Snowangels

Another Snow Day

I'm not sure what today will bring yet, but I had to share this picture from yesterday. With all the fresh snow on the ground, we just couldn't help it. We have this bottle of fantastic Loganberry syrup, and it was just screaming to be used for a snow cone. And, well, I realize that many of you may be thinking ewwww! But it really was a fun way to celebrate the snow and the kids thought I was about the coolest Mom on the planet.

Something New Today

Today is a snow day, and sadly, much too blustery to enjoy it by playing outside in it. Hopefully tomorrow we will have the chance to break out the sleds. But in the meantime, a snow day is still a special day, and that means a special treat to be shared. Today I went searching for something to make. Whether it be something special for dinner tonight or a baked treat, I wanted to try something completely new that the whole family would enjoy. It took some time to find what I eventually settled on, and I almost decided to give up my quest in favor of a box of Girl Scout Cookies. But after a while, the beignets began calling, and I never looked back.

I have never made a beignet before. Never even eaten a beignet before, but the recipe in King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion appeared foolproof. Baking powder provides the necessary lift for these fried bits of dough. And oh yes, the deep fryer was coming out of hiding today. This is a cooking tool that only comes out once or twice a year, and usually for egg rolls at that. So to make a homemade fried treat was an event to be sure. The dough did come together very quickly, and they cooked up very quickly. And overall, we were all pleased with our fried bits of dough. When I did some searching online though, I realized that there are actually two different types of beignet, and while the one I made was delicious, the one I most associate with New Orleans is the yeast-raised beignet that is usually rectangular in shape.

No matter. The beignets were delicious- they were light and fluffy on the inside, crispy and sweet on the outside. I actually added a few drops of lemon oil to my batter, and the faint hint of lemon really made these treats sparkle. We all enjoyed the beignets, and it was the perfect little munchie for an otherwise dreary afternoon.
Tonight, after hemming and hawing over dinner, we'll be having some Indian inspired Butter Chicken. My challenge will be to recreate our Indian favorite with little to no heat so our children can enjoy it as well. Thankfully, the Butter Chicken is a pantry meal, as there is no desire to head out into this blustery day.

Happy Snow Day!

I'll be back later with something to post...

Breakfast. It's What's For Dinner.

There is little that is more economical that breakfast. Really. We like to have standard breakfast food for dinner every once in a while anyway because we're not big breakfast people. Breakfast for us is usually a bowl of cereal, so we seldom have the opportunity to have eggs, pancakes, waffles, etc. Lately, since we're on a budget, breakfast is making more of an appearance. One of mine and Andy's favorites is a frittata or an egg scramble. Especially when we have leftover roasted veggies lurking about. We could easily have a frittata a week, except for the fact that Zander doesn't like eggs, and Abigail will eat a little, but they're not her favorite. That's kind of too bad actually, because I can buy 18 eggs for $1.25 at the grocery store- it doesn't get much more economical than that!

Fortunately, the kids love pancakes and french toast. Last night's offering ended up being french toast. I make mine very simply with eggs, milk, cinnamon, salt, pepper, and a tiny touch of vanilla. Last night we topped them with some strawberries that had been frozen last summer during the height of strawberry season. That was an excellent treat at the end of February. I don't have a recipe for my french toast. I just beat everything together, adding another egg if I need to , or more milk if it seems too eggy. I also like using homemade bread- and last night I happened to have a loaf needing to be used, so my decision was made for me. Abigail and Zander both inhaled supper last night. Seriously inhaled. I seldom make french toast, as pancakes get requested more often. But after last night, I think we'll be making french toast again real soon.

Tonight I take the night off. After ballet class tonight, we're going to visit with Grandma and Grandpa for a little bit since they're back from running around the country. If I get a chance, I may bake something today, but we'll see. I did want to mention today that I made a couple of changes over at The Recipe Trove yet again. I have enabled anonymous comments and changed the comment section to a review section. Have you made one of my recipes? I would love to have your review on it. In the next few days I'll be getting the last of my Tummy Treasure recipes loaded in, so keep an eye out for that.

As for Weigh-In Wednesday... no change here. No change is better than going in the opposite direction, so that's a good thing, but I think until I can get a bit of exercise in, I'm pretty much going to be stuck where I am. And 12 inches of snow this past weekend, plus more over the next two days doesn't sound too promising in that regard. So happy Wednesday everyone!

As Promised... those tacos!

I had my Rick Bayless returned to me yesterday. And right away I hunted for that pork recipe. We happened to have had it again just this past Sunday, and it was still incredible. Seriously! And since there were leftovers this time, our friends generously left them with us and we had it again last night. This is the type of pork filling that needs very little adornment. Usually tacos have meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, and whatever sauces or condiments you want. Cheese would completely take away from the wonderful flavor, and the lettuce just seemed un-necessary to me. So we had it simply with tomato, sour cream, and salsa. Although last week we had it with a guacamole that was excellent as well, and I would be remiss if I failed to mention that a handful of cilantro would put these tacos straight into the hall of fame.

