Sopita

I come from a very diversely ethnic background...in case you hadn't already noticed from my recipes :) When I was growing up one of the things my mom made for us at lunch time was Sopita. In Spanish Sopita means "little soup". You can add any number of this to this such as chopped cilantro or diced green chilis, bits of meat like shredded chicken, bits of bacon or ground beef. This is the first time I have taken the time to figure out the exact measurements of the ingredients. It's one of those things you just make from memory. This was the first thing I ever learned how to cook.

Sopita

1/2 lb. small pasta such as elbow macaroni, small shells or Fideo
1 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. Caldo de Pollo or Chicken Bouillon Powder
1 small can tomato sauce
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin powder
grated cheddar cheese

In a medium sauce pan, heat oil until you see ripples form. Add pasta and spices and stir until fragrant and lightly toasted.

Add tomato sauce and 4 tomato sauce cans full of water.

Bring to a boil, stir then turn down to a simmer. Allow to cook, stirring occasionally until pasta is tender. Add a handfull or two of shredded cheddar cheese. Serves 4.

Spice it up!

In my kitchen spices are not just an necessity, they are more of an obsession. I stock the basics of course, but I can never resist a new and exotic sounding spice blend. Some of my recent additions are Sate Seasoning and Florida Seasoned Pepper (all from Penzey's). Although it is fun to buy all these goodies, it can get quite costly. So, in an effort to spice things up, I have taken to mixing some of my own blends.

One of the first homemade mixes I ever learned to make is not really a spice mix, but a soup base. I was using a lot of cream of chicken type soups to make casseroles at the time and those little tiny cans can get quite costly. Making a sort of "white sauce" can often duplicate a cream soup, but they can sometimes be time consuming. A mix was just what I needed to help out on those nights when time was an issue.

Cream of Anything Soup

4 c. dry milk
1 1/2 c. corn starch
1/2 c. chicken bullion powder
4 tsp dried minced onion
2 tsp. thyme
2 tsp. basil
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. pepper

Mix all together and store in an airtight container. To use the mix add 1/3 c. mix to 1 c. cold water. Whisk and heat in a saucepan whisking until thickened. You can customize this soup mix with cooked chopped broccoli or asparagus, small shrimp, diced cooked potatos, chopped celery, chopped mushrooms, minced cooked chicken, etc.

I have more mix and seasoning recipes listed under Mixes, Seasonings, Sauces and Condiments. It's a coincidence that as I was preparing this post I stumbled upon a post about spices at Always In The Kitchen. Dawna has a great sounding recipe for Garam Masala, take a look! She has a beautiful spice rack as well. I really need to get one of those... (adding spice rack to mental note of things to buy for the kitchen).

Cupcakes and Quick Breads

I hope you've all been enjoying my Guest Bloggers this week! I know I sure have enjoyed some new and delicous sounding recipes. I'll have a new guest every Monday so be sure to stop back by and see who's visiting :)

I recently saw the most beautiful looking Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cupcakes on The Baking Sheet so of course, since I had the ingredients on hand I had to try them! My kids did not have a problem being the guinea pigs for a new recipe involving their two favorite flavors. I made a couple of changes to the recipe. First of all I added buttermilk in place of part of the regular milk called for because I love buttermilk in anything chocolate. I also added cinnamon. To me chocolate tastes incomplete without cinnamon, but that is a personal preference.


Chocolate Cupcakes
(recipe modified from Culinary Epiphanies)

1 ½ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
¼ tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
¼ cup butter, very soft
1 cup sugar
½ cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup milk, warm
1/2 cup buttermilk, warm

Preheat oven to 350F. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars.eat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Add flour and milk, alternating in 3 additions, ending with flour. Evenly distribute into prepared muffin tins. Bake at 350F for 15-17 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
Cool completely on a wire rack. Makes 18.

Peanut Butter Frosting
(recipe originally from Cullinary In The Desert)

2 tbsp peanut butter
1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 cups confectioners sugar

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt peanut butter and butter and dissolve sugar. Remove from heat and whisk in milk. Transfer to a medium bowl and set aside to cool completely.
Add confectioners sugar and beat on medium/high speed with an electric mixer, until smooth and fluffy. Spread on cooked cupcakes. Will frost 18 cupcakes (approx. 1 1/2 cups).

(I topped each cupcake with a slice of Reeses peanut butter cup)

Since I was in a baking mood, I also made a couple of quick breads. I am planning to take these with us to church this Sunday to share with the members of our church. I found these recipes on-line (I can't for the life of me remember where) and I changed them up a bit. They smelled wonderful baking. I have a photo of them which is not much to look at. I find that most quick breads don't have a lot of eye appeal but they taste great and are very moist. I think these will fit that bill as well!


Strawberry Banana Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. tablespoon cinnamon
2 cups granulated sugar
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups frozen strawberries, thawed and diced
1 over-ripe banana, mashed well
1 1/2 cups chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease two loaf pans. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and sugar. Stir in 4 beaten eggs, oil, strawberries, banana, and nuts. Combine all ingredients until well moistened. Pour into prepared loaf pans. Bake for 65 minutes. Cool before removing from pans.

Carrot Cake Bread

3 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 carrots
1 (15 ounce) can crushed pineapple
1 1/2 cups canola oil
2 cups sugar
6 eggs
1 cups raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour two 9x5 inch loaf pans. Sift together baking soda, salt, spices, and flour. In a large bowl, combine ground carrots, pineapple, oil, and sugar. Mix in eggs. Blend flour mixture into carrot mixture. Mix well. Fold nuts and raisins into batter. Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into bread comes out clean.

NOTE: I cut both recipes in half for today but normally I'd go ahead and make the two loaves.

Guest Blogger #3 - Plugged In Homeschool

I'm happy to welcome Barbara from Plugged In Homeschool as my third Guest Blogger for this week. She's got a great blog about homeschooling so if you homeschool or if you are considering it, take a look! She has some awesome resources.

I hope you all have been enjoying the posts from my guests! Barbara is my last guest this week and I will have a new guest each Monday from now on. I am always happy to hear from anyone interested in being one of my guests, so if you are interested, just drop me a line at chefmichele@gmail.com. I'll be back tomorrow with a recipe I think you'll really love and I have batteries for the camera now so I'll have pics too :)


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Yes, We Can Can Chili
from Barbara at Plugged In Homeschool

Hi everyone! I'm guest blogging for Michele today. We both homeschool and write, so I guess we have quite a bit in common. I write a blog at http://www.pluggedinhomeschool.com. My goal at PIH is to help homeschoolers learn about tech topics, good websites, software, and the like. Like most homeschoolers, we live on a tight budget, and have learned some techniques for cheap cooking.

Personally, I like recipes that are cheap, easy, nutritious, taste good, don't require advance planning, and are liked by everyone. That's a tall order for a recipe, isn't it! One that fits the bill is what I call "Yes, We Can Can Chili". I always think of the old Pointer Sisters' song "Yes, We Can Can" when I make this because I basically just open cans!

Well, there's a little more to it than that. As far as advance prep goes, it's always nice if you have cooked ground beef and chopped green peppers ready to go in the freezer. Actually, I usually use ground turkey, costs less, less fat, and we all like the taste! Anyway, a nice make-ahead tip is to brown 4 or 5 pounds of meat all at once when your cooking, and store the extra in the freezer. (Four pounds is about all my skillet can handle.) If you garden, or get a chance to get some green peppers cheap when they're in season, be sure to chop them up and store them in a freezer bag in the freezer. You can take out as much as you need anytime.

