. Start them in the oven topping side up, then flip and finish them topping side down. When they come out of the oven, flip them back over. If you want cinnamon sugar bagels, bake them plain, brush melted butter on top and then dip them into a plate of cinnamon sugar. Allow to cool as above.
This recipe makes 8 bagels and fills a standard size cookie sheet. I often make a double batch, so when I flip the bagels, I also take the tray from the bottom rack and switch it with the tray on the top rack. Or, you can do just one tray at a time, if you're more comfortable with it.
In the years since then, I've made hundreds of rolls and countless loaves of bread. And then there are the pita breads and bagels... I even went so far as to stop buying bread products of any kind for a short while, I just made my own. There is nothing, and I mean nothing on earth, like taking a bite out of fresh, hot bread from your own oven.
Today I'm sharing my go-to bagel recipe. I have others, but this is the recipe I come back to time and again. If you're like I was, a little nervous about working with yeast, this is a great place to start. These are almost impossible to mess up and the end product is guaranteed to make you popular with whoever you choose to share them with.
Bagels
4 C bread flour (do not substitute all-purpose flour)
1 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp vegetable or olive oil
2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 C warm water
Mix all the ingredients in a large bowl, using only the 1 1/4 C water to start. Don't worry about soaking the yeast, instant yeast doesn't need it and you'd be hard pressed to find regular yeast in most grocery stores. The dough should feel stiff, but add the extra water if the dough is crazy stiff or there's flour in the bottom of the bowl that you can't mix in. Plop the dough out onto the counter and knead it for about 10 minutes or until it's uniform and smooth. Cut the dough into 8 equal size pieces and let them rest for no less than 10 minutes, preferably 20 minutes.
Working one piece of dough at a time, roll it out onto the counter and make a snake just longer than both of your hands side by side (or long enough to wrap around one of your hands). Overlap the ends and roll/squish them together to form a circular bagel-to-be. Don't worry if they're not perfectly round, one bite and you won't care what shape they are!
Let the bagels rest again for about 20 minutes. While they're napping, go ahead and get a large pot of water onto the stove. Salt it and bring it to a good, rolling boil. A rolling boil means that even when you're stirring the water, it's constantly moving and bubbling. It's important that the water be fully boiling to get the maximum rise and deliciousness out of your bagels.
After that 20 minutes, your bagels are starting to look a little puffy, so it's time to get the oven heated up and bagels into the water. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Working just one or two at a time, gently drop the bagels into the water. They might sink at first, but fear not, they'll pop back up to the top in just a few seconds. If they sink, your water probably wasn't hot enough. Let them boil for one minute, flip them over and let them boil for another minute. Pull them out and put them on a greased baking sheet while the next set of bagels boil. You want them fairly dry when they go into the oven, so don't skip the drying time. When the next set of bagels is done, take the ones you already did and put them on a greased baking sheet (the one you're actually going to cook them on). Repeat this process until all of your bagels have been boiled.
Put the tray of bagels into the oven and leave them be for 10 minutes. Flip them over with a spatula or tongs (be gentle) and let them bake another 10 minutes.
Now just let them cool for no less than 10 minutes, grab the cream cheese and prepare to feast on a delicious treat.
You can add whatever toppings you like (sesame seeds, poppy seeds, onion, etc...) - just have a dry plate handy with whatever you like spread out on it. When the bagels come out of the water, lay them down in the plate, picking up some of the good stuff. Start them in the oven topping side up, then flip and finish them topping side down. When they come out of the oven, flip them back over. If you want cinnamon sugar bagels, bake them plain, brush melted butter on top and then dip them into a plate of cinnamon sugar. Allow to cool as above.
This recipe makes 8 bagels and fills a standard size cookie sheet. I often make a double batch, so when I flip the bagels, I also take the tray from the bottom rack and switch it with the tray on the top rack. Or, you can do just one tray at a time, if you're more comfortable with it.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Paper Flowers
I love the idea of recycling. Not just because it's good for the Earth, but because I love the idea that you can take something out of it's intended purpose and turn it into something completely different. It reaffirms for me that change isn't always a bad thing and helps me remember that anything can be beautiful, even if it didn't start out that way.
