Super Easy Bone Broth in 4 Steps!

So, have you heard all the hoopla about BONE BROTH?  If not, go read those links.  It's really just the hip new way of referring to something that homemakers have known about for an awfully long time: making stock.  And it is so simple!



Here's how I do it in the slow cooker:

STEP 1) Save the bones from any meat you've recently eaten (chicken carcass, turkey carcass, beef bones from steak, etc).  You can also ask for bones from your butcher, but it is recommended that you cook the bones before using them if they are raw.  Some people will save bones in the fridge or freezer until they have enough to make broth.  I'd say you'd want bones from about 5 pounds of meat, at least.

Here is the broth above at the 18 hour
mark.  You can see the color is a nice
dark gold.  The flavors have started
to mellow. 

STEP 2) Throw the bones into a crock pot with a splash of vinegar (helps pull minerals from the bones), enough water to just about cover the bones, some veggies for flavor, herbs, if you like, salt and pepper.  For veggies, I usually use an onion and 2-3 stalks of celery, maybe a carrot.  Anything else you have on hand is good - I used a bunch of parsley that I had leftover from Thanksgiving this time. The broth will have a distinct vinegar scent at first which will mellow and disappear by the time the broth is done.

The broth after 24 hours.
The color hasn't darkened significantly,
but the carcass has broken down quite a
bit.  Bones are still hard at this point,
but beginning to release their gelatin
making the broth quite unctuous.

STEP 3) Set the cooker on "LOW" and let it do its job for the next day or two.  Yes - day or two!  The broth will darken and mellow... you'll even begin to see a gelatinous oil towards the end... and those bones may get positively soft.  That's all good!!  If you just can't wait that long, you can take it out at the 18 hour mark.  But, oh, do try to wait a little longer!  The results are much better.

Bone broth at about 36 hours.
Notice the color has gone from dark
golden to a rich brown.  Bones are soft
and crumble when squeezed with your
fingers. It could be left it cook longer,
but I think this is a perfect point to
finish the broth.

STEP 4) Once you are satisfied with the broth (anytime after the 18 hour mark, but I'd suggest letting it go for at least 24 hours), let it cool a bit and remove the larger bits of veggies and bones with a slotted spoon.  Then carefully (get someone to help with this) pour it through a sieve and into another container.  Now you can serve it, use it for soup, or store it.

Final product!  I wound up with
about 3 qts of broth which
I divided into two gallon ziploc
bags to freeze.

If you refrigerate it before using, you can skim off some of the excess fat, if you like.  I don't generally do this as I think that stuff is GOOD FOR YOU!  I let mine cool quite a bit and then freeze it in gallon freezer bags.


Do you make bone broth regularly for your family?

Red Wine Beef Stew

Recipe from Southern Living One Dish Meals, Jan 2011.

This is so yummy and warming!  It is a fairly simple recipe, but does take several hours to cook.  (ie., It isn't something you can decide on for dinner last minute)

4 lbs beef boneless chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 2" cubes
4 T flour, divided
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp salt
2 T veg oil
1 c dry red wine
2 (14 1/2 oz) cans beef broth OR 1 (32 oz) carton (I prefer the cartons)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 small turnip
1 8 oz pkg fresh mushrooms
1 16 oz pkg baby carrots

(I use slightly less beef and quite a bit more veggies just for my family's preference.)

Pat beef with paper towels to absorb excess moisture.  Combine 3 T flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp paprika, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a bowl.  Toss beef with flour mixture to coat.

Cook beef in batches in hot oil in a dutch oven over med. high heat, stirring often, 4-6 minutes or until just brown.  Remove beef from dutch oven.  Add red wine, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of pot. Return beef to pot; add broth, thyme, bay leaf, and 1/2 tsp salt.  Bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 hour.

Meanwhile, peel turnip, and cut into 1 inch cubes.  Halve mushrooms.  Add all veggies to pot (including carrots) to stew.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until meat is fork-tender.