If you don't have cooked meat on hand in the freezer, this recipe can be made with TVP, too. For anyone unfamiliar with TVP, it's a soy meat substitute that we buy in bulk from the health food store. It's dry, so you can keep it indefinitely. Just soak in an equal part of water and it reconstitutes, and can be used like ground meat crumbles. It's quite inexpensive, but not as tasty as real meat (IMHO.)

To make "Yes, We Can Can Chili," simply combine the following ingredients in a large pot. (Adjust the portions to fit the size of your family. We have 4 kids, ages 12 and up, so I tend to think in large portions.)

Equivalent of 1½ to 1 pound of ground beef, cooked

2- 15 oz. cans of chili beans

1 quart home canned tomatoes or the equivalent. This can be whatever you have on hand. I've used canned diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste with water, odds and ends of salsa that is getting old, etc. I suppose a can of spaghetti sauce could even be used (for an "international" dish).

½ cup chopped green peppers

1 can whole kernel corn (which results in another nickname for this dish, "Chili con Corny".

Seasonings to taste, including onion and garlic powder, chili powder (quite a bit, depending on the beans), cumin (nice taco-flavored touch), celery powder, salt and pepper.

Add water if it's too thick to heat up without scorching. Heat it up and eat it up!

You may notice I don't make a big deal about chopping up an onion for this. I must admit, I am not a big onion fan, but I like the flavor of dried onion, just not too much. Garlic, now there's another story! As for onions, I recently discovered that I like pot roast and beef stew much more if I don't put in any onion at all! (Many of you are probably aghast at that suggestion!)

Anyway, come on over and visit me at Plugged In Homeschool some time. I've been trying to feature a weekend tech how-to article every Saturday. Don't worry, if I write it, it'll be simple!

God bless you all!

Barbara

Guest Blogger #2 - Sweetnick's

My second guest blogger for this week is Sweetnicks. If you have never visited her site, take a look it is great! Lots of wonderful recipes and the largest list of food blogs I have found anywhere. I know you will all enjoy these recipes, they sound wonderful!

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When I found out that Michele was looking for guest posters for her website, I jumped at the chance. I asked what the guidelines for my post should be and Michele said, "as long as it's frugal or food-related" that would be great. I knew immediately what I would do.

When I moved out of my parents' house and into my first apartment, I dove into Woman's Day and Family Circle magazines, feverishly clipping out their recipes. I loved using them as a source because they always list how much it costs to make the recipe, and given it was my first time living on my own, although I didn't always follow a budget, I did try and keep an eye on costs ... most of the time. ;) Now 10, 15 years later, although I still subscribe to those magazines, I've moved on to include others as well, like Cooking Light, Bon Appetit, Gourmet and more. But going back to my Woman's Day/Family Circle eat-on-a-shoestring days, I often challenge myself to "cook out of my pantry," choosing to use what I have here already, instead of arming myself with a list and running to the store to buy more ingredients.

So to combine both topics of "food" and "frugal," tonight's dinner is using up stuff I had at home already. Theoretically, you could say it didn't cost me one cent to make dinner, since I already had everything on hand; but if you add up what I spent when I originally bought the ingredients, it's about $8, and that will cover dinner for the 3 of us tonight, and leftovers for tomorrow. Not too shabby! Not sure where we could go for dinner for $4/night, but I doubt it would be as good as this meal. :)

Somehow I ended up with an abundance of lemons ... I think from our New Years' Eve feast this past weekend, so I knew I wanted a recipe to use those up. Turning to a tried-and-true, we'll be having Giada DeLaurentiis' Lemon Spaghetti. Got lemons? Make spaghetti. I know ... not the usual solution, but it's a great, quick to table, weeknight meal, and Nicholas gobbles it up. Starting dinner off first though will be Spinach Salad with Dried Cranberries and Cheese. This is one of those great, throw-together salads that will work any number of ways. Usually I'd buy gorgonzola to crumble on top of it, but we're cooking from what I have on hand today, so it'll be cubed, marbled Jack/Colby cheese - yummy stuff. The dressing is a mixture I make with maple syrup (warmed to thin it a bit), olive oil, salt, pepper and a few splashes of balsamic vinegar. This is another dish that Nicholas dives into --- just don't tell him he's eating spinach! He thinks he doesn't like it. And lastly, I had some extra heavy cream and eggs leftover from Christmas, so I'm making one of The Husband's favorite desserts, my Creme Brulee. The simplest recipe ever ... Creme Brulee doesn't have to be reserved for just when you order it from a restaurant, and with my recipe? No torch required.

So next time you're trying to figure out what to make for dinner, throw open your cupboards, refrigerator, freezer and pantry and start rummaging around. You'd be surprised what you can come up with using items you already have on hand. In fact, last night, I made Eggnog Rum Raisin Muffins, using ingredients I already had. And for anyone who happens to visit my site regularly, you'll know that today is The Husband Cooks Wednesday, so while I may have planned the menu, you know who's doing the cooking...!

Giada DeLaurentiis' Lemon Spaghetti

1 pound spaghetti
2/3 cup olive oil
2/3 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the oil, Parmesan, and lemon juice in a large bowl to blend. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Toss the pasta with the lemon sauce, and the reserved cooking liquid, adding 1/4 cup at a time as needed to moisten. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon zest and chopped basil.

Creme Brulee

7 egg yolks
7 tablespooons sugar
3-1/2 cups heavy cream
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla
extra sugar for sprinkling the tops

Heat cream and vanilla until very hot. Beat eggs with sugar until light and creamy. SLOWLY add hot cream to egg mixture and stir well. Evenly divide mixture into ramekins. Place cups in a 13x9 baking pan filled halfway up with water. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and cool, then refrigerate. If you make them ahead, pull them out of the refrigerator about a half-hour before serving, and then immediately before serving, sprinkle about 1/2 teaspoon of sugar on top of each cup and broil until golden brown and crunchy. Makes about 8-10 ramekins, depending on the size of yours.

ARF Tuesdays #1

I was so excited when Sweetnicks announced that she was hosting ARF (Antioxidant Rich Food) Tuesdays! When I first announced that I was going to participate in this event and looked at the list of foods involved, I realized that we already eat most of these on a regular basis and some on a daily basis.

One ARF I eat every day is blueberries. Usually I buy organic frozen blueberries and eat them in oatmeal or smoothies for breakfast. Then I discovered blueberry juice and that has been added to my regimen as well. Since I started eating blueberries on a regular basis over the summer I have not been sick once! The power natural foods is amazing!

The recipe I am going to share today, I originally found on Always in the Kitchen. I modified it a bit to suit my family's tastes and we absolutely loved it. This one will be on our table on a regular basis for sure!

Red Beans and Rice Jamaican Style
(modified from Always in the Kitchen)

1 teaspoon canola oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cooked kidney beans (drained and rinsed, if canned)
160 ml coconut milk plus water to make 1 cup liquid
1/2 link of smoked turkey sausage (kielbasa style), cut into small pieces
1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning (you can get this on-line at Cajun Supermarket)
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup uncooked long grain rice
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
sliced green onions to garnish

In a Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid, cook the diced onion, garlic in the canola oil until it starts to turn translucent. Add the beans, coconut milk, turkey sausage, bell pepper and spices, and bring to a boil. Let cook, stirring, for about a minute, and then add the rice and 1 & 3/4 cups boiling water. Bring the mixture back up to a boil, stirring, then immediately cover. Turn down the heat to a bare simmer and do not open the lid for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with green onions and serve.

