Menu Plan – Week of November 16th

I realized today that I make the first four dinners on this week’s menu about once a month.  They are easy fall back meals for busy times or exhausting weeks. I am still getting my strength back after a nasty flu, so I am content to rely on the old standards; my kids are just happy that mom is cooking again!

Money Saving Tip: You can stretch meat by mixing it with beans or rice. When I make tacos, I add a can of black beans to the hamburger and seasonings. When I make hamburger patties, I add a cup of cooked rice to the raw hamburger and spices, mix it well, and form patties as usual.

Monday – Tacos using hamburger mixed with a can of black beans and taco seasoning, Refried Beans, and Spanish Rice

Tuesday – Spaghetti and Garden Salad

Wednesday – Use leftover taco meat to make Taco Salad

Thursday – Use leftover taco meat, black beans, Spanish Rice, and spaghetti sauce to make Leftover Chili, Gluten Free Corn Bread, and Garden Salad

Friday – Dinner Party for 14! Garlic Chicken (or grilled? depends on the weather), Long Grain and Wild Rice, Glazed Carrots, Peas with Basil, salad and desserts TBD

Saturday - Use leftover chicken to make Easy Chicken Tortilla Bake and Garden Salad

Sunday – Use leftover chicken, rice, and carrots to make Chicken and Rice Soup and Garden Salad

Do you have any old faithful recipes that you rely on to get you through hectic weeks?

Sick Leave

We are under the weather, so I am taking a couple more days off to play nurse to my children and recuperate. I hope you all do a better job of avoiding the flu bug than we have!

You Know it is Time to Dust When...

...Your child uses the furniture as an easel!

This post has been linked to Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Glazed Carrots and Converting Metric Recipes to English Units

Glazed Carrots

32 oz. carrots
2 T butter
2 T sugar
2 t parsley
pinch of salt
bottled water (you can use sparkling mineral water if you want)

Cut carrots into 1/2 inch thick pieces. Melt butter and glaze sugar in it. Pour some water in until sugar is completely dissolved. Add carrots. Add salt and a little water, constantly stirring carrots. The liquid should always be at a minimum and should be completely dissolved when carrots are "al dente". To finish, add parsley. Total cooking time: 15 minutes.

Kitchen Tip:

I obtained this recipe from a cousin who lived in Europe. She was kind enough to help me  translate it into English and convert the measurements from metric. If you have found a recipe that you would like to make, but have not because of the metric measurements here are a couple of resources that you can use:

 Metric to English Cooking Measurements

 Temperature Converter

This post has been linked to Kitchen Tip Tuesday at Tammy's Recipes.

Pantry Party: Turkey Tetrazzini

Jane at The Thrifty Countrywoman is having another Pantry Party. This month’s party features recipes that are made from Thanksgiving leftovers, as well as items commonly found in the pantry, refrigerator, and freezer.

I think everything in this recipe, except the mushrooms, are commonly found in the kitchen. A lot of the ingredients will be found in my freezer. When I harvest my onions I chop them and freeze them in 1/2 and 1 cup portions. I do the same with my bell peppers,  which I freeze in 1/4 and 1/2 cup portions. I buy cheese in large bricks then grate and freeze it in a variety of sizes from 1/2 – 2 cups. Shirley of Gluten Free Easily recommended sautéing excess mushrooms and freezing them to reduce waste, which I have done. So we will be eating lots more leftovers than just Thanksgiving leftovers when I make this recipe.

Ingredients
3 Tablespoons butter, divided
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup diced bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 pound sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup all purpose flour (I use gluten free flour)
1 cup broth (I make broth from the turkey bones, but you can use chicken or vegetable broth)
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese, divided
2 cups cubed turkey
2 Tablespoons dry sherry (optional)
1/2 pound spaghetti cooked (I use gluten free pasta)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In medium sauce pan melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic; sauté until onion is translucent. Add mushrooms and sauté one minute. Remove vegetables; set aside.. Add remaining butter to sauce pan and melt over low heat. Stir in flour until smooth and bubbly. Stirring constantly, add broth, milk, salt, and pepper. Cook until thickened. Add one cup of cheese, stirring until melted.

