Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy

Mini Oven Puffed Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce

2012-01-24T08:45:00.000-05:00

One of the reasons I started blogging recipes (actually the main reason) was so I could remember what I have cooked and what my family loves.

You see I often try things or make up recipes that my family loves.

Which is wonderful until my middle -aged "sometimers" kicks in and I can't remember how I made it or even that I had (see here where I forgot I made beef shank and blogged like it was new - embarrassing!).

So, when I make a winner I like to put it here so I have it permanently and I don't have to go hunting through my bookmarks or bazillion recipe books or google a recipe or hope I can remember.

This way too I can send friends who request recipes here.

Let me tell you this is one recipe I don't want to forget!

Sara at Our Best Bites created the most delicious breakfast dish - mini oven puffed pancakes with berry sauce -these things are delicious.

Not too sweet.

Fun.

Healthy-ish.

Quick - I made these this morning and we had them made and eaten in about 30 minutes.

You need to go look at her beautiful pictures of this dish - really, go ahead and then please come back.

Hello again!

Mini Oven Puffed Pancakes with Raspberry Sauce
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup milk (I used raw whole milk)
2 pastured eggs
1/8 tsp salt - the good stuff
3 TBS butter melted
powdered sugar

Raspberry Sauce
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
2 TBS raspberry jam (ours is homemade - you must learn to can and make this it is UH-MAZING!)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put your mini muffin pans in the oven also to get them hot - this recipe makes 24.

Meanwhile in your blender dump the milk, flour, eggs and salt. Blend until smooth.
Remove HOT pan from oven and grease each little cup with melted butter. I use a pastry brush, works great. Fill each cup with pancake mix to 3/4 full. Bake for 15-20 minutes - until all puffy and lightly brown. Pop out and then spread some melted butter on top, drizzle raspberry sauce and dust with plenty of powdered sugar.

To make raspberry sauce - in a small pan heat the raspberries and jelly, using a spoon to crush the berries. Taste and see if you need to add a bit of sugar.

Josh just ate his with maple syrup - also delicious.

I think these would be great topped with cinnamon and sugar instead of the raspberry sauce and powdered sugar. Or a quick chocolate sauce. The possibilities seem endless.

This recipe is certainly easy peasy lemon squeezy!!

Tiny Tip Tuesday "Reply to Comment"

2012-01-17T13:00:00.002-05:00

Have you heard the exciting news for Blogger Blogs??

Our comment section now has the "reply to comment"!! ie "threaded commenting".

Woohoo!

It makes so much more sense that way.

You can make a comment on my post, OR if you have a question or comment on someone else's comment well they will know you do!

Whenever I have had several comments come in on a post and I haven't had a chance to respond I would have to do something like this:

ChristyJan 1, 2012 12:38 PM
Alea - I think crazy simple is a wonderful and appropriate motto for you!

April- I hope you do give it a try! Thanks for the New Years wishes - I wish the same for you and yours!

Michelle - you are welcome! I wish we had blueberry bushes - oh yum!

Jackie - it is wonderful with a cup of coffee! I hope you try it.

Now with the nifty "reply" I can comment below each lovely note. Be sure to click on the subscribe by email at the bottom of the comment form so if someone replies to you it will send you an email telling you!

If you are on blogger and want to activate this wonderful feature it is super simple.
To add the reply feature to your comments,
- go to settings
- then comments
- and then in the comment placement form
- click on embedded.
Easy peasy lemon squeezy!

I am linking this to Works for Me Wednesday @ We are that family

Teriyaki Chicken over White Rice Noodle

2012-01-12T12:53:00.004-05:00

Teriyaki Chicken over White Rice Noodles

Last week I pinned a recipe from Jamie Cooks it Up! aptly named Teriyaki Chicken and Noodle Bowl. This is my take on it - and it is DEE_LICIOUS!! No disappointment this time! My family (and especially my hard to please husband) has requested it be made again and again. The only request was more veggies, please. I can so do that!