Whisk together remaining 1 T of flour and 1/4 tsp salt until blended.  Whisk 1/2 c of hot broth into flour mixture until smooth.  Whisk flour mixture into stew until smooth.  Cook, stirring often, 20 minutes or until thickened.

Serve with thick crusty bread, or rice to soak up all the gravy.  Don't forget a nice glass of red wine for the adults!

Strawberry-Apple Pie

5 cups thinly sliced, very tart apples
2 cups sliced strawberries
1-2 Tablespoons lemon juice (or orange juice, if you, like me, have run out of lemons and have no time to go to the market)
1/2 c sugar (or Splenda)
5 T flour
cinnamon
1 double pie crust

Topping:
1/2 T sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

A note before starting: I kept my fruits in separate bowls and then layered them in the pie pan, but you can mix them together in one bowl, if your prefer.


Preheat oven to 450 degrees. After slicing the apples, pour lemon juice over and mix gently.  Strawberries don't need this, but if you have them in the same bowl no problem!

Mix together sugar and flour.  Sprinkle over the fruit and mix gently.

Line the bottom of a pie pan with one of the pie crusts.  Place the fruit in the pie pan (by layers or mixed together, however you prefer) and top with the other pie crust.  Cut top crust to vent steam.  Lighlty dust top of pie with sugar-cinnamon topping (optional).

Bake at 450 for 10 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 30-40 minutes until fruite is bubbly.  Watch pie crust edges.  Cover with foil or pie crust shield (worth spending a few dollars on!) once it has begun to turn golden brown.

Quick Meal: Green Curry Vegetables over Rice

Sorry this is out of focus, and in general just not the best photo.

This is a very quick and easy meal, and because it is vegan it makes a great meal for those following a strict Lenten fast.  If you have members in your family who are still eating meat, you could easily throw in some cooked and shredded chicken.

For the Green Curry sauce (right off the Green Curry Paste jar):

1 14 oz can of Coconut Milk (use lite to cut the fat)
1-2 T of Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste
1 T - or so, fish Sauce (I didn't have any so I used Worcestershire)
1 1/2 T - or so, brown sugar

Mix this all in a large saute pan, until just simmering.  Then toss in about 7 c of frozen "Stir Fry" veggies (or any kind you like).  Keep simmering until the veggies are defrosted and heated through.  *if adding cooked chicken, add it at the same time...or you can let each person add theirs at the table (pre-warmed in the microwave, if necessary).  This served 6 of us, with only a little leftover.

Serve over jasmine rice for the most authentic recipe, or brown rice for more fiber.

Caramelized Onion and Cheddar Souffle

Last night we feasted for Saint Nicholas Day!  I'd planned on making a Caramelized Onion and Cheddar Souffle, but couldn't find the recipe, so I dug out Joy of Cooking and tweaked a basic souffle recipe there.  This isn't a traditional souffle...it is a little easier, but just as DELICIOUS!

Here's my recipe...



Caramelized Onion and Cheddar Souffle  

2 lg onions (get the sweetest ones you can find - the flatter the sweater), very thinly sliced
1 T olive oil (or so)
2 T butter
salt

In a large saute pan, drizzle the olive oil and drop in the  butter warm over med heat.  When the butter has melted and just starts to bubble, drop in the onions all at once.  Give them a good salting and lower the heat quickly to low.   (The salt, which "sweats" the onions, is essential to this, so be sure to use it!)  Let the onions cook very slowly, stirring regularly until very soft and almost "melty".  This will take 15 minutes, or so...maybe a bit longer?

You can then prepare the souffle (or set the onions aside and use later - I did this to save a little time at dinner.  Started the onions about an hour before and left them covered on the stove until I was ready to make the souffle.)  You want your souffle to be the last thing ready for the table.


Basic "Blender Cheese Souffle" from Joy of Cooking 
(Makes about 6 servings.  Firmer than a fancier souffle - but every bit as delicious!  I don't have a blender, so I used my food processor):

Prepare a souffle baking dish (something round and with fairly high sides...I use a 9in round baking dish with about 4" high sides) by buttering the bottom and sides well.  Dust the sides only with grated parmesan cheese (keeps the souffle from rising too high, and adds flavor, but otherwise not essential).