In a large bowl, combine sautéed vegetables, turkey, white sauce, sherry and spaghetti. Spoon into a greased 2 quart casserole dish. cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle on remaining 1/2 cup of cheese. Bake for 10 more minutes.

For more delicious recipes, visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, and Tuesdays at the Table.

Menu Plan – Week of November 2nd

Monday – Tomato Basil Pie and Garden Salad

Tuesday - Penne with spinach and Chicken

Wednesday – Roast Beef, Rice, and Glazed Carrots

Thursday – Use leftover Roast and Rice to make Chinese Orange Beef

Friday – YOYO Dinner

Saturday -   Teriyaki Chicken, Asparagus and Lemongrass Risotto, and Garden Salad

Sunday – Use leftover chicken to make a stir fry

What is on your menu this week?

My Husband’s Great Grandmother’s Recipe for Meatballs

My mother-in-law takes her nursing duties very seriously! When she has come to help out after I have had a baby or surgery she packs her cookbook, her favorite cooking tools, and the pink plastic gloves she wears when she cleans. She believes that by feeding me hearty meals I will regain my strength and mend faster. I am not sure that her opinions can be backed up with science, but I do know that when she is cooking, I always find the strength to make it to the table! One of the recipes that she always prepares is her Grandmother's meatballs. She always makes extra so that I can have the leftovers for lunch.

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1 egg
1 small onion, chopped
3/4 cup bread crumbs (I use oatmeal to make this recipe gluten free)
1/2 cup milk ( you can use a dairy free alternative)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (secret ingredient)
1 can cream of mushroom soup + 1 can of water or 2 1/2 cups of homemade cream of mushroom soup

In a medium bowl combine all of the ingredients except soup and water. Mix well. Form into balls.

If you use canned soup, pour it in a small bowl and mix in the water.

Here I diverge from the original recipe. It says to roll the meatballs in flour and brown them in oil. I think a lot of old recipes call for this step to prevent the meat from sticking to the pans. Our new nonstick pans render this step unnecessary. I just plop them in a nonstick pan without flour or oil and brown them.

After the meatballs are browned, pour mushroom soup over them, reduce heat, cover with lid, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Serve warm over rice, noodles, or riced cauliflower (directions below). Makes enough to serve 4 – 5 people.

I do not like making meatballs, so when I finally muster the will power to do it I make a double batch. I have mentioned before my dislike of touching raw meat and Kim at The Misadventures of Mub recommended that I get food grade latex gloves, which definitely helps. Below is a double batch simmering in my electric skillet:


Cauliflower Rice

Cut a head of cauliflower into florets. Steam in a double boiler until just tender. Scoop the florets into a ricer and press. You can see me demostrating how to use a ricer on potatoes here.

This post has been linked to Slightly Indulgent Mondays, where you will find more delicious gluten free recipes.

Fickle Toddlers and Food Waste

This week Rew decided that he no longer likes peaches or corn. Unfortunately, the rest of us did not get the memo in time to eat up his leftovers.
Here are a couple of things that I have learned the hard way about minimizing food waste with my finicky toddler:

1. I give him small servings initially and then follow up with seconds and thirds. It is a certainty that if I cut up a whole plate of spaghetti, he will refuse to even taste it!

2. I don’t buy any of his foods in bulk. No matter how much he likes them or how good the sale is. The best way to guarantee that he will never eat pears again is to buy a case!

3. I serve his food in a divided plate. If juice from mandarin oranges touches bread it renders it inedible!

4. If he doesn’t show interest in his food I cover it, put it in the refrigerator, and try again in 30 minutes. The food is not going to become more appetizing if I make him sit at the table and stare at it!

Some tricks for getting a picky eater to eat food:

1. Rename it. Lasagna sounds much more appetizing to a picky toddler if you call it pizza noodles!

2. Let them eat the food somewhere other than the table. I probably should not admit this, but I have been known to let my child pretend that he was a dog and serve cereal in a bowl on the floor along with a bowl of water. This has the added advantage of absolutely freaking out my mother-in-law, the bacteriologist. :-)

3. Serve as a royal taste tester. I let Rew feed me a couple of bites of a food that he is unsure of, and quite vociferously express how delicious I find the item.