Smoky Shredded Pork Tacos are in the Recipe Trove for anyone who's up for a worthy adventure. There is a bit of a process, I must warn you. But our friend followed the recipe to a "T" except for the addition of almonds at the end. The raisins and the spices are definitely a must- so please don't skip that part. I also need to recommend that you do not use store bought tortillas or taco shells for this recipe unless you have access to a taqueria where they make them fresh. I actually recommend you use my recipe for Corn Crepes. After the success of this recipe, let me assure you that I am looking for something else in this Rick Bayless cookbook, Mexican Kitchen. When I first got it, I flipped through, thinking all the recipes sounded so daunting. But if they even taste half as good as that pork...well, they will definitely be worth it. Oh, and sorry about the photo... I couldn't figure out how to get a good picture of the inside of a taco...

Is it a Salad? Or Dessert?

Or both?

One of the many jobs I had was working in a grocery store deli. I really enjoyed that job. I worked in Green Bay at Festival Foods, so it was always busy. It was a high volume deli, so we were constantly busy helping customers and making food. Oh my, we had so many wonderful salads. One thing we excelled at was our prepared foods, the salads, the broasted chicken, and the rotisserie chicken, all wonderful. I actually learned quite a bit working there. I learned a lot about making food in quantity, and I also got a feel for what kind of foods would go together to make salads and such. And I have to say, that is one job that has really stuck with me. If there's one thing that I make well, and people always enjoy eating, is the many varieties of salad. Seriously, if I actually wrote down every salad I've ever made, or have in my head, I could write a cookbook on salads.

A staple of potlucks and church picnics, salads can be humble and the can be spectacular. They can be a main meal all by themselves or they can maintain side status. They can be composed of fruits, vegetables, pasta, grains, meats, the possibilities are endless. Today's salad actually features something completely different, and happens to be one of the many salads I took away from my time in a deli. And that salad is the over the top Snickers Salad. As in Snickers Candy Bars.

This salad contains one of those "controversial" ingredients, in that it contains Cool Whip, but by golly, it's so worth it. Cool Whip, cream cheese, and powdered sugar combine to form your base, and then diced apples and crushed Snickers Bars are mixed in. I've also had it with pineapple tidbits instead of the apples, and it's good that way as well. It's an excellent salad to take to a gathering where you know there will be plenty of pasta, potato, and veggie salads, because it's just a little different. Honestly, you could also spoon this mixture into a graham cracker pie shell and top it with more Cool Whip and a caramel drizzle and call it a pie. So is it a salad or a dessert? It can be whatever you want it to be. Either way, it really is delicious and worthy of company. Try it. Snickers Salad, your friends and family will love you.

Pure Genius

Wolfgang Puck is truly a genius. Last night I made Wolfgang's Beef Goulash for dinner, and it was truly spectacular. I found the recipe in my yet-to-be-used cookbook Food Network Favorites: Recipes from our All-Star Chefs. So even better than a stellar recipe- I managed to check off another one of my cookbooks from the list. But back to the goulash.

This is not My Momma's goulash, that's for certain. Here in the Midwest, goulash typically refers to a dish consisting of ground beef, elbow macaroni, and tomato sauce, all mixed up together, sometimes with bits of vegetables thrown in. This was a sure budget stretcher for my family while I was growing up. A pot of goulash stretched a pound of ground beef easily to feed a family of seven, plus it used up all those little bits of vegetables lurking about in the fridge. I have no doubt that my Mom learned this goulash from her Mom. Last night's goulash didn't resemble that one in the least. This was authentic Austrian-Hungarian goulash.

I began by caramelizing onions for 45 minutes with a bit of sugar. Next, garlic, spices, herbs, tomato paste, balsamic vinegar, and chicken stock were added to create the liquid base of the goulash. Chunks of stew beef, salt and pepper made their entrance, and then simmered gently for 1 1/2 hours. I made this earlier in the day so that I could chill it before heating it up for the dinner hour. Stew is always better the next day, and I figured a chilling would help meld the flavors better. Served up with some freshly baked whole wheat bread, some hot buttered green beans, and egg noodles, this dinner was hearty and packed with flavor. While Wolfgang suggested serving this with spaetzle, after last weeks debacle, I wasn't ready to tackle that again just yet- although Wolfgang's recipe for spaetzle does look promising.