Teriyaki Chicken over White Rice Noodles
1 Chicken breast or 4 boneless, skinless thighs or 1 bag frozen raw shrimp
3T coconut oil, divided
1 tsp sesame oil.
3 large carrots diced
1 small zucchini sliced (into circles then quarters)
1 red pepper and 1/2 green pepper diced
8 mushrooms diced
1/2 a red onion or 1 small yellow onion, diced
1 lb package of rice noodles.
Crushed peanuts or cashews- optional

Teriaki Sauce
1 1/2 Cups cold water
3 T corn starch (I will use 2 next time and see if it works)
3/4 C packed brown sugar
1/2 cup soy sauce
1tsp garlic powder
1 tsp sesame oil

1. Cut up your chicken into small bite size pieces. Heat a large skillet and then add 2 TBS of oil. Toss the chicken in cook, stirring often but let the pieces get a lovely golden brown. Salt and pepper to taste. When they are just about done add a tsp of sesame oil.

2. Before I began I chopped my veggies (mise-en-place) - because I am not fast and I wanted to pay attention to the chicken. But if you are a speedy dicer you can do that now while the meat is cooking.

3. Get your water boiling for your noodles. Cook to your package specifications or if you are like me and bought them at an Asian Grocery Store and the package is in Japanese just keep testing until the noodles are done. Don't use salt when you cook them ( I am usually a big salter).

4. Once the chicken is done take it out of the pan and put in a bowl.

5. Add the rest of your oil to the pan and then the veggies. Cook them until crisp tender. After everything was cooked except the pesky carrots I added a bit of water (chicken stock would have been even better) to steam them some. Remove the veggies and put them in with the cooked chicken.

6. Make your sauce - in a large measuring cup put 1 1/2 cups cold water. Add 1 TBS of cornstarch and whisk, then the next and whisk and finally the third TBS making sure to whisk it - whisk it good (reminds me of that silly song) Next do the same with brown sugar stirring in 1/4 cup at a time to make sure it all dissolves. Next add your soy sauce, sesame oil and garlic powder.

After your veggies are removed from the pan you can put the sauce in and whisk it until it thickens. This only takes about 3 minutes to get a lovely, fragrant sauce.

The final step is to put it all together - I poured the sauce over the chicken and veggies and stirred and then put over the noodles.

Delicious!! And if you are like me, you can add some crushed nuts -but my kids were like "no thanks on the nuts Mom" - really, whose kids are they?

Better than take-out ANY DAY!

I am linking this to EKat's Friday Potluck.

Crayons, Crayons, Crayons

2012-01-12T00:29:00.000-05:00

I had a huge container of crayons - most of them broken - all of them unloved - few of them used.

I have been holding onto them thinking I was going to do that amazing craft.

You know, melt them in cupcake liners and make heart crayons.

(put a marble in it and it makes the heart shape).

Thing is I have been "going to do it" for at least 8 years.

I kid you not.

It was time.

Time to let go.

I have been moving it from here to there for years.

I threw the whole container away.

Yes I did.

It was incredibly freeing.

No worries, Sylvia still has plenty of NEW crayons she got for Christmas.

She actually likes not having the huge container.

Is there something you are holding onto, because your frugal self says you will use it someday? Something that is taking up valuable space?

Or just creating clutter?

I challenge you to let it go - you don't have to trash it, you can donate it, sell it, freecyle it.

Just let it go.

Then tomorrow look and see if you can get rid of more - you will be glad you did!

Hoarding is not frugal.

I promise!

Don't you hate it when a recipe sounds fabulous and it isn't??

2012-01-04T20:13:00.001-05:00

I am not one to make New Year's Resolutions but I do like goals. I have several right now and one is to cook from my vast array of cookbooks and saved links once a week - I hate having the same thing all the time.

So in an effort to actually "use" my large collection of recipe books I made two different meals in the last week that sounded UH-MAZING and turned out just eh, ok. Don't you hate that?? It is one of the hazzards of trying something new. It actually happens more often than I would like to admit.

First I made a Rachel Ray recipe called Supreme Pizza Pasta Salad. It makes a huge amount and while I had only one person truly dislike it - no one loved it or wanted second helpings which meant I was stuck eating it for lunch all week. I am giving the last serving to the chickens - I just can't eat another helping.