4. Share my food. Rew is much more interested in “grown up” food. If I sit down with a apple and start cutting pieces to eat, he will make his way over and ask if he can “take a eat”.

Do you have a picky eater at your house?  Do you have any tricks for getting them to eat?
 
This post has been linked to Food Waste Friday at The Frugal Girl.

Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe and Menu Plan

There are several family recipes that call for a can of cream of mushroom soup. I am sure my grandmother loved the convenience that canned soup provided her, but I never really cared for the taste. The canned variety also contains flour, soy and MSG, which means my daughter and I should not eat it. I will make my version this week and use it in my husband’s great grandmother’s Meatballs  and Within My Means’ Squash Casserole recipe.

Cream of Mushroom Soup
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove of garlic, minced (optional)
2 Tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup evaporated milk
2 Tablespoons cornstarch

In a medium saucepan, melt butter or add oil. Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic. Cook over a medium heat, while stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the broth and cook for 1 minute. Carefully spoon the mixture into a blender. blend until smooth. Pour the mixture back into the sauce pan.

In a small bowl combine cornstarch and 3 – 4 tablespoons of the evaporated milk. Stir until the mixture is smooth. Add the cornstarch mixture to the mushroom mixture. Slowly add stir in the remaining milk. Stir continuously while cooking the soup over a medium heat. Cook until thick and bubbly.

For more gluten free recipes visit Slightly Indulgent Monday.



Menu Plan – Week of October 26th

Monday – Spaghetti and Garden Salad

Tuesday – Hamburgers, Onion Rings, and Baked Beans

Wednesday – Tacos, Spanish Rice, and Black Beans

Thursday – Combine leftover spaghetti sauce, hamburgers, baked beans, taco meat, Spanish rice, and black beans to make a version of  Miracle Leftover Chili and Garden Salad

Friday – Meatballs, Rice, and Buttered Tossed Green Beans

Saturday – Party with friends

Sunday – modify Squash Casserole to make it GF and Sautéed Broccoli

Food Waste Friday

This probably should have been included in last week’s awful food waste picture, but I was holding out hope that when opened it would still be useable. It wasn’t. 

The coleslaw was an impulse buy several weeks ago, when it was a loss leader at our local store. It is a good example of why you shouldn’t buy something just because it is on sale. A sale on something that you don’t need and can’t use it not a sale, but a waste. It doesn't matter if it is a blouse or cabbage.

Since I took two weeks off from making menu’s and shopping lists, I found I had a lot more waste. When I got home with this impulse buy I did not have some of the other ingredients necessary to make the recipes which call for shredded cabbage. I have returned to making menus and lists, because I realized that when my life is chaotic it is even more important that I take a few minutes to do these tasks.

I could have salvaged the cabbage if I had only searched online for some alternative recipes. Here are a couple I found after a few minutes of searching: Shredded Cabbage Soup, Colcannon, or Spicy Cabbage and Chicken Stir Fry. Of course, I did not think to look for alternatives until the cabbage was deposited in the compost and the plastic bag in the land fill!

Have you made any wasteful purchases lately? Did you find a way to salvage or turn around the situation?

To see how other bloggers are doing on their food waste or share how you are doing, visit Food Waste Friday at The Frugal Girl.

Double Chocolate Chip Cookies

Baking this batch of cookies was the most fun I have had baking in years! I had help, lots of help:
When I started pulling out the ingredients, Rew pulled out the step-stool and asked for a spoon. He stayed with me and helped through the whole process. The funny thing is, he doesn’t even like chocolate, he was just so proud to be helping with a grown up chore.

I created this recipe for my oldest son, by modifying a basic chocolate chip cookie recipe. He is such a big help around the property and I have found that the perfect way to thank a growing teenage boy is with food!

Ingredients
1 cup of butter, softened, but not melted (you can use df margarine to make this dairy free, or 1 cup of shortening + 2Tablespoons of water if you live at high altitude)
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour ( you can use gf all-purpose flour to make this gluten free)
1/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cocoa, salt, and baking soda.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add eggs and beat. Stir in vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop mixture by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Makes 3 – 3 1/2 dozen depending on how big you make the cookies.