I made very few changes to his recipe. The first being that I did not use the caraway called for. Caraway is one of very few things that I just cannot stand. I really don't like it at all, so instead I subbed fennel seed, which is similar, but doesn't have the harshness I get from caraway. The other change I made to the recipe was to eliminate the hot paprika- since the kids were eating with us, I didn't want to add the heat. Instead, I added about 1/4 teaspoon of Aleppo pepper to give it just a tickle. If the changes affected the dish at all, I couldn't tell you, because Andy and I thoroughly enjoyed dinner. The kids not so much- but they are proving more and more that they are not beef eaters, so they managed with sides and freshly baked bread.

Before making the goulash, I had been looking online for reviews of this specific recipe, and the ones I found were all raving. In addition, I also found a menu link for Spago, one of Wolfgang Puck's restaurants and his beef goulash happened to be on the menu... at $35 a plate. The very same goulash that I made tonight costs diners at his restaurants $35 a plate! When I mentioned this to Andy we both agreed that because I cheated and used egg noodles, that should bring the menu price down to about $30 a plate. So the two of us ate our fill, plus there are about 4 more servings in the fridge, all for about $10. The beef was the most pricey thing, as I splurged and bought it from our local butcher. Factor in the fresh herbs and onions, and that brings the total dinner to about $10. Not bad, considering that for two of us at Spago we could have the same thing for $60- not including gratuity, beverages, or dessert. That's of course if we had Spago nearby.

The recipe for Wolfgang's Beef Goulash is definitely in the Recipe Trove. It does take some time, but the execution itself is very simple and totally worth the effort. This dish is completely company worthy, but also excellent for a cozy dinner for two by the fire. Enjoy!

A Slice

Over the last few days on the CLBB, there has been a discussion about Australia and some of the foods there. One of these creatures is called A Slice. A slice in Australia (best as I can tell anyway) is any kind of sliced bar cookie or dessert. And one of the Aussie's on the bulletin board shared a really quick, really simple version of a slice. And let me tell you, a Mars Bar Slice is all that AND a bag of chips. A Mars Bar in Australia is the same as a 3 Musketeers bar here in the states. (Yet a Mars Bar in the UK is similar to a Milky Way, and our Mars Bar is like a Snickers- only with almonds, where is the uniformity!) Anyway, the Mars Bar Slice couldn't be any easier to make.

You take 4 full size 3 Musketeers bars and melt them with 3 tablespoons of butter- this took 1 1/2 minutes in my microwave. Then you mix in 3 cups of Rice Krispies and press the mixture into a 9x13 pan. Allow it to firm up and set, and cut into slices. That's it. So easy, and a really fun twist on a Rice Krispie treat. These are thinner than a Krispie Treat, but the candy bars make them much sweeter, so the proportions work out perfectly. My only problem with them is that I can't stop eating them! They are really good. I also think this would be a perfect way to use up leftover Halloween candy, and I suspect that you could use any of the nougaty candy bars. Give them a try!
Today is day one of a huge snowstorm for us. It could get a bit blizzardy out tomorrow- and the snow is not supposed to entirely let up until Monday, so the kids are very excited that there will be measurable snow to play in. So the weather today has inspired me to attempt to make Hungarian Goulash. And who better to turn to for an Austro-Hungarian recipe than Wolfgang Puck, tomorrow I'll be sharing the results of that adventure. I'll also be updating over at The Savvy Bookworm. I have been reading, but failing to post, so I'll get a couple new books reviewed over there today for anyone interested. Happy Saturday!

A Dud

I was so proud of myself for making a second recipe out of a cookbook for my challenge. But you know that feeling when you are assembling ingredients and you just know that the end product is not going to be stellar? Lately I've been discovering some real treasures of recipes that surprised me, so I really had hope that Baked Chicken Tortillas would fall into that category. It just never delivered. Andy and I both thought the recipe was a waste of salsa and good leftover chicken. And maybe part of that was the execution of the ingredients. They were rolled up into a tortilla, enchilada style, but the scant bit of salsa to top it with was very un-enchilada. Enchiladas are saucy and full of flavor. Maybe, just maybe, had the tortillas been folded into a quesadilla instead, with salsa afterwards for dipping, it would have been better. I was expecting something like enchiladas- which are a favorite. And I got... slightly Mexican flavored roll-up thingies.

If you are interested in the recipe, you can click on the link above, and that will take you to the recipe on Cooking Light. It definitely won't be a repeater here.

Well, today we're off to do a bit of grocery shopping- and just a bit at that. The end of the month is upon us next week, and I'm proud to say that I am way under budget for the month, so I don't want to wreck that with a poorly planned shopping trip. Tonight we'll be taking the kids out for burgers and milkshakes at our favorite burger place- courtesy of some gift cards, so we're all looking forward to the night off. But tomorrow I hope to share a brand new recipe for something... a little unusual from the Land Down Under... so come on back for that.