Then tonight I made Cheeseburger Salad which I didn't know was a Pioneer Woman/Pampered Chef recipe until I went to write this post. It was ok but not great. I think if I try it again I would put all the different components in individual bowls and let everyone make their own - like how we do tacos, that way we can have things like sweet and sour pickles and chopped olives to add if you wanted. I would also make a mustard vinaigrette for the mustard lovers in addition to my homemade Ranch dressing.

Will I keep trying? Absolutely - I have a fairly good handle on what my kids will like and so I tend to cook towards that. I have found that most recipes are too bland for my family. We like it spicier, saucier - lots of flavor. But every once in awhile I go out on a limb like my African Chicken Stew and we end up loving it. And that is why I keep on reading the cookbooks and blogs and watching cooking shows. You just never know!

How about you? Do you cook from your cookbooks? Do you try new things? Does your family like it when you do?

I am linking this to We Are That Family's Works for me Wednesday!

Blueberry Coffee Cake

2011-12-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

There is no story today, there is nothing but a fabulous coffee cake recipe. It is crazy simple and goes together quickly. It is our new favorite. Try it, you'll like it!!

Blueberrry Coffee Cake

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon peel(don't omit this if you can help it - it really makes a difference)
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1 cup milk (whole)
2 eggs slightly beaten (from free range chickens if you can get it!)
1 tsp. vanilla (homemade if possible)
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
Cinnamon and sugar to sprinkle on top

Icing

1/4 tsp. almond extract
3-5 tsp. milk
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

Heat oven to 375. Grease a 13x9 inch pan. In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and lemon peel. Using pastry blender or fork, cut in butter. Add milk, eggs and vanilla. Stir well. Pour 3/4 batter into greased pan. Top with blueberries. Spoon remaining batter over blueberries. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool 30 minutes. In small bowl , blend icing ingredients. Drizzle over warm cake.

Don't Buy Stuff

2011-10-18T22:35:00.000-04:00

Funny SNL Skit - crazy but I bet we all know people like this couple!

Easy African Chicken Stew

2011-10-17T21:52:00.003-04:00

I am not sure how authentic it is but we sure liked it. Most African Chicken Stews have peanuts or peanut butter in it but I didn't want that flavor tonight. This is a bit sweet, but savory also. It got 2 thumbs up all around. No one was crazy about the chickpeas except me but I liked the texture.

African Chicken Stew

2 large or 3 smallish boneless skinless chicken breast - from happy free range chickens if possible Or thighs or a combination -
1TBS coconut oil
1 large onion diced (largish chunks are ok)
3 whole carrots peeled and sliced
3 or 4 cloves of garlic minced
1 large can fire roasted tomatoes or home canned tomatoes
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp tumeric
pepper
2 tsp honey (I just squirted some in the pan)
1 cup sliced zucchini or summer squash
1 cup sliced bell peppers - green, red and orange if you have it.
1 cup chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1/2 cup golden raisins

In a large stew pot saute' onions and carrots in the oil over medium heat.. Slice the chicken into strips and then into smaller pieces - I slice my chicken horizontally first so you get 2 thin-ish pieces. Turn up the heat to medium high and add chicken and minced garlic stirring to combine. Put lid on and cook for about 2 minutes. Uncover and stir well. Add in your tomatoes, cinnamon, cumin, tumeric, pepper, honey, zucchini and bell peppers. Stir again and cover - boil for 10-15 minutes (you want your carrots soft) uncovering to stir occasionally. Add chickpeas and raisins, stir and cook a couple minutes more to heat through.

I served this over rice but it would be great with couscous.

I am linking this to Monday Mania @ The Healthy Home Economist, and I am excited to also be linking it to the Hearth and Soul Hop! Plus The Homemaking Link Up @ Raising Homemakers

Greens and Mustardy Cheesy Shells

2011-10-16T18:54:00.002-04:00

Sometimes I take a great picture and sometimes you get blurry cheesy-ness. This is a blurry cheesy day. Don't let my lack of photographic talent keep you from trying this. It is a lovely side dish and would make a delicious light vegetarian meal.
This gets a thumbs up from all my kids who were here to try it - 6 in all. I liked it and my husband tried it (he doesn't like noodles - weird, I know) and ate his portion without negative comment - that is a thumbs up from him!