A treasure trove of recycled paper tutorials is the website How About Orange. Seriously, if you've got a few minutes, pop on over to her site and click the "DIY Tutorials" button on the top. I'll wait...
I came across this tutorial a few days ago and have been making paper flowers ever since! These are fabulous because they require no special tools or techniques. I used paper, scissors, a pencil and a thin knitting needle (although you could easily use a skewer or other thin stick). I did also make a template for myself out of some old cracker boxes I'd been holding onto. For the large flower I used a Cheez-It box and for the smaller one, a whole wheat saltines box was the perfect size. Making the template was by far the most time consuming part of this project, but I knew I'd want to make several so it made sense for me. If you just want to try one or two, use the printed pattern as your template and skip that step entirely.
For the first flower, I pulled out my trusty old issue of House Beautiful (Dec/Jan 2010). It was love at first fold...
But then I wanted to try one with scrapbooking paper, too... This paper is a little heavier than catalog or magazine pages, so it was a little easier to keep the edges curled, but not so heavy that it was hard to work with.
Those are both the large size, so for the smaller ones I opted for catalog pages. The first one was from the cover of Knit Pick's autumn yarns catalog (BTW, I highly recommend Knit Picks to anyone with any interest in knitting or crochet - they have amazing yarns at really affordable prices, plus tons of free or very inexpensive patterns). This paper is very thin, so it was a little harder to score it without ripping through and you can see in the picture that the lines are very obvious, especially on the smallest set of petals.
And lastly, one from a Premier Jewelry catalog (my sister is a salesperson for them and I happened to have an older catalog kicking around - fashionable and affordable!). I have to say that this paper is about the perfect weight for this project. It's not quite as heavy as scrapbook paper, but thicker than catalog or magazine pages typically are. It was easy to cut, easy to fold and held the curls really well.
These flowers are currently decorating my Sharpie dish, you can see them in a few of the pictures, but I can imagine all kinds of lovely uses for them - wreaths, on gifts, strung together as a garland, even boutonnieres!
A treasure trove of recycled paper tutorials is the website How About Orange. Seriously, if you've got a few minutes, pop on over to her site and click the "DIY Tutorials" button on the top. I'll wait...
I came across this tutorial a few days ago and have been making paper flowers ever since! These are fabulous because they require no special tools or techniques. I used paper, scissors, a pencil and a thin knitting needle (although you could easily use a skewer or other thin stick). I did also make a template for myself out of some old cracker boxes I'd been holding onto. For the large flower I used a Cheez-It box and for the smaller one, a whole wheat saltines box was the perfect size. Making the template was by far the most time consuming part of this project, but I knew I'd want to make several so it made sense for me. If you just want to try one or two, use the printed pattern as your template and skip that step entirely.
For the first flower, I pulled out my trusty old issue of House Beautiful (Dec/Jan 2010). It was love at first fold...
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Potatoes
Here's another poem that's been languishing in my completed works file for far too long. It's one of my favorites and I hope you'll enjoy it, too.