Why, Oh Why

So I thought I'd done my daily post, and that would be that. Then I was over on Recipezaar looking for a couple things, and something really annoyed me. When I look up recipes there, I love to read the reviews of recipes. I can learn what other people liked or didn't like about a particular recipe before I take it on myself. But then there are the people who substitute so many ingredients that the finished dish doesn't resemble the original in any form... and then they give the recipe a poor review! What is that!?

As an example, I was looking at an Italian Sausage soup-simple and basic, but one I've made and it is quite good. Well, one of the reviewers says "I didn't have Italian Sausage, so I used ground turkey. And I reduced the salt because we're watching our salt, and we don't really like spinach, so instead I used some sliced carrots. Oh, and we left off the Parmesan cheese on top. This was a really bland and boring soup, we won't be making it again." What?? You replaced a major flavor component of the soup (Italian sausage) with boring and flavorless ground turkey, reduced other flavor components (salt and cheese) and eliminated the spinach, and you're surprised the soup didn't turn out!!!!??? Shame on them for giving a great recipe a poor review.

Now, I'm all for substitutions when they make sense and you know what you are doing. Cooking, after all, means tailoring a recipe to you and your families preferences. But first of all to bash someone else's recipe because you made too many changes (And poor ones at that) is just plain rude. And secondly, you can't just randomly swap out ingredients in a recipe. The worst offenders are bakers. Baking is a science. Chemistry happens during the baking process. And any professional will tell you that even changing an ingredient by a teaspoon will alter the finished product. So why would someone eliminate sugar from a quick bread and use honey? And replace the eggs with yogurt, and then also eliminate the butter in favor of applesauce? You can't make all those changes and expect goodness to come out of the oven. If you want a sugar-free, reduced fat recipe for banana bread, you need to find a specific recipe or create your own.

Sugar is the biggest victim of substitutions.

So many people have come to think that sugar is the big bad evil. And it is, if you sit down with a bag and a spoon and eat it like cereal. But one dessert or quick bread a week made with real sugar is not going to shave years off your life. (And please note, that I am not speaking to those who, for medical reasons, should avoid sweets at all costs.) Sugar has a place in cakes and cookies and quickbreads- and it's so much more than just adding sweetness. Eliminating the sugar and using an artificial sweetener, honey, or sucanat is not going to produce a favorable product. It just isn't. You need a specific recipe for that, and if you are up to the challenge, work on developing one, just know that it is going to take a bit of time, and plenty of trial and error. But please don't mess with someone else's recipe and then tell them that their recipe isn't any good. As Captain Hook would say, that's bad form.

It's Chili Time!

Last night was ballet, so dinner needed to be in the crock-pot. What has become one of Abigail's favorite dinners is a bowl of chili, and it's been a while since I made some, so chili night it was. I am one of those who likes their chili nice and thick, full of chunks of ground beef, beans, and tomatoes. (Yes, beans are a must in my chili.) For Andy's Monday Night Football gatherings I've developed a really awesome thick chili that has beer and jalapenos in it, and a bit of a kick. That is not the kind of chili Abigail likes. In fact, Abigail's favorite chili is My Mom's, and because hers is not thick, we affectionately call it Chili-Soup for Abigail's benefit. There are literally hundreds of recipes for red chili out there. Yet chili is the one thing that I pass by a recipe every single time. I have never made chili by recipe, and don't intend to start.

So yesterday morning I set out to make chili, pen and paper in hand to chronicle the chili. I'd never written it down before, and thought I should do so for other people's benefit. Chili is a very economical meal- especially because one pot of chili for us is at least three dinners, plus lunches. It freezes great, and I love to have a package of it in the freezer to just pull out. The recipe I have in The Recipe Trove is pretty much how I made it last night. For the kids benefit, I just use a mild chili seasoning packet instead of individual chile powders because it just gets too hot for the kids to use powders. Of course, if you like heat, my favorite Chile Powders are from Penzey's- particularly their Ancho Chile Powder. If want a more manly chili, you can add a bottle of beer and eliminate all but one cup of beef broth. You can also add a jalapeno or two when you add the onions. For a thicker chili, reduce the beef broth and add a whole small can of tomato paste- then adjust your seasoning accordingly. Every chili is unique and every one's taste for chili is different.

Here is my Chili recipe, but change it however you see fit. And tonight for dinner, another new recipe from the 2001 Cooking Light Annual- don't you just love recipes that use leftovers!

Lip-Smacking Good

The other day I was determined to check another cookbook off my list of cookbooks to cook from. I turned to the "Sunday Game Of The Week" on the CLBB. The premise of the game is that a random number is chosen, and you select that cookbook, learn a little bit about it and choose one new recipe to cook from it. Sounds like a perfect way to force my hand and make me try something new. So I checked out the thread, and the chosen number was 71. I only have 66 cookbooks, so I reversed the numbers and ended up with my number 17, which happened to be a Cooking Light Annual from 2001. Perfect. I knew I would find something to make, and sat down and actually made a list of about 25 recipes I want to try from the book. I found a recipe for later this week, and then something else caught my eye.