Greens with Mustardy Cheesy Shells

12 oz medium shells (regular or g/f)
2 TBS butter
2 TBS flour (use cornstarch to make this g/f)
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1 TBS Dijon mustard (I didn't have any so I used a grainy one - made it pretty mustardy!)
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
a pinch of cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cubes frozen greens or 1 small bunch spinach thick stems discarded, leaves roughly chopped

1. Cook pasta according to package direction - I always put a big pinch of salt in my pot for flavor
2. Thaw your cubes of frozen greens - I just put them in a zip top bag and set in a bowl of water to speed up the process - don't microwave please.
3. If you don't want to clean another pan than after your noodles are cooked and you have drained them make your cheese sauce in the same pan. Melt the butter, add the flour cook for 2 minutes to loose the raw flour taste. Slowly whisk in your milk. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes - you want it slightly thickened.
4. Whisk in the mustard, nutmeg, cayenne pepper, 1 cup of the cheese, 1/2 tsp of salt and a 1/4 tsp pepper. Add your greens and stir around then the noodles stirring to combine.
5. Heat your broiler and then transfer the noodly goodness to an ovenproof baking dish, top with remaining cheese. I didn't, but this would be good with a bread crumb topping. Broil until golden brown - watch closely because from golden brown to burnt is one distraction away from each other.

This was really good with a baked ham that I had glazed with a honey mustard sauce. (Pitch that bag of instant glaze that comes with many hams - full of nasty stuff - and make your own.)

Leftover Fried Rice

2011-09-30T19:17:00.001-04:00

My sister has had a crazy rough year - she is a young mommy with 5 little kids. In the last 12 months they have had some crazy hospitalizations - her baby was born premie, then he got RSV and almost died - he also has an aspirating problem and has had a feeding tube in for 6 months , she got mersa and almost died, her husband and two kids got it and needed emergency care, her daughter had a UTI that caused her to get so sick she needed hospitalizing.

The craziness doesn't end there - my nephew who is 6 years old had a major emergency surgery two days ago and is not doing well - he is in intense pain still. Poor buddy!

Each time, I have kept her other kids when someone was hospitalized. I am so blessed to be able to do that for her. I adore those kids, and so do my children - we love having them. The only problem comes at meal times. I don't cook like their mommy does. So when I put something like beef stew with beets or stuffed shells in front of them their knee jerk reaction is "I don't like that." I encourage them to try a little bit and also try to respect their preferences but with feeding my 8 and them I just can't be a short order cook.

Anyhow, I was sure I was going to get the "I don't like that" response when I put the pork fried rice in front of them tonight and I did but once they tasted it they were sold! They ate their bowlfuls without complaint and I even got a compliment or two. My kids ate second and thirds until it was all gone. All this to say this has been kid tested and kid approved!

I have no picture and to be honest it was rather grey looking, but the fried rice I made for dinner was simply delicious. That is the wonder of a dish like this - I threw together a bit of this and a bit of that and it turned out yummy!

Don't do exactly as I did - make it your own use up what is in your fridge. The simpler you make it the easier. I have made Bittman's recipe many times but tonight I just wanted to use up some leftovers.

Really this post is for me - so I remember what I did next time. If the process helps you - hurray!!

The secret to success is cold rice. I had some leftover sticky rice and I also made some long grain rice using homemade chicken broth to add to it. I cooked it first and then put it in the fridge to cool.

In my ginormous iron skillet I sauteed leftover chopped onion (about a quarter cup, if I didn't have leftovers I would have put more onion it), added a couple cubes of frozen already cooked peppers. (I will tell you about that another time), a cup of shredded zucchini that was frozen, leftover scrambled eggs (I always put a bunch of eggs in mine at the request of my family.) Plus broccoli and peas that were leftover from other meals. To this I put about a cup of pulled pork that I found in the freezer. It added a bit of sweetness to the dish. To all this I added a cup or so of homemade chicken broth.