Preheat oven to 325.

You'll need:
6 oz sharp cheddar cheese (JoC recommends cubed, but I used grated)
1 1/2 c milk
2 T butter
6-8 pieces of crustless bread, torn into large pieces (I used day old french bread with the "crust"...pieces about 1" big)
1/2 tsp salt
dash of pepper
4 egg yolks,
4 egg whites

Have the butter, bread, salt and pepper ready as you need to add them quickly and all at the same time.

Heat the milk just to boiling.  (I accidentally boiled mine, just let it cool a moment before using in the recipe).  Pour milk into blender (or processor) and quickly add the butter, bread, salt and pepper.  Blend (or process) until thickened.

Add the cheese and blend a bit more.

In a large bowl, beat the egg yolks until lemon-colored.  Add the cheese mixture very slowly, beating constantly.

In another large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff, but not dry.  Fold them into the cheese and egg yolk mixture, gently.  Add the onions.

Pour mixture into your prepared souffle dish and bake 50 minutes or until set.  (It should have a bit of golden amber color on the top and a nice "lift", but won't be way up over the top of the dish.)

Serve quickly for the most drama...but fallen is equally tasty!

Epiphany Season Menu: Tuna Tetrazzini

Feast of Saint Scholastica
Tuna Tetrazzini is an Old Standby in our home. I call it one of my pantry meals as I always keep the ingredients (almost all canned foods) in my pantry and I can whip it up in no time. It is a very handy thing to have a "pantry meal" or two in your repertoire for those days when everything falls apart. Or just when you need a really easy meal to cook.

2 7oz cans of tuna
1/2 lb of pasta (spaghetti is traditional, but rotini works well, too)
2 7oz cans of sliced mushrooms, drained
        and/or 1/2 cup frozen peas
2 cans cream of celery soup (most any cream soup works well)
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 c bread crumbs (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Drain and flake the tuna. If using long spaghetti, break into 3 pieces. Cook pasta until tender. Combine mushrooms (and peas), cheese (reserve a little for topping), pasta and tuna in casserole dish.

Blend soup, milk, nutmeg and stir into pasta mix. Sprinkle top with reserved cheese. Bake for 35 minutes or until thoroughly heated and cheese lightly browned.

Epiphany Season Menu: Beef-Barley Soup (from leftovers of Pot Roast)

Feast of Saint Scholastica

So, you know that yummy pot roast recipe I shared with you?   If you eat beef, you really must try that recipe, it is just so good!  If you are like me, you love to cook once and have two meals. So plan ahead for plenty of leftovers and you can make a very quick and easy soup the next day.

I ended up with about 3 cups of useable leftovers (minus the fat that thickens up in the fridge overnight, we scraped that off).  That is from a 2 1/2 lb roast with 4 people eating it (We had two who weren't interested and had cereal instead).  Here's how I made soup with that:

Scrape off the fat from the left overs and cut meat and vegetables into bite-sized pieces.  Set this aside.  Don't discard the gravy or residual "juices"...they are a great addition to the soup.

In a large pot, I poured about 5 cups of beef broth/stock (I had a little broth leftover from making the roast and then added another box of broth) and then another 4 cups of chicken broth - it is just what I had on hand.    Don't be too picky about those amounts.  If you have more broth, use more barley (like 1 1/2 c or so), if you have less, use less barley (like 1/3 cup).  So, the barley - I added about 1/2 a cup of pearled barley to the soup and cranked up the heat to bring it to a boil.  This was all the barley I had, otherwise I would have added more, probably a cup.  Boil the barley (a low, steady boil) until the barley is plumped and softened.  I think this takes around 30 minutes, but check your package instructions.