On the menu was Chicken Parmesan- one of Andy's absolute favorites. Mostly economical, it requires chicken breasts, which I buy frozen and in bulk, as well as pasta sauce and seasonings. We like to serve it up with spaghetti, as that is guaranteed to make the kids happy. But what caught my eye was a recipe for pizza dough that could also be used for focaccia. I've made focaccia once before, and wasn't totally thrilled about it, but this one had herbs blended into the dough, and it would go perfectly with chicken Parmesan. This dough took no time to put together, and in just a short while, I had a sheet of focaccia cooling on the counter. It was a long wait until dinner, but the focaccia was indeed perfect. I had sprinkled the top with a sea-salt blend that had fennel and citrus in it, and it was the perfect accompaniment for chicken parmesan. Next time though, I think I will leave out the sage and used dried basil instead, but other than that. Lip-smacking good. AND! The kids really liked it- that and the chicken parmesan. They both were proclaiming "mmmm" several times during dinner (Andy too), so the focaccia goes right into the tried and true pile.

The recipe for Herbed Focaccia can be found in the Recipe Trove already- the recipe for All-Purpose Pizza dough is with it, so just scroll down a little further for that part of it. Here is the recipe for Chicken Parmesan as well. One thing about the parmesan. It calls for fresh herbs, which by far make the best chicken parm on the planet. So good and flavorful, we really like it. But this time of year, fresh herbs are quite difficult to come by, so I've started using dried. The trick is to dump your dried herbs into your olive oil several hours before you are going to use it (I also use half the oil Giada calls for as well). That pulls the flavor out of the herbs and infuses the oil, brightening the herb flavor in the dish. Do try it, it will be well worth your time. Finally, last week I was a bit perplexed by something I found in a cereal box. What was it? head on over to Kids Cuisine to see what I think about it...

Herb-Roasted Pork Tenderloin

This was a treat for us. Lately, we've been doing a lot of one-dish type of meals, as those are more economical than a meat-n-three type of meal. So to have a dinner which features a meat, that is an occasion for us. The last time I was at Sam's I picked up a package of pork tenderloin for a steal. You get four tenderloins in a package there, so to get it close-dated or on sale is really economical, and we love pork tenderloin here. I wanted to do something a little different to it this time, so I went on a hunt through several websites looking for a roasting method or marinade. I found just the creature on Recipezaar.

Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin was incredibly simple. I took a handful of dried spices along with some Worcestershire and tamari and had a marinade in no time at all. I changed a few things from the original recipe. One being swapping out soy sauce for the more flavorful tamari sauce. I also left out the onion powder, and instead used a generous handful of dried onion flakes. I reduced the oil as well in the marinade, and it didn't suffer in the least because of it. The recipe called for marinating for 2 hours, and I didn't have that kind of time, so I just used my Foodsaver Marinater and marinated it for about 20 minutes, and it worked perfectly. They roasted in the oven for about 40 minutes, and the whole family thoroughly enjoyed the pork tenderloin. In fact, I had made up two tenderloins, thinking to freeze one after cooking for a quick dinner another time, and we ended up cutting into it, it was so good. And according to Andy, the leftovers seem to make excellent sandwiches.

I am positive that this will be even better on the grill, and next time hopefully it will be nice enough to do so. My adaptation of Herb Roasted Pork Tenderloin is loaded into The Recipe Trove and waiting. Tomorrow I will likely skip the Weigh-In Wednesday post, as I don't have much to say about it this week. But come back to find out what I made last night that tickled the tastebuds of both kids and my husband.

On Weekend Posting...And Other Stuff

Sadly, this past weekend, Sunday Company Dinner did not happen. Abigail came down with the flu Friday night, spent Saturday on the couch, and then woke up feeling yucky again Sunday morning. So the kids and I stayed home while Andy went to church, but we were optimistic that as the day went on, Abigail would get much better, and we'd still be able to have company. Best laid plans, you know? Because during the few hours that Andy was gone, Zander went from my little sparkle boy to company for his sister. And for Mommy, that means that I get to sit with him at almost all times. So I did get a bit of reading in, and lots of snuggle time, but Company Dinner had to be canceled.