Of the Potato
No one ever writes
in praise of the potato
It lacks the firm jewel-skinned
sweet fleshed allure of the apple -
wholesome, like a sleeping virgin
all ripe and waxed and shiny
Nor does the potato
have the slick green sex appeal
of the avocado,
like a pneumatic Martian pin-up
with a California accent
Even among vegetables
the potato's rank is humble
How can it compete
with the richly colored and musically named
broccoli and zucchini
or the fleshy, glossy aubergine
or even lettuce, when freshly washed
glittering smugly in the background
like a society wife
(never mind the wilted edges)
The potato looks rather
like a pleasantly plump woman -
lumpy, with worn brown hands
and a dirt smudged apron
No one ever seduced
a well dressed man
by feeding him potatoes
They are ushered away
from polite tables
and pointed in the direction
of immigrants and the poor
And when do they have time to write
in praise of the potato
Of the Potato
No one ever writes
in praise of the potato
It lacks the firm jewel-skinned
sweet fleshed allure of the apple -
wholesome, like a sleeping virgin
all ripe and waxed and shiny
Nor does the potato
have the slick green sex appeal
of the avocado,
like a pneumatic Martian pin-up
with a California accent
Even among vegetables
the potato's rank is humble
How can it compete
with the richly colored and musically named
broccoli and zucchini
or the fleshy, glossy aubergine
or even lettuce, when freshly washed
glittering smugly in the background
like a society wife
(never mind the wilted edges)
The potato looks rather
like a pleasantly plump woman -
lumpy, with worn brown hands
and a dirt smudged apron
No one ever seduced
a well dressed man
by feeding him potatoes
They are ushered away
from polite tables
and pointed in the direction
of immigrants and the poor
And when do they have time to write
in praise of the potato
Friday, October 8, 2010
For the love of books
As homeschoolers, and as curious people, we spend a lot of time at the library. Sometimes we're in a hurry and we just grab our books and go, but more often we take our time. We like to peruse the shelves and let the books choose us. I rarely have a plan when I go to the library; I like to run my fingers over the books' spines and wait until one grabs my attention. And what amazes me is that this method of selection has often yielded books that are completely perfect to my situation at that moment.
We make a point of going to the library every other week and we always come away with full arms (I actually had to limit the number of books the kids were borrowing because it was getting to be too much to carry!). Below is a list of our most recent treasures.
For The Boy:
Wings of Wrath by C. S. Friedman
Rune Warriors - Sword of Doom by James Jennewein and Tom S. Parker
The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima (part of the Heir Trilogy)
For Scooter:
Tales of Deltora by Emily Rodda and Marc McBride
Dork Diaries - Tales from a Not-so-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell
Poppy and Ereth by Avi (she's a big fan of his writing)
Strange Happenings by Avi
For Pibb:
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Groosham Grange by Anthony Horowitz
For Midge:
Michigan Chillers #14: Bionic Bats of Bay City by Jonathon Rand
Michigan Chillers #9: Sinister Spiders of Saginaw
The Ultimate Guide to the X-Men from DK
For Pookie:
Scooby Doo's Search for Scooby Snacks by Robin Wasserman
Transformers Armada: The Unicron Battles by Andrew Donkin
The Fire Cat by Esther Averill
Sheep in a Shop by Nancy Shaw
Cowerdly Clyde by Bill Peet
The Trial of Cardigan Jones by Tim Egan
Richard Scarry's Favorite Storybook Ever by Richard Scarry
Travelling Babies by Kathryn O. Gilbrath
Could Be Worse by James Stevenson
And for me:
Odder Than Ever by Bruce Coville
We also picked up a few DVDS:
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Race to Witch Mountain
Star Wars Clone Wars
You may have noticed the list of books on the sidebar - those are the books I'm reading for my 100 books in 1001 days goal. I'm not counting books read to Midge or Pookie in this list, nor am I counting craft and recipe books. That list is only for books I've actually read for myself.
I'm looking forward to sharing my reading list. Feel free to leave comments with suggestions - I'd love to know what you are reading and enjoying!
We make a point of going to the library every other week and we always come away with full arms (I actually had to limit the number of books the kids were borrowing because it was getting to be too much to carry!). Below is a list of our most recent treasures.