Guest Blogger #1 - Tummy Rumble

To kick off my new weekly Blogging Event I am pleased to introduce you to three guest bloggers this week. Our first is Manne from Tummy Rumble. Manne lives in the UK and have a great blog so hop on over and take a peek! The recipe he is sharing today is so awesome, I can't wait to try it!
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My Great Auntie Olga's Caramel Toffee
From Manne at Tummy Rumble


In my family, Christmas nowadays is kept small. Since the divorce between my mum and dad we don't get together in the "big family way" we used to. We've also basically stopped the whole gift thing and decided to focus on food and drink and having a good time talking and reminiscing instead.

Going home to Sweden for Christmas this year I thought a bit about the lack of traditions, Christmas rituals, in my family. We don't really do much these days, I thought, other than meet, hang out, eat and talk. When I was a kid it was different, we used to do all those things I have come to associate with Swedish Christmas, which as you may know is celebrated on Christmas eve and not Christmas day.

Me and my brother of course used to wake up early and rush down to the lounge room where the really big Christmas tree somehow as if by magic had opened its' lower branches to reveal a mountain of gifts. All wrapped in colorful paper, with little cards with rhymes on them. To keep us busy mum and dad always bought a bunch of books and magazines, that they put underneath the Christmas goat, standing next to the tree. The deal was that we could take anything that was underneath the goat, but we couldn't touch any of the gifts under the tree.

Those magazines usually kept us busy until TV started and mum started fiddling about in the kitchen getting everything ready or we all got in the car to go over to my cousins, depending on which year it was. Then late lunch, a real feast, after that Donald Duck on telly and finally we would hand out the gifts (which by now of course had been thoroughly examined, squeezed, shaken and marveled over by all the kids).

Since we don't do gifts anymore, and me and my brother no longer need to be kept busy with magazines until we can sit down at the dinner table, focus these days is on food. So when Christmas comes around mother starts pulling out all those old recipes, that she has inherited from her mother, who got some from her mother, others from her aunt and so on. While sitting there on the train, headed for my home town, I started thinking about all that food and candy. Mum's home made onion pickled herring, her marvelous and juicy spare ribs, the Christmas ham in its' golden cover of breadcrumbs and mustard, the brown and green cabbage, the caramel toffee that we always have for Christmas and only then... There it struck me. We have lots of traditions still, all in the form of recipes. And they date back generations, handed over on small hand scribbled notes or just by mouth and memory.

Never given it much thought, I suddenly felt a bit silly that even though I am quite the foodie not even once ever asked my mum how she did all that food, or where she got the recipes from. So this year I decided to start the pleasant work of making sure those traditions live on. Starting with that typical Christmas candy, a caramel toffee concoction, I am going to try to learn how to make all those typical family things we always have had on our Christmas table.

As I asked my mum about the recipe for that candy, she told me that this particular treat is known in our family as "Aunt Olga's caramel toffee". Apparently my grandmother's father's sister Olga is credited with the origin of this recipe.

There aren't very many ingredients, making it look deceivingly simple to make. Don't let that fool you however, getting toffee right seems to be an art form... My mother warned me, saying that it is almost impossible to get two different batches look and feel the same. Either they get hard and crunchy, or they get soft and chewy. Taste is generally about the same though, a rich, creamy taste that I associate very much with Christmas.

Having learned the hard way that my mum usually is right, I realized when reading the brief instructions that this may be the hardest thing I ever set out to cook. Sure, that twice cooked pork fried in Chinese master stock was a long and complicated process involving lots of ingredients, but this... I am not sure, it seems to require a lot of fingerspitzgefühl. But I am probably going to have fun trying to get this right everyChristmass.


Ingredients

4 dl double cream
200 gr sugar
200 gr syrup
a small piece of butter (tip of a knife)



Instructions

Mix the ingredients together in a sauce pan and bring to a gentle boil. As soon as it starts boiling, lower the heat just enough to keep it simmering.



Let the mixture simmer until it goes thick (can take well over an hour), then do the "water test": take some of the mixture on a spoon and drip it in a glass of water. It should solidify as it hits the water and turn into a solid, spongy drop of caramel.


Butter a baking plate and pour the mixture on top, it should be a layer about three to five mm thick. Let cool for a while and then using a sharp knife cut it into bite sized pieces. Then let it cool entirely. Once cool and stiff, break pieces apart and wrap in grease proof paper.



Here's a tip. Once poured on the plate, leave it to settle for a while and then make lines with a knife, criss crossing the toffee in bite sized pieces. Then put the whole plate in the freezer for a few minutes, it makes it so much easier to break apart the pieces.


Wrapping all the pieces in individual papers was quite boring work, but it felt good doing it, knowing that I am actually doing something that has been done in my family for generations. And you know what? They even taste the same as grandmother's.


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Note from Michele: I attempted to convert the measurements and ingredients in Manne's recipe for us US folks and I believe they should read as follows:

1 3/4 c. double cream (or heavy cream if you can't find double cream)
1 c. sugar
1 c. Golden Syrup (or use corn syrup if you can't find Golden Syrup)

Happy New Year!

Happy 2006 everyone! It's so exciting to be ringing in a new year... all the plans and fun that lay ahead! I feel that for our family this is going to be an exciting year. I hope you are enjoying a nice relaxing day with your families.

Last night the cooking bug bit me. I have been in the mood to bake bread lately but haven't had much time to myself. I found this awesome recipe for Sesame Twists on Words To Eat By that seemed very simple and I knew the kids would enjoy helping since it looked really quick to make as well. I changed the recipe a bit to go with the spaghetti and meatballs we had and it turned out great! Instead of making these into a twist shape, I coiled them and baked them in the awesome new Pampered Chef muffin pan my sweet sister got me for Christmas (... thanks Pam :) ...) The texture of these rolls was somwhere between a biscuit and a yeast roll. Here is my version of this wonderful recipe.

Garlic and Herb Sesame Rolls

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
½ tsp. baking soda
¾ stick (6 Tbsp.) butter, melted and cooled
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1 cup Cheese Style Greek Yogurt (I got this product from Trader Joe's but you can certainly use sour cream as in the original recipe or homemade yogurt cheese)
4 - 5 Tbsp. milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds, toasted

Preheat oven to 450°F. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk together butter, egg white, and yogurt cheese or sour cream in another bowl, then add to flour mixture and stir with a fork until a dough just begins to form. Add milk a little at a time if dough seems too dry, if not then omit the milk. )My dough was a bit dry).

Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead gently 6 times. Pat out dough with floured hands, re-flouring surface if necessary, and form into a 12-inch-long log. Cut dough into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into an rope using well-floured hands, then coil each rope and pinch the end onto the coil so it won't come apart.

Put each coil into one section of a muffin pan. Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet, stirring, until they begin to pop. Remove from heat and set aside. Brush tops of each roll with egg and sprinkle generously with sesame seeds. Bake until golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to metal racks and cool completely.