This was a very sad thing. A friend of ours who is a regular for Company Dinner recently borrowed my Rick Bayless cookbook and he was preparing a feast to remember and bring along. So we called him up and told him we were going to have to cancel. About an hour later, there was a knock on our door, and there was a delivery of homemade tortillas, tender Mexican pork, guacamole, homemade salsa, and rice. We were thrilled. Dinner wasn't going to be much, as I was stuck on the couch with Zander, and Abigail, the one with a bit of an appetite requested mac-n-cheese. So Andy assembled tacos, and OMG! Seriously, these were the best tacos I have ever eaten. The pork was spicy and sweet and savory all at the same time. And the guacamole and salsa melded with that pork so well. They were so good, that within seconds we were on the phone asking what he needed to make these for next week's Company Dinner, because these were amazing. In fact, I'm thinking about them this morning wishing we hadn't stuffed our gills with every last drop of pork, because I could have eaten those spicy critters for breakfast!

In the event that I get this cookbook back in this century, I will be sure and share the recipes our friend used. If you happen to have a copy of Rick Bayless's Mexican Kitchen, it is a pork recipe that is slowly simmered in broth, and somewhere in the recipe is roasted tomatoes and raisins. After the pork is cooked up, it is shredded and crisped up in a saute pan- so good, and worth whatever time it may take to make it. You wouldn't think that the raisins would be a good edition, but honestly I think the bites of taco with raisins were the best part. That tiny bit of sweetness just played off the heat so well... Mmmm.

In other business, I've been paying attention to the number of times my blog is viewed every day. On the weekends, it seems that the people checking in here drops in half. I know I'm not consistent with my weekend posting, and understandably, people are busy on the weekends, but I'm wondering what people think about weekend posting. Are you disappointed when you pull up the page on a Saturday evening and there's nothing new? Do you only check the blog on the weekdays so it doesn't matter? I've gotten into a good rhythm where I try to post every single day, but coming up with content for seven days a week, plus Well-Fed is keeping me hopping, to be certain. So if you have an opinion one way or another, I'd love to know that you think.

Tomorrow I am going to share an awesome recipe for Pork Tenderloin, so make sure you come back for that. With grill season on the way, this one is not to be missed!

The Spaetzle Experiment

It's been a while since I checked another cookbook of my list. Cooking on a budget has had me reign in the number of new recipes I'm trying, so I haven't felt much like flipping through my cookbook collection. Today though, I was determined to find something that I wanted to make. I spent a long time curled up with a pile of cookbooks, looking for a new recipe that met the only criteria I had- I must have everything on hand to make it. I also wanted to find something that wasn't a baked good, since I also had a pumpkin pie in the works for today. It was in Sara Moulton Cooks At Home that I found today's new recipe for Herbed Spaetzle.

I have never made spaetzle, but I have certainly seen it done a few times on various cooking show. Spaetzle are a German noodle that is made by dribbling tiny bits of a basic dough into boiling water. There are specific spaetzle makers out there, but the different recipes I looked at assured me that I could use a colander for much the same effect. Yeah... The dough was easy enough, eggs, flour, salt, and water mix to form a thick pancake-like batter. Then the dough is basically grated through a colander to get these little nubbins of dough in the water. That was a lot more difficult than I'd anticipated. First I tried using a steamer basket, since it actually fit the pot I was using. The problem there being that the dough was beginning to cook in the steamer basket, and the holes were a little small too. So I switched to a colander, but I'd failed to think about the logistics of holding a colander in one hand over boiling water while forcing little beads of dough with the other... I scalded my hand a few times trying to wrangle this dough into it's bathwater.

Eventually though, I did end up with a pot of spaetzle. I ran it under cold water to stop the cooking and put it in the fridge until dinner time. One big benefit to spaetzle is that it can be prepared ahead of time. When the chicken was ready, I melted butter and olive oil together in a saute pan to cook up the spaetzle for dinner- adding a pinch of salt and pepper. The only change I made to the recipe was in the chives called for. I didn't have any, so I used some dried ones IN the dough instead of fresh on top- the substitute worked just fine, in my opinion. The end result? Well, we have mixed reviews here. I enjoyed the spaetzle. I thought it was a completely different side dish, and was a nice change. Zander took a big bite and told me he liked it, but never went back for more. Andy did not enjoy it. Whether it was texture or flavor, I didn't ask, but when I asked what he thought, it took a while for him to answer, followed by "nah", so that's clearly not a good sign. I may try a different recipe at some point in time. But for now, the spaetzle is not a repeater- although like I say, I thought it was good, and would consider making it just for myself sometime- it would be awesome topped with a bit of cheese I think.

I did get the recipe for Herbed Spaetzle in The Recipe Trove for anyone interested. I will say that I am emboldened by this recipe attempt today, and on the horizon I'm seeing myself attempting some more pasta-like creations. A few things I'd like to try making include gnocchi and dumplings. I also think a new batch of pirogi will be in the works shortly. How could you not love pasta in all it's disguises!