For The Boy:
Wings of Wrath by C. S. Friedman
Rune Warriors - Sword of Doom by James Jennewein and Tom S. Parker
The Wizard Heir by Cinda Williams Chima (part of the Heir Trilogy)
For Scooter:
Tales of Deltora by Emily Rodda and Marc McBride
Dork Diaries - Tales from a Not-so-Fabulous Life by Rachel Renee Russell
Poppy and Ereth by Avi (she's a big fan of his writing)
Strange Happenings by Avi
For Pibb:
Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
Groosham Grange by Anthony Horowitz
For Midge:
Michigan Chillers #14: Bionic Bats of Bay City by Jonathon Rand
Michigan Chillers #9: Sinister Spiders of Saginaw
The Ultimate Guide to the X-Men from DK
For Pookie:
Scooby Doo's Search for Scooby Snacks by Robin Wasserman
Transformers Armada: The Unicron Battles by Andrew Donkin
The Fire Cat by Esther Averill
Sheep in a Shop by Nancy Shaw
Cowerdly Clyde by Bill Peet
The Trial of Cardigan Jones by Tim Egan
Richard Scarry's Favorite Storybook Ever by Richard Scarry
Travelling Babies by Kathryn O. Gilbrath
Could Be Worse by James Stevenson
And for me:
Odder Than Ever by Bruce Coville
We also picked up a few DVDS:
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Race to Witch Mountain
Star Wars Clone Wars
You may have noticed the list of books on the sidebar - those are the books I'm reading for my 100 books in 1001 days goal. I'm not counting books read to Midge or Pookie in this list, nor am I counting craft and recipe books. That list is only for books I've actually read for myself.
I'm looking forward to sharing my reading list. Feel free to leave comments with suggestions - I'd love to know what you are reading and enjoying!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Special
It seems like just yesterday I was making my way through a pregnancy filled with partial bed rest and blood pressure problems. Then that magical day came and Midge was born. A month early, he was unable to breathe on his own. The doctors told us his lungs were "sticky" on the inside and he didn't have the strength to push them open on his own.
One of the most difficult things I've ever done was leaving my tiny baby in the hospital when I went home. The NICU nurses were amazing and they helped us figure out how to manage breastfeeding him while taking care of three other young children at home, 45 minutes away from the hospital. We saw other parents struggling with even tinier, sicker babies. We saw twins that would have easily fit in the palm of my hand. That perspective helped me handle my grief at having to leave him alone in that big scary hospital.
On the night we left him for the first time, I cried so hard I could barely see to walk out of the hospital. Bryant held my hand and pointed to the sky. The moon was nearly full and it glowed, a brilliant reddish orange. We agreed right then that a moon like that was special. A special moon for our special boy.
Today, that special boy turns 7 years old and we were right all those years ago - he is special. He's sweet and loving and very opinionated when it comes to fashion. He wears mismatched socks on a regular basis (yesterday it was one black ankle sock with one knee high white, red and green glittery striped sock) and prefers to wear button down shirts and ties with jeans. He sleeps with a blue teddy bear named Buford (AKA Buffy) on a bed with orange sheets.
Happy birthday, my sweet little boy! We love you!
One of the most difficult things I've ever done was leaving my tiny baby in the hospital when I went home. The NICU nurses were amazing and they helped us figure out how to manage breastfeeding him while taking care of three other young children at home, 45 minutes away from the hospital. We saw other parents struggling with even tinier, sicker babies. We saw twins that would have easily fit in the palm of my hand. That perspective helped me handle my grief at having to leave him alone in that big scary hospital.
On the night we left him for the first time, I cried so hard I could barely see to walk out of the hospital. Bryant held my hand and pointed to the sky. The moon was nearly full and it glowed, a brilliant reddish orange. We agreed right then that a moon like that was special. A special moon for our special boy.
Today, that special boy turns 7 years old and we were right all those years ago - he is special. He's sweet and loving and very opinionated when it comes to fashion. He wears mismatched socks on a regular basis (yesterday it was one black ankle sock with one knee high white, red and green glittery striped sock) and prefers to wear button down shirts and ties with jeans. He sleeps with a blue teddy bear named Buford (AKA Buffy) on a bed with orange sheets.
Happy birthday, my sweet little boy! We love you!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Split Pea and Ham Soup
I love autumn - it's the season of pumpkins, baked goods and soups. Today I want to share one of my favorite soup recipes. This is the ultimate fall/winter dinner and is served very often in my house. It has a fairly long ingredient list, but don't let that scare you. This soup comes together very quickly and is completely worth the minimal effort involved.
Split Pea and Ham Soup
16 oz dried split peas, rinsed and picked through
1 meaty ham bone, 2 ham hocks or 2 C diced ham
3 carrots, peeled and sliced (you can use parsnips for some or all of the carrots, if you'd prefer)
1/2 C onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, plus leaves, chopped
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped or 2 Tbsp dried flakes
1 T seasoned salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 quarts hot water
Layer all the ingredients in your slow cooker in the order they're listed. Resist the urge to stir the ingredients together - you'll just have to trust me on this one. Don't stir.