Risotto

After spending a little time studying Jamie Oliver's recipe for Risotto, I felt like it was finally time to take the plunge. After all, after my big shopping spree at Trader Joe's, I figured I had better make use of the goodies I bought. Here is my first attempt. I was pretty happy with the texture of the finished dish, but the taste was missing something to me. Next time I will try adding in some different ingredients to see if I can suite it more to my tastes. My girls loved it for lunch and I have a feeling that my hubby will love it for dinner the next time I make it. If you've never made Risotto before I'd highly suggest you give it a try. The ingredients are not nearly as expensive as I had anticipated and the finished product is well worth the effort.

Announcing: Weekly Guest Bloggers Event

I thought it would be nice to create a blogging event since I have been seeing so many of them come up recently on many food blogs. I'm really excited about The Virtual Recipe Club and ARF Tuesdays which I will be participating in for 2006. After thinking over a few ideas of what readers would enjoy and what would be fun for my fellow bloggers, I decided to have a fellow blogger as a guest each week to write a post and give you all a fresh take on frugal cooking and meal planning. The event will of course be called "Weekly Guest Bloggers". Original huh? :)

To kick off this event I will be hosting three different bloggers the first week of January. After that I hope to feature a different blogger each Monday. If you have a blog of your own and would like to participate in this event, please email me at chefmichele@gmail.com and I will send you more information.

Today Safeway brought our grocery delivery so I am trying to clear out the freezer so things stop falling out when I open the door. Abundance is good but it can also be dangerous when you have a refrigerator with the freezer portion on top!

Tonight I decided to defrost some boneless, skinless chicken pieces and make Chicken Sofrito. This amazingly simple recipe is so flavorful you'd think it took all day. If you want to cheat, you can order the Sofrito on-line instead of making your own. But if you feel up to a few minutes more work, use Daisy's recipe for Sofrito, it's the best! Whatever you don't use can be saved by freezing it in ice cube trays and then saving the cubes in a ziploc bag in your freezer. I served this with rice, greens and beans but a nice salad would have gone with it as well. I'll have to keep that in mind for next time.

Chicken Sofrito

1 1/2 lb. boneless, skinless chicken pieces
3/4 c. sofrito
Adobo seasoning

Heat sofrito in a skillet or shallow dutch oven. Season chicken pieces with Adobo and add to the pan. Cover and allow to cook about 15 minutes. Turn chicken pieces over and cover again and let cook 15 minutes longer.

Egg Nog Bread

My girls got a "Real Meal" (Easy Bake) oven for Christmas and made their first cake today. Isn't it cute :)

It's been a busy, non-cooking day around our house today so thought I'd share an old favorite recipe with you.

Egg Nog Bread

3 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 egg, beaten
1 3/4 c. egg nog
1/4 c. sour cream or vanilla yogurt
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. chopped pecans
1/2 c. raisins

Glaze
1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 - 3 tbsp. egg nog

Mix dry ingredients with a whisk until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine egg nog, eggs and oil. Stir flour mixture, 1/3 at a time, into liquid mixture. Stir in nuts and raisins. Pour batter into two greased and floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in pans about 10 minutes. Remove from pans and poke many holes in the top of each loaf with toothpick then drizzle with glaze.

Weekly Menus To Start Off 2006

Tonight is Soul Food night, I made Pinto Beans, Collard Greens and Corn Bread. Comfort food at it's best! I finally have pictures for these recipes so take a look at my recipes and you will see the finished product there.

I just made up menus for the next two weeks. As usual, we'll be ordering from Safeway.com. They had lots of great deals this time so if you have delivery in your are take a look at their site. I guarantee once you shop on-line you won't want to go to the grocery store again (unless it's a leisurely shopping trip for fun of course) :)

Today I also made two loaves of Pineapple-Banana Bread. It is delicious! I used my Easy Banana Bread recipe, with Pineapple cake mix as the base. My banana-hating kids loved it!

Here's what I am planning to prepare for dinner for the next two weeks.

January 1 - BBQ Beef (using my Pulled Pork recipe, but substituting beef for pork) and cole slaw on buns, corn on the cob, potato salad, ranch beans
January 2 - Leftovers
January 3 - Jamaican Red Beans & Rice (From Always In The Kitchen)
January 4 - Leftovers
January 5 - Cuban Chicken, Rice, Beans
January 6- Chicken, Broccoli and Noodle Casserole (from Culinary In The Desert)
January 7 - Leftovers
January 8 - Spaghetti with Ground Turkey Meatballs
January 9 - Turkey Roast, Stuffing, Gravy, Frozen Peas and Corn with Fresh Carrots
January 10 - Leftovers
January 11 - Great Northern beans, greens, Rice, Corn Bread
January 12 - Leftovers
January 13 - Chili, Biscuits
January 14 - Leftovers

Preparing For The New Year

I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday with your families. We had a great time filled with lots of food and fun. My camera ran out of batteries and I just replaced them today so expect more photos in the days to come. I also have a new newsletter that will be coming out on a bi-weekly basis starting the first week of January so be sure to sign up! The form is to your left.

I have a few more fun things in store starting January such as guest bloggers that will be sharing some great info with you. Also, in an effort to get the New Year off to a healthy start I will be participating in Sweetnik's Antioxidant Rich Foods (ARFs) Tuesdays. This is an event in which food bloggers will share recipes on Tuesdays containing one of the top 20 Antioxidant Rich Foods. The list consists of:

Small red beans (dried)
Wild blueberries
Red kidney beans
Pinto beans
Blueberries
Cranberries
Artichokes (cooked)
Blackberries
Prunes
Raspberries
Strawberries
Red Delicious Apples
Granny Smith Apples
Pecans
Sweet cherries
Black plums
Russet potatoes (cooked)
Black beans (dried)
Plums
Gala Apples

Now, back to the holiday chat... :) On Christmas Eve I prepared (as my children call it) a "Mexican Feast". This meal consisted of Narissa's Mexican Egg Rolls, Burritos (beef and potato), Calabacitas and Refried Beans. I made enough to last for two days so it was nice to sit back on Christmas Day and just enjoy my family without having to cook. I also made a double batch of the Sweet Potato Muffins from last week to put in the freezer because my girls can't seem to get enough of them. I have a couple more recipes that I hope to squeeze in this weekend such as gingerbread cookies and shortbread. I also want to make a risotto. Let's see if I can get them all done before Monday!

Merry Christmas!

I'll be taking a couple days off blogging to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior with my family so I just wanted to take this moment to wish you all a blessed and joyous holiday. My girls and I make a special cake every year so I thought I'd share a picture with you. Merry Christmas everyone!

A New Look!

If you visit me here regularly I'm sure you've noticed that I have been tinkering around with the look of the blog quite a bit lately. I really wanted to have a format that is easier on the eyes and have been tossing around a few ideas. I think I am finally finished so please comment and let me know what you think of the "new and improved" look! A HUGE thanks to Jen over at The Domestik Goddess for helping me with my remodeling. I am not the most savvy person when it comes to web design and her knowledge has been invaluable to me.

Tonight I have a big pile of Christmas gifts and several rolls of wrapping paper to tackle. Plus I have a cake to bake and many vegetables to cut up for the "Mexican Feast" I am preparing for tomorrow (hoping to have leftovers for Christmas Day as well so we can relax and not have to cook. So, tonight it will be a simple meal. I think just about every family I know makes some version of this recipe. It happens to be one of my husband's favorites.

Chili Mac

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
dash cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1 c. small elbow macaroni, cooked and drained
1 small can tomato sauce
shredded cheese (any will work well, I prefer to use sharp cheddar)

Cook ground beef, with onion and bell pepper in a large skillet. Drain off grease. Stir in spices, tomato sauce and macaroni. Top with cheese and cover to allow cheese to melt.