I'm not sure I'll have another chance to post this weekend. Abigail seems to have come down with the flu tonight, so Nurse Mommy is on duty until further notice. Happy Weekend!

Editing on Saturday to add that Andy did not care for the texture of the spaetzle. He thought it would have been better had it been crispy- so had I cooked it properly in the saute pan by letting it carmalize, he probably would have loved it. So now I'm thinking that we'll try again sometime.

Product Review

While glancing at the yogurt aisle yesterday, my eyes caught something new. That's quite a feat at Woodman's where I shop, because the yogurt selection is amazing. They easily have 25 feet of fridges space devoted to the creamy product. And that's just one side of the aisle. The other side of the aisle has a smaller selection of Hispanic branded yogurt. Yesterday I found a new product by Dannon, and it just had to go into my cart.

Dannon All Natural's state right on the package "No Artificial Anything." I placed a box of blueberry into my cart to give it a whirl. The ingredient list is not as short as I would have thought. It includes:

CULTURED GRADE A LOW FAT MILK, SUGAR, BLUEBERRIES, WATER. CONTAINS LESS THAN 1%: CORN STARCH, NATURAL FLAVOR, PECTIN, LOCUST BEAN GUM, LEMON JUICE CONCENTRATE

CONTAINS ACTIVE YOGURT CULTURES INCLUDING L. ACIDOPHILUS

After lunch I sat down with a carton. It was nice and light, full of blueberry flavor- and there were plenty of whole blueberries in my cup of yogurt. It had a slight granular texture, and was not as thick and creamy as standard yogurt. Having made my own homemade yogurt, I completely understand this. Yogurt manufacturers add thickening agents to yogurt, because the homemade stuff is quite thin and runny. Yet it's still thicker than homemade yogurt- I assume from the addition of the pectin and locust bean gum. Overall it is a very good yogurt, and it really does remind me of my homemade yogurt. The flavor was what I enjoyed best. It tasted like yogurt with blueberries. It wasn't overly sweet, and I'd love to see Dannon come up with a natural alternative to sugar in their yogurt.

This yogurt comes in strawberry, cherry, peach and blueberry right now. I have plans to try the cherry yet, as blueberry and cherry are my favorite yogurt flavors. At my grocery store- which is known for it's low prices, a 4-pack of cups cost me $1.59. No more or less expensive than other multi-packs, and in my opinion, worth the purchase. This is good, and as close to homemade as I can get without making it myself.

Budget Stretchers

Yesterday for Wednesday night's crock pot dinner I had planned on heating up some previously frozen vegetable soup. Unfortunately, this particular soup did not do well in the freezer. It had lots of potatoes in it, and potatoes always freeze terribly. It also had cabbage in it, which gave the whole thing an off smell, and it just went down the disposal. So I had to scramble for something else for dinner. Soup still sounded good, but what kind of soup... Scrounging around in freezer and pantry presented something original and quite tasty. I won't share the recipe, because there really isn't one, but I did want to share about two of the components that I used.

The first one being bottled marinara sauce. I am a huge fan of bottled marinara, I am also a huge fan of homemade marinara when the fancy strikes me, but we almost always have jars of marinara on hand. And here's an example why. Last week, Andy made spaghetti dinner for himself and the kids. He used about 1/3 of a 32 ounce jar of marinara. The rest went into the fridge for another time. A few days later, Abigail requested pizza for dinner. Another portion of marinara served as the pizza sauce for homemade pizza. And then last night, as I am combining mystery ingredients for a decidedly Italian take on soup, I was looking for more of a punch of tomato flavor when I saw the remaining bottled marinara. In it went, contributing plenty of flavor to the soup. That was 3 meals out of one bottle of marinara that cost us about $3.00. There are plenty of brands out there to choose from, and everyone has their favorites, but in case any one's interested, our favorites are Classico Organic, Muir Glen, and Barilla brand sauces.

The second budget stretcher is a cousin to the marinara- and that is plain cheese tortellini. I've been keeping this wonderful pasta in the freezer- bought in bulk from Sam's Club. It really is extremely versatile. I've cooked it up and topped with either marinara, alfredo or bottled pesto for a quick dinner. I've also done like last night, floating a few handfuls into some soup for a complete meal in a bowl. Tortellini also makes a fantastic cold pasta salad during warmer weather, and for something truly special, try spearing pesto-drenched tortellini with toothpicks for a quick appetizer. At my Sam's, 3 pounds of tortellini is less than $6, and is guaranteed for at least 3 meals, more if it's used as a filler in a soup or stew. That really can't be beat. The initial sticker stock may take a second to get over, but it will be well worth it in the end.

So what are your budget stretchers? Is there something that you buy knowing that it will be used more than once? Please share, I'd love to know what it is!

It's Wednesday!