When the barley is cooked, turn down the heat to medium (or lower, but you want a slow simmer) and add the leftover meat and vegetables (and any residual "gravy").  You just want to warm the meat/veggies and meld the flavors.  I let mine simmer for about 30 more minutes.

Serve with crusty bread!

Epiphany Season Menu: Emeril's Pot Roast

I found this recipe on Food.com.  The contributor says it is an Emeril Lagasse recipe.  All I know is it is pretty easy and smells delicious as it is cooking in my oven right now.

Emeril's Pot Roast
Serves 5

1 chuck roast (2 1/2 lbs)
5 garlic cloves, peeled
olive oil  to taste (1/2 T)
salt and pepper to taste
2 c beef stock
1/2 lb potatoes, quartered
1 med onion, peeled and quartered
1/2 lb carrots, peeled (I cut in 3rds)
1/2 lb turnips, peeled (I cut in quarters)
1/2 lb parsnips, peeled (I cut into 3rd)
1/8 c flour
1/4 c water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Make 5 slits throughout roast.  Stuff a clove of garlic in each slit.  Rub the entire roast with olive oil.  Season wit salt and pepper.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  When the pan is hot, sear the roast on all sides, about 3 minutes.  Remove from the pan and place the roast in a dutch oven with a cover.  Add the stock and cover.  Place in the oven and cook for 4 hours.  (I turned mine about half way through as recommended by another chef.)

Place the vegetables around the roast and cover.  Cook for an additional hour.  Remove the roast from the oven and arrange on a serving platter, reserving the liquid.  Whisk the flour and water together.  Pour the reserved liquid and grime into a saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Whist the flour mixter into the reserved liquid.  Bring the liquid back to a simmer and cook for 4-6 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.


I'm hoping there will be some leftovers to make soup with tomorrow for lunch.  We'll see. . .

Epiphany Season Menu: Bacon-Leek Tart

My first recipe to share from the Epiphany Season Menu rotation. This recipe is from a Southern Living "One-Dish Meal" magazine.  It was quite tasty and I'm glad we'll be getting to enjoy this!  I will say that for my family of 6 I made the recipe as is and it served just enough.  Next time I'll double this and make it in larger dish.

Bacon-Leek Tart

4 med leeks
3 thick hickory-smoked bacon slices
1 c shredded Gruyere (or swiss) cheese, divided
2 tsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dry)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 package (17.3 oz) frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed
1 egg white

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Remove and discard root ends and dark green tops of leeks.  Thinly slice the leeks, and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to remove grit and sand.  (I like to let mine sit in a big bowl of water giving them a little swish here and there.  If needed drain, rinse and soak again.)

Cook bacon slices in a large skillet over medium-high heat for about 8-11 minues or until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 1 Tbsp of the hot drippings in the skillet.  (I was not picky about how much was left.)  Crumble bacon.

Saute leeks in hot drippings over medium heat 5-7 minutes or until tender.  Stir in 1/2 cup cheese, thyme, salt and pepper.  (I didn't want the cheese to melt all over my cast iron pan, so I didn't add the cheese at this point.  I waited and added it to the puff pastry just before I put on the leeks.)

Unfold pastry sheet; fit into a 9-in square pan with a removable bottom (I used a 10' round tart pan and served it like a savory pie instead).  Whisk egg white until light and frothy. Brush egg white onto pastry sheet.

Bake at 400 for 15-20 minutes or until browned.  Remove from the oven.  Press pastry with back of a spoon to flatten.  Top with leek mixture; sprinkle with crumbled bacon and remaining 1/2 c cheese.  Bake 5 - 7 minutes more or until cheese is melted.


Recipe notes:

* So, my tart was layered: cheese, leeks, bacon, cheese.

* Do NOT use turkey bacon.  It is just too tough.  The flavor of the turkey bacon was fine, but it was hard to cut.  Next time I will not make that mistake.

* I served this with a big green salad and canned peaches.  A crusty loaf of bread would be nice, but it just seemed like too much bread with that flaky crust.

* This seems very fancy, but it was really quite easy to make.  And quite tasty!