NOTE: Since I freeze diced bell peppers of different colors, I use a little of each color for added flavor and eye appeal. This is very good served with nice crusty bread and topped with sour cream and diced scallions.

Yogurt Cheese and Hummus

Yogurt Cheese is a lot like cream cheese but it's softer and tangier. It's very versatile and much healthier than cream cheese. It's easy to make but you need to start at least two days before you want to use it because it needs some time in the refrigerator to turn out just right. Once you make it you can flavor it any way you'd like. I made two varieties today. One was flavored with honey and cinnamon. I plan to use this as a spread for sweet crackers. The second half I flavored with garlic, dill, salt and pepper. I think it will taste great on whole grain crackers or as a sandwich spread. You can also try making this with flavored yogurt which will give you a "ready made" spread once it is ready to eat. Or if you use Yogurt Cheese made with plain yogurt in the same manner you would use sour cream or cream cheese such as adding a dip mix or using in a recipe.

Yogurt Cheese

1 (32 oz.) container of plain yogurt
plain white paper towels
strainer or colander

Line a strainer or colander with 3 thicknesses of cheese cloth or white paper towels. Set the strainer or colander over a large bowl then pour yogurt into the cheesecloth or paper towels. Cover with an additional two sheets of paper towel or cheesecloth. Set in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours so all the whey will drain from the yogurt. At this point I change the paper towels or cheese cloth and allow it to drain for another 12 to 24 hours. The longer you let it drain the thicker it will be. Once it has drained sufficiently transfer it to a bowl and mix in any desired flavorings or herbs and spices.

I am totally addicted to hummus! I think it must be the garlic... my absolute favorite. My kids love it too but it makes me cringe to buy the little tubs at the grocery store for $3 or more that last about 5 minutes in our house when snack time comes around. I had been searching for a recipe for a while and after comparing several I came up with this one. It turned out great and goes great with pita chips or raw vegetables. The hardest ingredient for me to find was the tahini (sesame seed paste) but I finally came across it at Trader Joe's. I recently found out that you can also buy it on-line. My next endeavor will be to try making the pita bread!

Hummus

2 (15 oz.) cans garbanzo beans, drained (save liquid)
3 Tbsp. tahini
1 Tb. extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic
1/4 c. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. paprkia
salt to taste

Put garbanzo beans into the bowl of a food processor. Add tahini, lemon juice, cumin and paprika. Set on low speed and process until smooth, adding a little reserved liquid as needed until you reach the consistency of mashed potatoes. Taste for salt and add more if needed then process until well combines. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavor to develop. Serve drizzled with a little olive oil and a sprinkle of paprika.

Sweet Potato Muffins

I made these Sweet Potato Muffins last night so they would be ready for breakfast this morning. I used the mashed sweet potatoes from a couple of days ago that I had stored in the freezer. They were very tasty! Moist and flavorful and not too sweet. If you like a sweet muffin, try adding a little brown sugar mixed with butter to the top before you bake them. I served them with butter and honey but I think next time I will make the sweet topping and add a bit more sugar to the batter.

Sweet Potato Muffins

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 c. mashed sweet potato or yam
1/3 c. sugar
1 c. milk
1/3 c. canola oil
1 1/2 Tbsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 Tbsps ground flax seed
2 Tbsp. molasses
1/2 c. raisins

Spray a 12-cup nonstick muffin pan with cooking spray or line the cups with paper liners. Preheat oven to 400F. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Beat eggs sweet potatoes. Add milk, sugar, oil, flax seed, molasses, and spices; process or beat until smooth. Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients. Mix just enough to blend. Stir in raisins. Divide the batter between muffin cups. As soon as muffins are in the oven, reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake for 25 minutes or until they are lightly browned on top and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Pizza!

Another busy day preparing for Christmas... hectic but fun! Today the girls and I brought out the Trader Joe's pizza fixings and made pizza for lunch. It was delicious! I had wanted to add some roasted red bell peppers but the girls were not happy with that suggestion. I loved the premade Garlic and Herb pizza crust, it was very flavorful but not overhwleming with garlic. We had some toppings left over so I put those items in the freezer and will be making pizza crust soon so we can make another.

For dinner tonight we had Posole. I had planned on making Sweet Potato Muffins but ran out of time. I should have those baked and a recipe posted tomorrow.

Bounty from TJ's

Today was a very busy one, with Christmas right around the corner we were out and about running errands all day. We did a little splurging for the holiday and one stop on our trip was Trader Joe's. TJ's is one of my favorite stores because of the variety they offer as well as the very reasonable prices. I rarely go there because it's quite a drive from where we live. Here's a list of the goodies I bought today.

Whole Wheat Pita Bread - it was only 99 cents! At our local market it averages $2.75 and the quality is no where near as good as TJ's.

Garlic and Cheddar Cheese Sourdough Bread - I love a good sourdough bread and this one smelled too good to pass up.

Pizza Fixings - ready made garlic and herb pizza dough, pizza sauce, mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. My 5 year old and 3 year old can't wait to help me make this tomorrow. I couldn't believe that the pizza crust was only $1.09!

Parmigiano -Reggiano Cheese and Organic Chicken Broth - I have been wanting to try to make risotto for a long time now but was hesitant about spending $9 for the Parmigiano-Reggiano at the stores near me, they only offer one size and one price. TJ's had pieces cut in various sizes in various price ranges. I found a nice sized piece for $3.89. Not bad at all! Stay tuned for my first adventure in risotto making. If you have a good recipe to share please post it in the comments.

Tahini - I have been wanting to make hummus from scratch for some time now but there is no tahini to be found anywhere near me. I had a feeling TJ's would have it and they did. Tahini is essentially a sesame seed puree.

Raisins - TJ's has the best raisins, they are so plump, never dry.

Mango Sauce - found this item near the apple sauce. I am thinking a nice tea bread or muffins for this but I'm sure my one year old will eat it as is with no complaints.

Whole Grain Bread - one of my favorites for toast and sandwiches.

Mediterranean Style Yogurt - a nice thick yogurt that doubles for sour cream in any recipe.

21 Seasoning Salute - a salt free seasoning blend with 21 ingredients. Sounds very useful for many dishes and I can't wait to try it.

I should have many new recipes to share in the days to come with all these goodies!

Smoothies 101

My favorite treat for breakfast is a smoothie. I have found a basic formula that always produces a perfect smoothie.



The Perfect Smoothie

1/2 c. crushed ice
1 banana (preferably frozen)
1 c. fresh fruit of your choice (strawberries, blueberries, mangoes, apples, etc.)
1/2 c. yogurt (flavor of your choice)
1/2 c. milk
2 Tbsp. honey
Flavoring of your choice - (any combination... example - 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 1/4 tsp cinnamon, etc.)

Add ingredients into a blender in order. Blend until smooth and creamy. Serve at once.

NOTE: To increase the the nutritional value you can also add 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed or 2 Tbsp. Old Fashoned Oats or 1 Tbsp. oat bran or wheat germ.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Life would not be complete without ranch dressing... at least not in our house! It's not just for salads. It is a must for pizza, the kids chicken nuggets or just for a dip for chips. I usually buy the bottled variety but homemade is so much better. This recipe is adapted from a Penzey's recipe I found in one of their catalogs.