Welcome to the Valentine Edition of Weigh-In Wednesday. First the good news. Between being sick twice in the past several weeks and really paying attention to portion control, I am down a grand total of 8 pounds! Even better, is that according to E-Diets I entered back into the healthy weight range for my size two pounds ago. That's really good news. I still have 12 more to go before I hit my target weight, so hopefully I can keep this momentum going. I suspect that about half of that 8 pounds was strictly to being sick, but that means I've earned the other half the old fashioned way- by watching what I eat and when I eat.

I've really been paying attention to hunger. Being sick I lost my appetite, so once I started eating again, it was in small portions because I really didn't want to eat. But then I wouldn't eat again until I was physically hungry, and I've been maintaining that attitude ever since. I eat breakfast in the morning and I don't eat lunch until my stomach indicates it wants food. Sometimes, that's not until 1 or 2 in the afternoon. And by then, I know the dinner hour is nearing, so I opt for a lighter lunch. Cheese and crackers with fruit or a small portion of last night's leftovers. Dinner I have been eating with my family- regardless of whether I'm hungry, but I am watching my portions like crazy- heavy on the veggies, lighter on the starches and proteins. And I stop eating when I am feeling satisfied, which does mean more often than not, food being left on the plate. My sweet tooth seems to have ebbed a bit as well, so I am thrilled with a single Hershey's miniature to take care of that "little something sweet."

So far it's been working. I am not by habit an evening snacker, so after dinner I am content with a mug of herbal tea if I really want something. Of course, it does help that we don't have as much in the house right now as far as junk food goes. And I've rediscovered the joy of nuts and grapes as a quick bite when the snack monster attacks. So we'll see if I can keep up the practices I've been working on. Fortunately for me, Andy and I don't celebrate Valentine's Day in any way, shape, or form, so I don't need to worry about chocolates or a decadent dessert. It's just another day for us, which is just as well anyway since Andy has fallen victim to Influenza.

It also seems to be helpful to me that my dear daughter has horrible teeth. We've begun the dentist route this week, only to find that she has a long list of dental work to be done- including fixing cavities, cracked teeth, chipped teeth, and having a broken off molar extracted. (And she's only 6 1/2!) Just thinking about that makes my teeth hurt, and of course, it's going to be a nightmare watching her have all this done. So we're going to transition to the house of no candy I think. The kids already have very little candy as it is- they still have Halloween candy, that's how little they eat. But apparently it's too much as it is. Candy will sadly be a treat saved just for holidays and road trips. But that's okay, because if the candy's not in the house, I'm not eating it either just because it's there.

So Happy Valentine's day if you are one to celebrate. And happy Wednesday regardless. Zander and I are going to go find something to do today to keep us out of the sick house...

And if you were hoping to find a last-munte recipe for Valentine's today, you are still in luck, because I have just such a creature over at Kids Cuisine this morning. Valentine Snickerdoodle's.. be sure and check it out!

An Education

One of the things that I am trying to do while cooking budget conscious is to find out how "the other people" eat. You know... the people in front of you in the grocery line with a cart full of processed and frozen foods. The people who would have no idea how to make a stew from scratch, and to whom cream of mushroom soup is a weeknight savior. I have also been working on a little project that I can't go into detail about yet, but it has forced me to prepare some foods that I would have passed over otherwise. Altogether though, not an unworthy project I must say. So far, we've been pleasantly surprised by my creations. And last night's dinner was just such a creature.

Yes, folks, we have here the dreaded Tater Tot Casserole. Go ahead. Yank my foodie credentials now because by golly, the hubby and I enjoyed this stuff. Zander proclaimed it really good, and Abigail was disappointed because the tater tots were not all by their lonesome to be dunked in ketchup. Now, this was a different tater tot casserole than others I have had. This one was doctored up to resemble a pizza concoction, and it actually was the perfect solution for using up scraps of leftovers from pizza making the other night.

It started with ground beef, onions, and seasonings browning together in a pan. Cream of mushroom soup was added, and then the whole concoction poured into a baking dish. This was topped with (in order) pizza sauce, green peppers, chopped turkey pepperoni, mozzarella cheese, and then the frozen tots. The whole thing baked and bubbled away, and I was sure leery about it as I pulled it out of the oven. But like I said, it was well received. Certainly not 5 star food, but it was quite tasty, satisfied, and it used up leftover scraps. And if I calculate the cost for this dinner- non-scraps would be the beef, soup, and tater tots, it's less than $5 for the whole pan. A side of broccoli and we had ourselves a meal. Andy said I should make it again, and we both agree that some sliced mushrooms need to be added, but otherwise... not bad for cooking on the other side of the tracks, and it goes into the tried and true file. You can find my modified recipe for Tater Tot Pizza-Role in the Recipe Trove