The Master Recipe for 5 Minute A Day Artisan Bread

This recipe was featured in Mother Earth News - where you can find the full story, info and recipe alterations.

Master Recipe (Artisan Free-Form Loaf)
Makes 4 1-pound loaves

3 cups lukewarm water
1 1⁄2 tbsp granulated yeast (1 1⁄2 packets)
1 1⁄2 tbsp coarse kosher or sea salt
6 1⁄2 cups unsifted, unbleached, all-purpose white flour
Cornmeal for pizza peel


Mixing and Storing the Dough
1. Heat the water to just a little warmer than body temperature (about 100 degrees Fahrenheit).

2. Add yeast and salt to the water in a 5-quart bowl or, preferably, in a resealable, lidded container (not airtight — use container with gasket or lift a corner). Don’t worry about getting it all to dissolve.

3. Mix in the flour by gently scooping it up, then leveling the top of the measuring cup with a knife; don’t pat down. Mix with a wooden spoon, a high-capacity food processor with dough attachment, or a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook, until uniformly moist. If hand-mixing becomes too difficult, use very wet hands to press it together. Don’t knead! This step is done in a matter of minutes, and yields a wet dough loose enough to conform to the container.

4. Cover loosely. Do not use screw-topped jars, which could explode from trapped gases. Allow the mixture to rise at room temperature until it begins to collapse (or at least flatten on top), approximately two hours, depending on temperature. Longer rising times, up to about five hours, will not harm the result. You can use a portion of the dough any time after this period. Refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than room-temperature dough. We recommend refrigerating the dough at least three hours before shaping a loaf. And relax! You don’t need to monitor doubling or tripling of volume as in traditional recipes.

Refrigerate unused dough in your lidded (not airtight) container and use it over the next two weeks: You’ll find that even one day’s storage improves the flavor and texture of your bread. This maturation continues over the two-week period. Cut off and shape loaves as you need them. The dough can also be frozen in 1-pound portions in an airtight container and defrosted overnight in the refrigerator prior to baking day.


Baking Day
1,  Prepare a pizza peel by sprinkling it liberally with cornmeal to prevent the loaf from sticking to it when you slide it into the oven.

Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour, then cut off a 1-pound (grapefruit-sized) piece with a serrated knife. Hold the mass of dough in your hands and add a little more flour as needed so it won’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on four “sides,” rotating the ball a quarter-turn as you go, until the bottom is a collection of four bunched ends. Most of the dusting flour will fall off; it doesn’t need to be incorporated. The bottom of the loaf will flatten out during resting and baking.

2. Place the ball on the pizza peel. Let it rest uncovered for about 40 minutes. Depending on the dough’s age, you may see little rise during this period; more rising will occur during baking.

3. Twenty minutes before baking, preheat oven to 450 degrees with a baking stone on the middle rack. Place an empty broiler tray for holding water on another shelf.

4.  Dust the top of the loaf liberally with flour, which will allow the slashing, serrated knife to pass without sticking. Slash a 1⁄4-inch-deep cross, scallop or tick-tack-toe pattern into the top. (This helps the bread expand during baking.)

5. With a forward jerking motion of the wrist, slide the loaf off the pizza peel and onto the baking stone. Quickly but carefully pour about a cup of hot water into the broiler tray and close the oven door to trap the steam. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the crust is browned and firm to the touch. With wet dough, there’s little risk of drying out the interior, despite the dark crust. When you remove the loaf from the oven, it will audibly crackle, or “sing,” when initially exposed to room temperature air. Allow to cool completely, preferably on a wire rack, for best flavor, texture and slicing. The perfect crust may initially soften, but will firm up again when cooled.

Classic Ratatouille

Adapted from by Julia Child’s Ratatouille

1 lb eggplant
1 lb zucchini
1 tsp salt
Slice zucchini into half-moons about ½ inch thick. Peel and slice eggplant to similar size. Place in mixing bowl and toss with salt. Let stand for 30 minutes. Pat dry with paper towel and set on plate.