Homemade Ranch Dressing

1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. thyme
1/4 tsp. minced garlic
1/4 tsp. paprika
2 Tbsp. water
2/3 c. buttermilk
1/3 c. mayonaise
1 Tbsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt

Put water in a small bowl and add spices and herbs. Whisk and allow to set for 5 minutes. Pour buttermilk and mayonnaise into a bowl and whisk well. Add water/herb/spice mixture, vinegar, mustard, sugar and salt. Whisk well until smooth. Pout into a jar and shake well. Store in refrigerator for one week.

Chimichangas

Today was a busy kitchen day. I started out by baking some yams that I had bought on a whim. I'm not sure exactly what I want to make with them so before they could spoil, I rubbed them with a little oil, wrapped them in foil and baked them at 350 degrees for about an hour and 15 minutes. I then peeled them and mashed them and put the mash into ziploc bags and into the freezer for future use.

After that I took out a sack of oranges that we had bought but just never ate ... they looked a bit sickly but still usable...don't you hate when things get pushed to the back of the fridge? :) To salvage those I juiced them and poured the juice into a freezer bag for the future.

By this time, after going back and forth from the kitchen to rearranging my daughters' room and doing laundry I realized that I had no idea what I was going to do for dinner. I looked in the refrigerator and realized we had Ropa Vieja, leftover black beans, leftover pinto beans and all the fixings for salsa (same as my pico de gallo recipe but I puree it in the blender). I decided to make chimichangas, refried beans with the leftover beans and lettuce, cheese, sour cream and salsa on the side.

I don't really have a recipe, per say, for chimichangas, so I will explain my usual method for making them.

First add about 2 inches of canola or vegetable oil to a deep skillet. Set the temperature to medium/medium-high and allow to heat until you see ripples. I used soft taco sized tortillas. Into the center of each one I spooned two heaping tablespoons of the meat along with some shredded cheese. I then rolled them up burrito style and held them tightly with tongs. Next comes the scary part... be VERY careful, the oil tends to splash! Put them (I do one at a time) into the oil and as soon as they seem to hold together well slowly release them from the tongs and let them cook a few seconds. Then turn them gently. Watch them carefully and monitor your heat, they will burn quickly. Once they reach a nice golden brown, remove them to a paper towel lined plate. I actually stand mine on end in a bread pan lined with paper towel, they seem to drain better this way. Serve immediately.

Here's how I make the refried beans.

Christmas cookies everywhere!

With the Christmas holiday just around the corner, I have been seeing the most amazing cookie recipes everywhere. I thought I'd share some of the best looking ones I have found on-line recently. I've also recently compiled a list of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes. After having baked 4 dozen Snickerdoodles and 5 dozen peanut butter cookies then receiving 5 dozen different kinds of cookies at our homeschool cookie exchange, I am honestly tired of cookies.

However, my sweet little girls were peeking over my shoulder as I was blog-hopping yesterday and saw Elise's Gingerbread cookies and requested we make some. How could I say no? So this week we will be baking some, and the girls can't wait.

Today I noticed Joe's beautifully decorated sugar cookies. We made similar cookies last year. These are always a hit with the kids and we may just make some after the holidays just for fun.

Another cookie that really caught my eye were these cute little Chocolate and Peppermint Coin Cookies. I know my 5 year old will love these because of her passion for chocolate and mint.... and the sprinkles won't hurt either in her opinion I'm sure. :)

Cookie Madness is a one-stop-shop for all your cookie needs this holiday. There's everything from Pecan Pie Chocolate Chunk Cookies to White Chocolate, Cranberry, Pecan, Ginger Bars.

If you're looking for something a little different to bake for the holiday season, I saw the most delectable looking Buttermilk Cupcakes today on From The Pantry. My mouth was watering just looking at them and I then realized they must be the reason I felt the urge to buy buttermilk the other day with no recipes in mind. Hoping to make those this week as well. Graham Cracker Toffee sounds good too.. two of my favorite flavors in one.

Whatever you choose to bake this holiday season, have fun and try something new!

Note To Subscribers

If you have been subscribed to my blog through bloglet, I just wanted to send an apology today. I just realized that for several days the updates have not been coming through due to a configuration problem on my bloglet account. It is all fixed now and you should be getting your updates on a regular basis. If you missed any posts, please take a look at the blog, there have been many new recipes added and photos as well.

Tuna Pasta

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Since the last couple of days have been leftover nights for us for dinner, I thought I'd add another lunch idea today. Tuna Pasta is not so much a recipe than it is a concept. I love pasta and love tuna so I use those two items along with other kitchen staples to create a nice satisfying sort of pasta salad of sorts. My three year old loves this dish and often requests "tuna pasta", hence the name :)



My usual ingredients include :

• about 1/3 of a lb. of uncooked pasta
• 1 small can of tuna, drained
• a handful of minced vegetables - cucumbers, scallions, carrots, bell peppers, pickles, olives... just whatever I have on hand.
• mayonnaise, ranch dressing, Italian dressing, oil and vinegar or any combination of these
• spices - salt, pepper, dill weed, basil, parsley, paprika or anything else that strikes my fancy.
• cheese - a sprinkle of Parmesan, a grating of cheddar, a few small strips of Swiss... whatever is on hand.

I cook the pasta al dente then drain. Mix in the tuna and vegetables then mix in enough mayonnaise and/or salad dressing to moisten it well. Season to taste. Stir in cheese. Sprinkle with more chopped veggies if desired. Serve with crackers. The prefect lunch! The above makes about 2 servings.

Chicken Salad

I love a good chicken salad sandwich. I found a couple of cooked chicken breasts in the freezer so thought I would make some for lunch.

Since the chicken I was using was originally prepared as Greek Chicken it was very flavorful and didn't need much in the way of spices. The following recipe includes the usual spices that I would use and will work well with any leftover chicken.

Chicken Salad

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes or shreded
1 stalk celery, minced
1/4 of an onion, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dill weed
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
squeeze of lemon juice
mayonnaise

Combine chicken, celery spices and mustard in a bowl and mix well. Add mayonnaise a spoon full at a time and mix well after each spoon full until you have a nice moist (but not wet) consistency.

Gravy 101

When I was growing up my grandmother always made homemade gravy. She'd use the drippings from a beef roast, some flour, some water and it always came out perfect. I love gravy, but I rarely cook beef roasts... but we love mashed potatoes and gravy with many of our meals... so what to do was the question. It took quite a bit of experimenting but I finally came up with this recipe that is extremely good and reminds me of my grandmother's gravy.

NOTE: The gravy is usually thicker than the picture reflects, I added a bit too much water today. (Note to self... don't try to make gravy with one year old wrapped around your leg.)

Brown Gravy

1 c. cold water
1 1/2 Tbsp. corn starch
1 tsp. Kitchen Boquet browning liquid
1 1/2 tsp. Penzey's beef soup base (or 2 Tbsp. beef bullion granules)
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Whisk 1/2 of the water and corn starch together. Add Kitchen Boquet, onion powder, salt and pepper and whisk well. Set aside. In a small sauce pan, add the rest of water and beef soup base or bullion granules. Heat to medium high, stirring with a whisk until dissolved. Slowly add corn starch mixture while continuing to whisk. Bring to a boil, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and stir well. Serve immediately.

Adobo Seasoning

I have been busy adding pics to the blog so check them out!

Soul Food
Peanut Butter Cookies
Thai Style Chicken, Vegetables and Noodles
Meatloaf
Blueberry Oatmeal

This isn't the best picture but I just wanted to give an idea of what this looks like when it's made.