Cover and cook on high heat 4 - 5 hours or low heat 8 - 10 hours or until peas are very soft and meat falls off the bone. Don't stir the soup at all during cooking, don't even take the lid off. Just let it cook and become the beautifully delicious soup it was destined to be. Remove bones (if using) and bay leaf, then stir the soup immediately before serving.
You can mash the peas a bit to thicken the soup up, if you like. I often just give it a stir and serve it as it is. Regardless, it's delicious. And it freezes well, so feel free to make a full batch and freeze half of it for later, if that's more your style.
In the heat of summer, when I dream of cooler weather, I always imagine myself curled up on the couch with a bowl of this soup to warm me.
Split Pea and Ham Soup
16 oz dried split peas, rinsed and picked through
1 meaty ham bone, 2 ham hocks or 2 C diced ham
3 carrots, peeled and sliced (you can use parsnips for some or all of the carrots, if you'd prefer)
1/2 C onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, plus leaves, chopped
1 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 C fresh parsley, chopped or 2 Tbsp dried flakes
1 T seasoned salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
1 1/2 quarts hot water
Layer all the ingredients in your slow cooker in the order they're listed. Resist the urge to stir the ingredients together - you'll just have to trust me on this one. Don't stir.
Cover and cook on high heat 4 - 5 hours or low heat 8 - 10 hours or until peas are very soft and meat falls off the bone. Don't stir the soup at all during cooking, don't even take the lid off. Just let it cook and become the beautifully delicious soup it was destined to be. Remove bones (if using) and bay leaf, then stir the soup immediately before serving.
You can mash the peas a bit to thicken the soup up, if you like. I often just give it a stir and serve it as it is. Regardless, it's delicious. And it freezes well, so feel free to make a full batch and freeze half of it for later, if that's more your style.
In the heat of summer, when I dream of cooler weather, I always imagine myself curled up on the couch with a bowl of this soup to warm me.
Monday, October 4, 2010
Broccoli Casserole
When Bryant and I started following the South Beach Diet, I found quite a few recipes that caught my eye. This is one of them. Even though we aren't following the Diet anymore, I still make this often - by itself for lunch or as a side dish for dinner. Delicious!
You'll need fresh broccoli, onion, olive oil (or canola, but olive is really so much better), pepper (if you want it), Parmesan cheese and either cheddar or a blend of shredded cheeses.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
I often make this in a 9 X 9 Pyrex dish, but any appropriately sized baking dish will work. Chop fresh broccoli into bite size pieces (I use stems and florets) - enough to make a good solid layer across the bottom of your dish. Don't worry about overcrowding, just don't fill the dish. Next, grab an onion and cut thin slivers to cook with the broccoli. Again, how much you use is entirely up to you. I like onion, so I use a lot. When I make it for all of us, I go a little easier on it.
The next step is to season the veggies, so grab your pepper mill and go nuts. Then a small drizzle of olive oil - not enough to make it greasy, just enough to keep it from sticking. Give it a quick stir and pop it into the oven. After about 10 - 12 minutes, give it a stir and then bake for another 10 minutes or so.
Now comes the fun part - sprinkle on some Parmesan (fresh or from a can - fresh is better, but canned is good, too) and then some cheddar or a mix of your favorite shredded cheeses. Stick the pan back into the oven, just long enough for the cheese to get all gooey and melty.
Simple, healthy and delicious!
You'll need fresh broccoli, onion, olive oil (or canola, but olive is really so much better), pepper (if you want it), Parmesan cheese and either cheddar or a blend of shredded cheeses.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
I often make this in a 9 X 9 Pyrex dish, but any appropriately sized baking dish will work. Chop fresh broccoli into bite size pieces (I use stems and florets) - enough to make a good solid layer across the bottom of your dish. Don't worry about overcrowding, just don't fill the dish. Next, grab an onion and cut thin slivers to cook with the broccoli. Again, how much you use is entirely up to you. I like onion, so I use a lot. When I make it for all of us, I go a little easier on it.