3-4 T olive oil, as needed
1 yellow or Vidalia onion, thinkly sliced
2 bell peppers (red, orange, yellow), seeded and thinly sliced
2 cloves mashed garlic
1 bay leaf
1 T fresh rosemary (2 tsp dry)
1tsp fresh marjoram (1/2 tsp dry)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Heat oil in a large skillet. In one layer at a time, briefly sauté the eggplant and zucchini (about a minute on each side – slightly browning). Remove to side dish. In the same skillet, cook onions and peppers slowly in the olive oil for about 10 min.s, or until tender, but not brown.

1 lb firm, ripe tomatoes: peeled & seeded
Salt and Pepper
(To peel tomatoes: dip tomatoes into boiling water – 10 seconds, max.; then peel. Seed by cutting horizontally and either gently squeezing or scooping out the seeds into a bowl.) Slice peeled & sliced tomatoes into pieces the same size as the zucchini and eggplant. Lay these over the onions and peppers. Salt with salt and pepper. Cover the skillet and cool over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tomatoes begin to render their juice. Uncover, baste the tomatoes with the juices, raise the heat and boil for several minutes, until juice has almost evaporated.

Scoop half the tomato/onion mixture out or to side of skillet. Spread the remaining half over the bottom of the skillet. Lay half the eggplant and zucchini on the tomatoes and onions. Return the other half of the tomato/onion mixture to the skillet. Put the rest of the eggplant and zucchini on top.

Cover the skillet and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Uncover, tip skillet and baste with rendered juices. Correct seasonings, if necessary. Raise heat slightly and cook uncovered for about 15 minutes more, basting several times, until juices have evaporated leaving a spoonful or two of flavorful olive oil. Don’t let vegetables scorch in bottom of skillet!

*Can be made entirely the day before and becomes more flavorful when reheated. Serves 6 (as main) – 12 (as side)

Tofu with Broccoli and Peanut Sauce

This is an original recipe by yours truly, but that is just a way of saying "made up".  It is quite good (as attested to by my whole family) and easy to make.

Tofu with Broccoli and Peanut Sauce
by Kerry   serves 6 hungry people with some leftovers

2 pkgs (blocks) of extra-firm tofu
4-6 heads of broccoli
1/2-3/4 of a bottle of Peanut sauce
    (I use an 11.5 oz jar of  Bangkok Padang Peanut Sauce - in the chinese/asian food section)
Enough cooked rice for 6 people (I make mine a little ahead and keep it in the warm oven)
Oil for sauteing

You'll also need a large saute pan, a casserole dish (9x13 or so) and a warm oven

Drain each block of tofu by slicing it in half lengthwise and placing the two halves on paper towels.  Place another paper towel on top and gently press down.  Let the tofu sit on the paper towels while you prepare the broccoli.

Trim the broccoli into medium-sized florets (bite size).  Include some of the stem, too (trim off the tough outer growth).

Heat some oil (enough to coat the pan well, about 1-2 T) in your saute pan.  Add the broccoli and cook for a few minutes until it starts to turn bright green.  Drizzle a good amount (1/4 c or so) of peanut sauce on top.  Stir to coat and continue cooking until just tender, but still with a good firmness.  Transfer the cooked broccoli to the casserole dish, drizzle a bit more peanut sauce on top, cover with foil and place in warm oven.

Back to the tofu.  Change the paper towels and press out the last of the water from your tofu.  Dice tofu into bite-sized pieces (about 1/2 inch square).

Heat more oil in pan (enough to coat the pan well, like before).  Add tofu and cook for 2 minutes, turning gently.  Drizzle a good amount of peanut sauce on top and continue cooking until tofu is well-warmed.  Keep an eye on it as the peanut sauce can start to burn at this point.

Place cooked tofu over broccoli, drizzle more peanut sauce over top and serve over the cooked rice.  You can also recover it at this point and keep it in a warm oven until ready to serve.  I don't think I'd leave it for more than an hour - the broccoli might get too limp.