I usually buy Goya brand Adobo seasoning, but I just felt like it was missing something so decided to make my own. After comparing a few recipes I created this mix which is a great all-purpose seasoning for any Latin American dishes, especially beef, chicken or fish. Think of it as Mexican Seasoned Salt.

Adobo Seasoning
(makes 1/2 c.)

3 Tbsp. salt
1 Tbsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin

Combine all and mix well. Store in an airtight shaker container. If you don't have one available, Penzey's has them for a reasonable price. That's where I buy mine.

Meatloaf

I grew up eating meatloaf almost every week. I love it so much, especially the next day on a sandwich with lots of mayo. Here's the recipe I created last night which my husband said was excellent. Be gentle on me these are my first photos posted to the blog with my new camera, hope you enjoy them! :)

Meatloaf

2 lb. ground beef
1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped
1 onion, minced
1 carrot, minced
1 stalk celery, minced
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. salt
1 egg
1/2 c. bread crumbs
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 c. ketchup (plus more for top)
1/2 c. cheese

In a bowl, conbine all ingredients except the cheese and mix well with your hands.


Press half the mixture into a loaf pan, top with cheese then press remaining meat mixture on top. Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Remove from oven and spread top with ketchup, then return to oven and bake 5 minutes more. Remove from loaf pan to a serving platter and allow to rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice with a sharp knife and serve.

Favorite Foods

I was tagged by fellow food blogger Kimbie of Chocolate-Chip Kimbie to name my 10 most favorite foods. This "You Are What You Eat" meme was started by Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen.

On another note, it's time for the 2005 Food Blog Awards, so go nominate your favorites!

OK, here are my favorite foods :)

1. Garlic - I love all things seasoned with garlic. There isn't much I wouldn't add garlic too. I love it sliced and just sauted in a little olive oil. Yum!

2. Salsa - On eggs, to dip with chips, on tacos, on beef or chicken... I adore the taste of a good salsa.

3. Chocolate - Chocolate bars, chocolate cream pie, chocolate ice cream, brownies... you get the idea :)

4. Cheese - I have been passionate about cheese ever since I was a child. I love just about any variety served in just about any way I can get it. Warm, gooey, melted cheese... ahhhh!

5. Blueberries - Blueberries always remind me of my mom, she has always loved blueberry pie and when I was a little girl she had blueberry tea which I always loved. Now I eat blueberries in my oatmeal, in smoothies and love to drink blueberry juice.

6. Pecans - Crunchy and sweet, pecans are so good in all sweets, especially chocolate chip cookies.

7. Pasta - I could eat pasta every day and never get tired of it. I especially love pasta salads. For hot pastas ravioli is my favorite. I really want to learn to make my own.

8. Bacon - I know how bad bacon is for my health but I just LOVE it anyway :) I have switched to turkey bacon in recent years but every once in a while I still sneak a piece of the real thing (shh! don't tell anyone - hee hee).

9. Strawberries - My favorite time of year is strawberry season. I usually just slice them, sprinkle with a little sugar, toss and drizzle with sweetened condensed milk or honey... oh my!

10. Oranges - I always stop by the roadside stands and buy big sacks of oranges from the people selling them out of the back of their trucks... they are so juicy and sweet. They never last long around our house.

Entertaining On a Budget

The thought of guests coming for dinner can strike fear in your heart when your cupboard is bare. What to serve is always the question and how to impress while still spending less. Fear not! There are many ways to wow your dinner guests and still keep the cost under control.

Keep It Casual - Plan simple fare. Opt for a simpler meal rather than a fancy multi course affair.

Check your stock - Take a look in your pantry and see what you have on hand before you plan your menu. Plan your meal around such staples as pastas, rice or beans.

Check the sale flyers - See what your local grocers have on sale, this is a great way to make the most of seasonal items. It is also the best way to cut down the cost of more expensive items such as meats and cheeses.

Go vegetarian - Serve your guests a meatless meal. Not only can vegetarian meals be less expensive, they are healthier and lighter too. The highest priced items for many recipes such as meats, cheese, sour cream and cream or butter are often the most unhealthy.

Ease up on the appetizers - Have your meal almost ready to serve when guests arrive and prepare only one simple appetizer.

Serve a simple dessert - Seasonal fresh fruit with a simple topping of homemade whipped cream is not only elegant, it is good for you and a welcome refreshment to a full stomach.

Be creative - If you need to decorate for your dinner party, visit a local dollar store. You can find everything from candles, beautiful decorative vases, and dishes. Keep things simple yet elegant.

Host a Pot Luck - If you really want to have guests for dinner but feel you can't afford to why not host a pot luck? People love to show off their cooking skills and pot lucks are great opportunities to do so. Ask your guests to provide copies of their recipe to share. It's a great way for everyone to find new recipes to try at home.

I think if you use these tips you will find that you can entertain more often that you imagined without breaking your pocketbook.

Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

My grandmother always made the best ham. She made it only on holidays such as Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter. I always loved the crackly sweet coating and now I make it the same way for my family. I always serve this with potato salad just like my grandmother did.

Brown Sugar Glazed Ham

1 ham (bone in, fully cooked is best)
brown sugar
1/2 c. orange juice
1 can ginger ale
whole cloves
pineapple rings

Pre heat oven to 325 degrees. Score ham in a criss cross pattern and place into roasting pan lined with foil. Cover entire ham with pineapple rings (try to put center of each ring around a diamond created from the scoring). Put cloves into the center of each diamond. Coat ham with brown sugar and press gently so it will stick to the ham. Combine ginger ale and orange juice and gently pour over ham. Add more brown sugar to ham and press gently to adhere. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes per pound. For best results baste every 15 minutes with a combination of equal parts of brown sugar, orange juice and ginger ale.

Crock Pot Mexican Chicken

Mexican Chicken is something I created one day when I had boneless, skinless chicken breasts and no idea what to make with them. This dish is really packed with flavor and it's very versatile too. If I have leftovers I use it for taco filling or serve over rice with a vegetable or salad as a side.

Mexican Chicken

1 pkg. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can diced green chilies
1 onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. pepper

Put all ingredients in crock pot and cook on high 4 hours or 6 hours on low. Shred chicken with a fork and mix well. Serve with tortillas, Spanish Rice and Refried Beans. Garnish with guacamole, sour cream and shredded lettuce.

Fusion Recipes and More Christmas Cookies

On a never ending search for fusion recipes, I stumbled across a recipe for Mexican Egg Rolls on Nerissa's blog, Deetsa's Diningroom. What a concept! I can't wait to try this recipe. All the things we love about Mexican and Chineese all rolled into one. Finding this recipe sent of on a journey to find more goodies to add to my list of recipes to try. Here are a few others out in cyber-land that caught my eye.

Chicken Fajita Pasta Toss
Bombay Burrito
Thai Breaded Chicken Fillets

I wanted to share with you yet another of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes. In my house, growing up, we made at least 5 kinds of cookies every Christmas season plus fudge every year. We often tried new recipes and many have become family favorites. Here is one that I always loved. These are so flaky and buttery, you can't eat just one!

Almond Crescents

1 cup softened butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 3/4 cups sifted flour
3/4 cup finely chopped almonds
1/4 teaspoon salt
confectioners' sugar

Cream butter; gradually beat in 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla, the flour, almonds, and salt. Blend well. Chill. Shape dough into crescents, using about 1/2 tablespoons for each cookie. Combine 1 cup confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Roll warm cookies in confectioners' sugar mixture. Makes about 5 to 6 dozen nut crescent cookies.