N.B. If you used butter and the dough seems too soft, then put it in the refrigerator for an hour to firm it up.

This post has been linked to Finer Things Friday, because baking "thank you for being a big help" cookings for my oldest son, with the help of my youngest is definitely one of the finer things in life!

For more delicious recipes visit The Ultimate Recipe Swap and Foodie Friday, Would You Like Chocolate with That?, Food on Fridays, and Friday Food.

Calculating the Cost Per Serving for Meat

Erin at $5 Dinners has a great post today on finding the best price on meat. She shares her “mental never pay more than list” on the prices per pound for various cuts of meat. Buying meat on sale is one way that she is able to create delicious and nutricious meals for her family for only $5.00! Her mental list is much more extensive than mine which is never pay more that $1.99 for boneless meat and $0.99 for bone-in meat. The exception being fish, which I have been known to plunk down a pretty penny on as a treat for my husband. Now I don’t usually pay $1.99 for boneless meat, I usually pay less, but this mental limit gives me wriggle room when I need a particular cut of meat, and can’t find it anywhere at its rock bottom price.

When I find a cut of meat that we eat at its rock bottom price or less if it has been reduced for quick sale (85% hamburger at $1.69, sirloin at $1.79, bl/sl chicken breasts at $1.69), I stock up if I have money in the budget and room in the freezer. I made room in the budget for stocking up on sale items, by originally devoting 10.00 a week (out of our $100.00 budget) to stocking up on the “loss leaders”. After a couple of weeks, I had enough items in my pantry that I didn’t have to devote as much of my list to needed items and could devote more to sale items. I am at a point now, where I can choose whether to just shop the sales or take a week off and declare a “Pantry Week”.

On Wednesdays, I go through all of the grocery store ads and make my shopping list. Most of the time it is obvious which sale price on meat is the best bargain: whole chickens $0.67 a pound, boneless pork loin $0.99 a pound, etc. However, there are times when the decision is not so simple. I used to struggle deciding which was a better deal: $1.69 lb. for boneless, skinless chicken breasts or $1.29 lb. for a whole chicken? Then I found the Cost Per Serving Calculator at Cheapcooking.com. You enter the type of meat, cut, and price per pound and it gives you the actual cost per serving. In the above case, the chicken breasts are .42 per serving, where the whole chicken is .52 per serving. Of course this does not take in to account that I can use the chicken bones to make stock, but it still gives me a good way to compare similar cuts of meat and decide which is the best buy for our family.

This post has been linked to Works For Me Wednesday.

Cleaning Silver with Toothpaste

The holiday season is right around the corner. I like to inventory (and inspect) linens and polish the serving dishes early, so I don’t end up rushing around at the last minute doing tedious tasks. Because a relaxed hostess is the most important ingredient to a successful party.

Frugal Silver Polish

All you need to polish your silver is a towel to place under the item, toothpaste and a old toothbrush.

Apply a small amount of toothpaste to the toothbrush and start brushing your silver. Occasionally rinse your toothbrush and add more tooth paste. Rinse and dry your silver. Look for any places that you may have missed. Use the toothbrush and toothpaste to touch up as necessary.

Clean silver, produced without harsh, expensive chemicals. You should be careful not to keep the toothpaste away from young children and animals, as the fluoride can be dangerous in large quantities.

N.B. I realized after I took this picture that it looks like there is a dark circle on the tray. The dark circle is actually a reflection of the overhead light. I’m too lazy to go back and take the picture again. :-)

How do you prepare for the holiday season? Do you have any tips to make it easier?

For more ideas for how to save time and money in your kitchen visit Kitchen Tip Tuesday at Tammy’s Recipes. To see what works for other bloggers visit Works For Me Wednesday at We Are That Family.

Frosted Pumpkin Cookies

I posted this recipe as soon as I harvested my first pumpkin of the season, but I wanted to post it again now that I have pictures of the final product.

Frosted Pumpkin Cookies

2 cups sugar

2 cups shortening

1 – 15 oz. can pumpkin (I used 1 3/4 cups home pureed pumpkin)

2 teaspoons vanilla

4 cups sifted all-purpose flour (You can use gluten free all-purpose flour. I used gluten free cake flour and they were melt in your mouth delicious!)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ginger

2 cups raisins (optional – I leave them out.)