The next step is to season the veggies, so grab your pepper mill and go nuts. Then a small drizzle of olive oil - not enough to make it greasy, just enough to keep it from sticking. Give it a quick stir and pop it into the oven. After about 10 - 12 minutes, give it a stir and then bake for another 10 minutes or so.
Now comes the fun part - sprinkle on some Parmesan (fresh or from a can - fresh is better, but canned is good, too) and then some cheddar or a mix of your favorite shredded cheeses. Stick the pan back into the oven, just long enough for the cheese to get all gooey and melty.
Simple, healthy and delicious!
Menu Plan 10/2 - 10/15
10/2 B - Eggs or cereal, with milk
L - Out - we had lunch out while we were grocery shopping
D - Hot dogs, fries, baked beans
10/3
B - Pancakes
L - Roasted potatoes
D - Beef pot roast with potatoes and carrots, whole wheat pull apart rolls
10/4
B - Skillet Breakfast
L - Stir-fried green beans
D - Brats, potato salad, baked beans
10/5
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Soup and crackers
D - Tacos, tortilla chips
10/6
B - Peanut butter baked oatmeal, milk
L - Broccoli Casserole
D - Pan fried chicken breasts, stuffing, corn
10/7 (Midge's Birthday)
B - Overnight cinnamon rolls
L - Toy Story shaped macaroni and cheese
D - Pizza and chips, cake and ice cream, pop
10/8
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Homemade bagels, cream cheese
D - Brownie Stew, mashed potatoes, breadsticks
10/9
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Sandwiches, baby carrots
D - Apricot glazed pork, green beans, mashed potatoes
10/10
B - Pancakes
L - Roasted Potatoes
D - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn
10/11
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Chicken salad in homemade pitas
D - Split pea and ham soup, dinner rolls
10/12
B - Streusel topped muffins
L - Sandwiches
D - Flank steak and pepper fajitas, tortilla chips
10/13
B - Eggs to order, toast
L - Creamy ranch potatoes
D - Chili, rolls
10/14
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Grilled cheese and tomato soup
D - Spaghetti, garlic toast, broccoli
10/15
B - Peanut butter baked oatmeal
L - Sandwiches
D - Hot dogs, fries, baked beans
As always, if you want a recipe, let me know and I'll be happy to post it.
L - Out - we had lunch out while we were grocery shopping
D - Hot dogs, fries, baked beans
10/3
B - Pancakes
L - Roasted potatoes
D - Beef pot roast with potatoes and carrots, whole wheat pull apart rolls
10/4
B - Skillet Breakfast
L - Stir-fried green beans
D - Brats, potato salad, baked beans
10/5
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Soup and crackers
D - Tacos, tortilla chips
10/6
B - Peanut butter baked oatmeal, milk
L - Broccoli Casserole
D - Pan fried chicken breasts, stuffing, corn
10/7 (Midge's Birthday)
B - Overnight cinnamon rolls
L - Toy Story shaped macaroni and cheese
D - Pizza and chips, cake and ice cream, pop
10/8
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Homemade bagels, cream cheese
D - Brownie Stew, mashed potatoes, breadsticks
10/9
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Sandwiches, baby carrots
D - Apricot glazed pork, green beans, mashed potatoes
10/10
B - Pancakes
L - Roasted Potatoes
D - Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn
10/11
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Chicken salad in homemade pitas
D - Split pea and ham soup, dinner rolls
10/12
B - Streusel topped muffins
L - Sandwiches
D - Flank steak and pepper fajitas, tortilla chips
10/13
B - Eggs to order, toast
L - Creamy ranch potatoes
D - Chili, rolls
10/14
B - Eggs or cereal, milk
L - Grilled cheese and tomato soup
D - Spaghetti, garlic toast, broccoli
10/15
B - Peanut butter baked oatmeal
L - Sandwiches
D - Hot dogs, fries, baked beans
As always, if you want a recipe, let me know and I'll be happy to post it.
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