Smoked Sausage Jambalaya

A lot of Jambalaya recipes seem to call for seafood but being that my family does not care for it, I really enjoy this recipe. I love to prepare Jambalaya and corn bread in the cold weather. I always top it with diced scallions and a few dahses of hot sauce. So good!!

Smoked Sausage Jambalaya

1 lb. smoked sausage, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 lb ground beef
1 medium bell pepper, chopped
1/2 c. chopped scallions
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. uncooked long grain rice
1 1/2 c. water

Cook sausage in a Dutch oven until browned; remove from skillet and discard drippings. Combine ground beef, bell pepper, onion and garlic and cook until beef is browned. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and sausage. Cover. Simmer 20 minutes. Add rice and water to meat/vegetable mixture; cover and cook 25 minutes or until rice is tender. Makes 4 - 6 servings.

Cookies And A New Blog

Since I started this blog I have received much positive feedback as well as recipe requests. It seems that the most requested recipes are for those that can be made in the crock pot. So in an effort to inspire crock pot creativity, I started another blog called Crock Pot Adventures. Stay tuned for lots of great recipes for your slow cooker.

Now on to the cookies...

Caramel is a favorite in our house so when I saw this recipe I just had to try it. I found it in a Pillsbury cookbook at the local library. These are fun to make and not overly sweet with a nice caramel flavor. The filling tends to be soft so if you want to make them and package them for gifts keep that in mind when adding milk to the recipe... less is more in that case.

Caramel Creme Sandwich Cookies

Cookies:
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 egg yolk
2 c. flour

Filing:
2 Tbsp. butter (NOT margarine)
1 1/4 c. confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla
4 - 5 Tbsp. milk

In a large bowl beat brown sugar, sugar and 1 c. butter until light and fluffy. Add egg yolk and blend well. Stir in flour and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 15 minutes.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Flatten to 1 1/2 inch circles with a floured fork (one impression only). Bake 10 - 14 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Remove from sheets immediately. Cool completely.

To make the icing, heat 2 Tbsp. butter in a sauce pan over medium heat until light golden brown. Remove from heat. Stir in rest of ingredients , add enough milk to make spreadable. Blend until smooth. Spread 1 tsp. filling on one cooled cookie and top with a second cooled cookie.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

The smell of freshly baked cinnamon rolls is enough to get anyone's mouth watering. I am a huge fan of Cinnabon and wanted to make my own cinnamon rolls at home. This recipe adapted from an old edition of the Watkins Cookbook and I felt it as good a place as any to start with my quest to find the perfect cinnamon roll recipe. I was happy with is the first time I tried it and have never tried another recipe. I will warn you these take 4 hours from start to finish with the time it takes for the dough to rise, but they are well worth the wait. If you are like me and enjoy the Cinnabon cream cheese based icing, you will love my take on the glaze.

Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

Rolls:
1 c. milk
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 stick butter
1 pkg. yeast
2 -3 c. flour
1/2 c. raisins (optional)
cinnamon
brown sugar

Heat milk in a sauce pan until tiny bubbles form around the edge. Pour immediately in a bowl. Stir in salt, sugar and butter. Stir in yeast. Stir in 1/2 of the flour. Beat in rest of flour with a wooden spoon or with your hands. Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Knead just until smooth. Put into greased bowl. Turn dough until it is greased on all sides. Cover. Put in a warm place and let rise 1 - 2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Remove dough from bowl and punch down. Roll out to 1/4 inch thick with a rolling pin into an approximately 8 x 12 in. rectangle. Brush with melted butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon, brown sugar and raisins. Roll up like a jelly roll starting with one of the longest sides of the rectangle. Cut into one inch slices with a sharp knife. Put rolls into a greased 9 x 13 inch pan. Brush with butter and let rise one hour or until doubled in bulk (or you can refrigerate them at this point and take out to rise in the morning but it will take longer to rise if you do decide to refrigerate them). Bake at 400 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes. Ice them and serve as soon as they are done.

Icing
3/4 c. confectioners sugar
3 oz. pkg. cream cheese
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. milk

With an electric mixed, blend sugar, cream cheese and butter until crumbly. Add vanilla and milk. Blend until creamy. Icing will be thin, similar to a glaze, if you'd like it thicker just don't add the milk.

Gingerbread Cake

Gingerbread cake always reminds me of the holidays. I love it with a cup of cocoa. This recipe is easy, inexpensive and delicious. Serve it warm with whipped cream of lemon curd... you won't be disappointed!

Gingerbread Cake

1/3 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. water
1/3 c. molasses
1/3 c. sugar
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine oil, water, molasses, sugar and egg whites. Stir until well mixed. Mix flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and spices in a small bowl. Add to liquid mixture along with vanilla. Mix well until smooth. Pour into a greased 8-inch square pan or 9-inch round pan. Bake 30 minutes or until surface gently springs back when touched.

A Blessed Day!

I have seen God's blessings in our lives countless times and yesterday was no different. As has become our custom, we had ordered groceries from safeway.com. When our delivery man came, my kids were running around yelling and I was hauling things in as fast as I could to keep the bees out of the house (we always get them this time of year). So I had no idea that the man had accidentally left me with 4 bags that were not ours. I promptly called the hotline number he left me with in case of any problems, and explained what had happened. The operator said he was sorry that we had a problem and that we could keep the items. After looking through the bags more carefully, I realized we had about $50 worth of items that were now ours for free. Among the items was a large bottle of Colavita olive oil, some canned artichoke hearts, 2 bottles of apple juice, organic chicken broth and a jar of lemon curd. I am now searching for recipes for the artichokes and lemon curd since those are not common items in my household. If anyone has any suggestions please comment, I am open to all ideas!

I also found out yesterday that I won a $25 Target gift certificate from a contest I had entered on WAHM.com. You can bet I was smiling all day!

Today I am making Posole for dinner. I decided to make it in the crock pot this time since we have errands to run this morning.

I've been looking for some new cold weather meal ideas lately and found a really good looking recipe from Dawna on Always In the Kitchen. Her Rice and Beans, Jamaican Style post is at the top of my list of new recipes to try.

Here's what I have planned for the next two weeks for dinner:

Friday - Posole
Saturday - Leftovers
Sunday - Ropa Vieja, Cuban black beans, rice
Monday - Leftovers
Tuesday - Thai chicken and vegetables with noodles
Wednesday - meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - pinto beans, collard greens, corn bread
Saturday - leftovers
Sunday - chicken (no recipe in mind yet), stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans
Monday - leftovers
Tuesday - Mongolian beef, Thai noodles (mix), broccoli
Wednesday - chili, corn bread
Thursday - leftovers

French Breakfast Muffins

This recipe for French Breakfast Muffins is based on one I found on Bed and Breakfast Inns Online. It was orignally created by Cincinnati Weller Haus Bed & Breakfast, Inc. I made a couple of changes to suit my tastes and these muffins are amazing! My kids request them often and I am happy to olibge.

French Breakfast Muffins

1/3 cup margarine
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 tsps baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup milk

Mix shortening, sugar and egg. Mix dry ingredients then mix alternately with milk into egg mixture. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full after they have been sprayed with oil. (Do not use muffin papers) Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.