1 cup chopped nuts (optional- I leave them out.)

In mixing bowl, thoroughly cream together sugar and shortening. Add pumpkin, eggs, and vanilla and beat well. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and spices. Add flour mixture to cream mixture and mix well. Stir in raisins and nuts if desired. Drop rounded teaspoons of dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 – 15 minutes. Makes 6- 7 dozen depending on the size of the cookie. Click here for a tip on baking with a limited number of baking sheets.

Remove from baking sheet to cool and then frost. My kids enjoy these cookies without frosting, but I love them with cream cheese frosting (if you do not frost them, these cookies are dairy free). When I frost them I cut the strong flavor of cream cheese frosting with butter to make a milder cream cheese frosting.

Cream Cheese and Butter Frosting

3 oz. cream cheese

3 oz. butter or margarine

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 pound powdered sugar

Cream all ingredients together until fluffy. Add a bit of milk or more sugar to achieve desired consistency. Spread on cooled cookies.

For more delicious pumpkin recipes, visit The Finer Things in Life. Amy has compiled an incredible list of pumpkin recipes.

This post has been linked to Slightly Indulgent Mondays and What Can I Eat That Is Gluten Free. Both of these carnivals feature gluten free recipes.

For even more delicious recipes visit Tempt My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, and Tuesdays at the Table.

Menu Plan – Week of October 19th

It is going to be another pantry week. In the past I have had pantry weeks because of unexpected expenses, illness, and bad weather. This pantry week is a spontaneous response to my two year old's sudden interest in the potty chair (YAY!). We are doing well so far and I don't want to spoil things by an extended shopping trip, so I am just making do with what is on hand in my pantry, freezer, refrigerator, and garden.

I am able to cook from the pantry this week because I stock up on items when they are on sale. Most items go on sale at rock bottom prices 4 - 6 times a year. I track prices, so I know when they are on sale for a good price, then I buy 2 -3 months worth to get me through to the next sale. You can read about tracking prices at The Thrifty Country Woman. While you are there, visit her Pantry Party , where you will be inspired to create a dish from items in your pantry.

Monday – Swiss Steak

Tuesday – Garlic Chicken, Brown Rice, and Glazed Carrots

Wednesday – Use some of the leftover chicken, rice, and carrots to make Chicken and Rice Soup, and Garden Salad

Thursday – Use some of the leftover chicken and rice in White Chili, and Garden Salad

Friday – Eating at The Pumpkin Patch with friends

Saturday – Use half of a Pork Roast, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, and Sautéed Summer Squash

Sunday – Use the other half of the pork roast to make Choucroute a l' Alsacienne

For more menu ideas visit Menu Plan Monday.

The Pantry Party – Swiss Steak

This evening I am participating in a Pantry Party hosted by The Thrifty Country Woman. Whether you have an idea to share or are looking for a recipe that will use items from your pantry, be sure to visit.

Swiss Steak is one of my fall back recipes. It uses items that I usually have in the pantry, refrigerator, and/or freezer. And when I cook it in my pressure cooker, I don’t have to plan too far in advance.

The ingredients are fairly flexible; this is what I used the last time I made it:

2 lbs. round steak (but any inexpensive cut will do), fat trimmed and cut into 4 – 5 oz. pieces

dash of pepper and garlic powder

6 large carrots, cut into big chunks

4 large potatoes, cut into large pieces (I leave the skins on, and if the potatoes are small I cook them whole)

1 small onion, coarsely chopped (if you don’t have an onion, you can use a packet or two of Lipton onion soup mix)

2 cans beef broth

1 – 6 oz. can of tomato paste (if you don’t have tomato paste, you can use a can of diced tomatoes or 2 cups of tomato juice, etc.)

2 cups of water

1/4 cup flour or corn starch (optional)

Place the meat in the pressure cooker and leave the lid off. Dust the meat with pepper and garlic powder optional. (Most recipes including my mother's call for flouring the meat before browning it, but I don't think it is needed, so I don't do it. I'd rather save those calories for dessert). Brown both sides of the meat. I then remove the meat and brown the onions in the grease from the round steaks.