This only takes a few minutes to cook - 30 minutes from start to finish (not including the rice cooking time, which might take longer depending on what type of rice you make).

Julia's Potage Parmentier

Wow - who knew fasting could turn up such GREAT meals?!  This is one of those - it is so easy to make and is really delicious.  The entire family loved it: hubby, teen son, two youngers and even the toddler!  If you are keeping a strict fast, this is quite good without the milk and butter...but with those it has a deeper, richer flavor.

Potage Parmentier
from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking
Serves 6 as main course, 8 as a soup course

3-4 c (or 1 lb) peeled, sliced or diced potatoes
3 c (or 1 lb) thinly sliced leeks (including the tender green)
2 qt of water
1 T salt
4-6 T cream (or milk) or 3 T softened butter
2-3 T minced parsley or chives (a little less dried)

In a heavy-bottomed soup pot, combine the potatoes, leeks, water and salt.  Simmer, partially covered, for 40-50 minutes until vegetables are tender.  Mash vegetables with fork, run through food mill, or use a hand blender.  Taste and correct seasoning as needed.  (If using dried herbs, add now so they can soften up).

You can now cover and set it aside until just before serving - just reheat to gentle simmer if necessary.

Once reheated (or if still hot, when ready to serve), stir in milk, cream or butter. Stir in herbs and serve with a lovely crusty bread.

Fast-Friendly Peanut Butter Balls

I was trying to find an easy recipe for peanut butter balls, but most of them had dry milk as an ingredient.  I really needed a recipe without that milk.  But didn't have much luck, so I came up with this one.    I'm sitting here staring at a plate of them right now....  Can't wait until dessert time!

These also make great afternoon snacks for really hungry kids.


Fast-Friendly Peanut Butter Balls
makes about 20 1-in balls

1 cup peanut butter
1/3 c oatmeal
1/4 c wheat germ (if you don't have it, just use more of the other dry ingredients)
1/4 (or so) of powdered sugar
1 T honey (optional)

Put all ingredients in a mixing bowl and combine to form a dough.  This is a tough dough to mix, but just keep at it and it will get all incorporated.  If your is still too wet (dough is not coming together into a dough ball - pulling away from the sides of the bowl), add more of the sugar, oatmeal, and/or wheat germ (to your preference or taste - all three are helpful for "drying out" the peanut butter.  I added the honey because I like the flavor it adds to the peanut butter.  You may need more or less sugar depending on the sweetness of your peanut butter.  I used natural peanut butter and needed closer to 1/3 cup.

Once you get a nice dough ball, use a spoon to scoop and form approximately 1 inch balls, rolling them in your palms to get a nice even shape.

Roll the balls in powdered sugar or anything you like.  Maybe mini-chocolate chips? Yum!  I used some Heath Bar bits I had in the pantry - delicious!  


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Pumpkin Bread

A nice breakfast or snack (or dessert).

2 c sugar
1/2 c oil
1 lg can pumpkin
1 can (2 c) applesauce
5 c flour
4 tsp soda
1/2 tsp cloves
1 T cinnamon
1 T salt
1 c dates or raisins
1 c nuts
Blend sugar and oil together. Add pumpkin and applesauce, then dry ingredients. Mix in nuts and raisins. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Makes 3 loaves.


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Peanut Butter & Banana Smoothie

For a delicious, nutritious start to the day.  This recipe comes from AllRecipes.com.  You can scale it to fit your family at their website.  I'll make enough for all 6 of us...

6 bananas
3/4 c peanut butter
3 c milk or soy milk

Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth.  Add honey for sweetness if needed (depends on the sweetness of your peanut butter).






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Chick Pea Soup

This recipe is from Marcella Hazan's Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking, one of my favorite cook books.