Then I add the meat back in and place the carrots and potatoes on top of the meat. Add the beef broth, tomato paste, and water. Place the lid on the pressure cooker; Bring to high pressure, reduce heat to stabilize pressure and cook for 10 minutes. Release pressure by putting the pressure cooker in the sink and running cool water over it.

If you wish you can make a gravy by adding placing 2 cups of the liquid* in a small sauce pan. Slowly add flour** or corn starch, while cooking over a medium-low heat. Simmer for 2 –3 minutes until thick and bubbly.

For some reason I took a picture of my daughter’s plate, and she does not take her Swiss Steak with gravy. She prefers to mash her potatoes with butter instead. I apologize for the unappetizing final photo!

Swiss Steak can be easily adapted to include your favorite flavors. You can add bell pepper, oregano, thyme, sage, worcestershire sauce, etc. My kids just happen to like it a little less “muddied” as my daughter says.

*I freeze the unused liquid. It makes a great beginning for a hearty stew in winter.

** If you are gluten intolerant, you can use gf all-purpose flour, but I prefer to use cornstarch for gravies.

This post has been linked to Mouth Watering Mondays, The Pantry Party, and What Can I Eat That Is Gluten Free.

Disorganization Leads to Food Waste Friday

The last two weeks have been a bit chaotic. I have not made a menu plan, nor have I done a very good job of keeping up on the odds and ends in the refrigerator. All of the items below, except for the spinach, are of unknown vintage. Though some of them maybe safe to eat, I didn't want to chance it, so they found a new home in the compost bin.

I am determined to not repeat this horrible waste next week. I will have a menu plan and use tape to place the date on the lids. I will also be participating in a Pantry Party on Monday at The Thrifty Country Woman, where I will be share how I use items from my pantry, fridge, and/or freezer to create a meal. And of course, I will continue participating in Food Waste Friday at The Frugal Girl because it helps keep me accountable!

Making Croutons and Wild Rice Stuffing

When I was kid we used to take leftover bread, squish it into small balls, fry the balls in oil, then dust them with cinnamon sugar to make “poor man’s doughnuts”. Though I am occasionally tempted to make “doughnuts” with leftover bread, I usually use it to make croutons instead.
You can make croutons from any leftover bread including the heals of bread loaves and uneaten hamburger buns.
I brush both sides of the piece of bread with olive oil and dust with garlic powder, onion powder, and any other spices that sound good ( I added sage to the croutons pictured). Then I cut the bread up into bite size pieces, and place them on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 5 –8 minutes or until they are toasty brown, tossing the croutons every 2 – 3 minutes. I leave the croutons on the baking sheet to cool.



The croutons can be added to salads or soup. Since whole chickens have been on sale in my area, I will use my croutons to make Wild Rice Stuffing.





Wild Rice Stuffing
2 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
1/4 cup butter (use 3 T. oil to make this recipe dairy free)
1/3 cup onion, finely chopped
1/3 cup celery, diced
2 1/2 cups croutons (make croutons from rice bread to make this recipe gluten free)
1 tablespoon fresh parsely, minced
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1/4 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon rosemary
dash black pepper
1 cup broth (chicken or vegetable to make this dish vegetarian)
1 egg, beaten
Melt butter in a large skillet, saute onion and celery until onion is tender. Add rice, croutons, and spices. Slowly stir in broth and egg. Spoon stuffing into chicken cavity. This recipe can be doubled for using to stuff a turkey.
When we have vegetarians with us for the holidays I use vegetable broth and cook the stuffing in a 1 1/2 quart greased baking dish. I cover the baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, then I bake it uncovered for an additional 10 minutes. An added benefit to this method is that chicken and turkey cook faster when they are cooked with an empty cavity.
Do you have leftover bread at your house? If so, do you have a favorite way of using it?
This post has been linked to Foodie Friday, Friday Feasts, and Food on Fridays.

Corn Casserole

After tasting my cousin's corn casserole, I came home and modified my cornbread recipe to create my own version (which I can adapt to make gluten free and even sugar free if I wish). This is my favorite way to use up leftover corn. Sometimes I add 1/4 cup each of green and red peppers to this recipe to make a Fiesta Cornbread. I like my recipe because it gives me complete control over the ingredients, but I have included my cousin's recipe at the bottom of this post because it is a bit easier.

Ingredients:

1 egg

1/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup creamed corn

3/4 cup corn, drained

1 - 8 oz. plain yogurt

3/4 cup corn meal

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour*

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup sugar or 3 Tablespoons agave nectar

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, stir well. Pour into a 8 x 8 greased baking pan. Bake at 350 for 40 - 45 minutes. If I am having a large crowd for dinner, I double this recipe and bake it in a 13 x 9 pan.

* To make this gluten free use all-purpose gluten free flour.

My cousin's recipe which is even easier:

Easy Corn Casserole

1 egg or 1/4 cup egg substitute

1/4 cup margarine, melted

1 - 8 3/4 oz. can whole kernal corn, drained

1 - 8 3/4 oz. can cream style corn

1 - 8 1/2 oz. pkg. corn muffin mix (Jiffy)

1 - 8 oz. plain fat-free yoghurt

Follow the directions above to prepare this recipe.

N.B. TammyLee substituted sour cream for yogurt and added cheese to this recipe. You can read about it here.

This post has been linked to Slightly Indulgent Mondays, where you can find more gluten free recipes.

We are Swimming in Tomatoes

We had our first freeze last weekend; we even had a bit of snow! It melted quickly here on the valley floor, but enough stuck in the mountains that some ski runs will open this weekend. Before the temperatures dropped, I was determined to harvest every thing I could from my garden. I picked every ripe and near ripe tomato, as well as the peppers, cucumbers, onions, and squash. Then I pulled up some of the tomato plants, hung them upside down in the garage, where more tomatoes are ripening on the vine. As soon as we polish off one basket of tomatoes, another “crop” is ripe.

I have been working hard to find ways to use up the tomatoes. I made several batches of Broiled Cherry Tomatoes. I made a large batch of Vegetable Garden Minestrone Soup and attempted to make a double batch of salsa. Despite my efforts, I have not been able to stay ahead of the tomatoes and have had to toss at least ten into the compost bin. I also had to toss a couple of peppers and one cucumber. In the case of the peppers and cucumber, I think I lost track of which were old and which new. My kitchen was pretty chaotic for a couple of days with baskets of veggies every where. I did not photograph all that was tossed, but I did manage to capture some tomatoes before they found a new home in the compost bin. The picture on the left just does not capture the ewww factor, but believe me, it’s there!

I was lamenting the fact that my salsa was too runny to my husband. He said, “that’s because you did not make salsa. You made picante sauce”. I like his philosophy; from now on if something doesn’t turn out, I will just rename it. My salsa was not as thick as I like it because I could not bring myself to squeeze the juice out of the tomatoes before I cooked them. I didn’t have time to do something with the tomato juice and could not bear to watch it go down the sink. And because I did not want to waste some juice, I could have ruined 8 pints of salsa. Fortunately, my family is quite content with the picante sauce, so I will share the recipe with you.

Recipe for Picante Sauce

16 cups tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped (You know what to do if you prefer salsa!)

3 cups onion, chopped

4 cups of peppers, chopped (We take our salsa and picante mild so I used a combination of sweet gypsy peppers, banana peppers, and bell peppers, but you can add some jalapeño to increase the heat).

3/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

8 cloves of garlic, minced

1 1/4 cup cider vinegar

3 teaspoons marjoram

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

2 – 7oz. cans of green chiles

juice of 4 limes

2 – 6 oz. cans tomato paste

Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Ladle hot salsa into 8 hot, pints jars; leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Put one jar in the refrigerator for immediate consumption and the other 7 into the water-bath canner. Process 15 minutes (if you are at sea level. I am at 4500 feet, so I processed mine for 20 minutes.) in a boiling-water canner. Remove jars from water-bath and place on countertop to cool. Check cap for successful seal by pressing down on the center. If the lid center does not move up and down, when pressed, the lid has sealed.

Now, I need to get back to putting up tomatoes!

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