4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 c extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp dried rosemary, ground fine almost to a fine powder OR a small sprig of fresh rosemary
2/3 c Italian plum tomatoes, cut up, with their juices
2 1/4 cups canned chick peas, drained
1 c broth (veggie, meat, or chicken)
salt
freshly ground black pepper

:: Saute garlic in pan large enough to accommodate all the ingredients in the olive oil and over a medium heat. Cook until a light nut brown, then remove from pan.
:: Add the crushed rosemary or fresh spring, stir, then put in cut up tomatoes and their juice. Cook for 20-25 minutes (or until oil floats free from the tomatoes).
:: Add the drained chick peas and cook for 5 minutes, stirring them thoroughly with the juices in the pan.
:: Add the broth, cover, and adjust heat to that the soup bubbles at a stead but moderate boil for 15 minutes.
:: Taste and correct for salt. Add a few grindings of pepper. Let the soup bubble uncovered for another minute, then serve promptly.


To this I may add some cooked rice or just serve it with a good loaf of bread.


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Tuscan Garbanzo Bean Soup

As you might have noticed from my post frequency, May is a ridiculously busy time in my family! End of school, summer plans being formed, son's birthday party, and state homeschool convention.

Well, here's what we are having for dinner tonight. It is simmering away on the stove right now!

Tuscan Garbanzo Bean Soup

1 c medium pasta (shells, elbows, etc)
2 T olive oil
1 small white onion, chopped
a couple dashes of garlic powder
3 T fresh rosemary or 2 tsp dry
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (opt)
1/2 c chopped canned, stewed or sun-dried (packaged in oil or softened with water) tomatoes
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 cans 16 oz Garbanzo beans, drained and divided

Cook pasta according to package directions.

At the same time, in a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until just soft, add carrots and saute a few minutes more. Add garlic powder, rosemary, bay leaf, and red pepper flakes. Add 2 cups of water, tomatoes, carrot, and garbanzo beans, reserving 1 cup whole beans. Bring to a boil, stiffing occasionally, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 7-10 minutes.

Puree vegetables (in blender or with a hand blender) and return to saucepan. Add pasta and remaining whole beans and heat through adding water if soup is too thick.

Top with cheese at the table!
2 T grated parmesan

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Good Seasonish Italian Dressing Mix

Do you love Good Season's Italian Dressing Mix as much as I do? Do you hate the preservatives and other chemicals they include as much as I do? Would you love a dry mix you can make yourself and keep on hand? Look no futher!


Good Seasonish Italian Dressing Mix

First you make the dry mix:
1 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
1 T sugar
2 T dried oregano
1 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp dried basil
1 T dried parsley
1/4 tsp celery salt
2 T salt

Store this in an airtight container. When you are ready to make dressing, put the following in a jar with a tight lid - or one of those handy Good Seasons dressing bottles:

2 T dry dressing mix (above)
1/4 c vinegar (my favorite is red wine vinegar)
2 T water

Shake this really well then add:
2/3 c really good olive oil


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Vegetable Oven Pancake - Spring Onions

This recipe can be used with just about any vegetable: asparagus, broccoli, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc. Some vegetables may need steaming before-hand if they won't cook completely in the oven.

I had some spring onions needed to be used up, so I made this for lunch on Sunday. We enjoyed it with a frilly salad of spring greens and a hunk of bread. I did find that if you double it, as I did, it is best to use a large pan. Otherwise the pancake doesn't fluff up quite as high as intended. I made mine in a deep-dish pie plate...it would have been better in a very large cast-iron skillet or a small, rectangular baking dish.

It was delicious!

Spring Onion Vegetable Pancake

1 T butter

1 cup or so of sliced spring onions

3/4 c milk

2/3 c flour

2 eggs

1/4 tsp salt (hubby thought it might need a bit more for flavor)

1/2 c cheese (we did without the cheese, which might account for the lack of saltiness)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. While oven heats, place butter in 9-inch pie pan and place in oven to melt. Swirl pan to grease bottom and sides. Place spring onions in bottom of the pie pan. Mix milk, flour, eggs and salt with a blender or whisk until smooth. Pour over onions. Bake until puffed and golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle cheese on tip, cut into wedges and serve immediately.

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