As far as seasonings go, I splashed some soy sauce, 2 tsp or so of sesame oil and a pinch of chinese five spice. This makes a delicious combination of flavors that is perfect for children and adults alike. When it was all warmed through I added the rice and stirred to get all the delicious liquid on every rice grain.

So, in short you need:
leftover, cold rice
a protein of some sort - chicken or pork or even beef
scrambled eggs
vegetables - cooked
soy sauce
sesame oil
chinese 5 spice
a bit of bbq sauce - optional

Granola Bars - Crazy Awesome Delicious

2011-09-27T16:12:00.004-04:00

Crazy Awesome Delicious Granola Bars.

um, I am just saying - these things are amazingly delicious.

I make granola often but I think these are the best yet.
We like bars that you can take with you, and these stick together.

I have found the perfect combination of butter and honey and granola -ee goodness.

Granola Bars

4.5 cups oatmeal toasted
1 cup self rising flour or 1 cup flour and 1 tsp baking soda
1 stick of butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups total of addins - chocolate chips and pb chips, raisins, craisins, dried fruit bits, shredded coconut - whatever you want
optionally you can add a bit of wheat germ and/or nuts. I also sometimes add about 3TBS baking cocoa.

Put your oatmeal on a large cookie sheet (with sides) and bake in a 325 degree oven for 15 minutes stirring once halfway. Remove and let cool.
Meanwhile melt butter on stove in a small pan, add your honey and brown sugar stirring to combine. Just before you remove the pan add the vanilla and stir.

In a large bowl combine everything else. Then add in the butter/honey goodness and stir to completely combine. Put the granola in a large greased cake pan (9x13) pressing down hard. I cut an old plastic bag open and lay it on top to press on. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 18-22 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes and cut into bars. Then let it completely cool before removing.

These are sooooo much better than anything you can buy - and full of yummy, healthy goodness.

I am submitting this to Life As Mom's Frugal Friday and Erin @ EKat's Kitchen's Friday potluck.

Canning and a great Overnight Roast Tip

2011-08-29T22:00:00.009-04:00

I am so excited - I have learned to can - and it is stinkin' fun! So far we have made salsa, relish, tomato sauce, chunky tomatoes, beans, raspberry jelly and my absolute favorite - tomato jelly!!

Wahoo!!

Tomorrow I will be attempting pears and peaches. I can't believe how much I enjoy doing this. For so long I was afraid of failure and that it would be just a short lived hobby. Not anymore. To see the jars on the counter full of yummy deliciousness and to know that I did it fills me with joy.

Later, when the weather turns colder I plan on canning some of the meat in my freezer, I will be using a tip I discovered that will help the process move along.

Cook your roast overnight at 200 degrees.

Put it in before you go to bed and take it out when you get up, usually 8 to 10 hours of cooking. Alternatively you can put it in a crockpot to cook overnight if you don't want to keep your oven going so long.

(At this point I will can the meat with homemade broth or gravy.)

Then let it cool for about an hour and put it into the refrigerator.

An hour or so before dinner, put it back into the oven with onions and potatoes and carrots at 350 degrees.

The roast will be so tender.

Also, during the winter months, it helps to warm the house.

During the summer, it keeps your house from heating up during the day.

SNL Corn Syrup AD - too funny!

2011-07-31T13:55:00.000-04:00

Watch this to the end!

Seriously Free Vegetable Stock

2011-07-29T00:24:00.000-04:00

Until I started down the REAL food path several years ago I didn't have a clue how to make stock/broth - bone or vegetable. As a matter of fact I didn't know anyone who made their own. I still don't - at least not in real life - I am a crazy oddity to my family and friends. But you think I am sane don't you?

I could wax on and on about bone broth - especially chicken feet broth - but today I want to talk about vegetable stock. It is so simple you are going to be kicking yourself for waiting so long to make it. Just think, you control all the ingredients - no msg, excessive sodium (you can and should use wonderful sea salt) and other nasty additives.

There are plenty of "recipes" to make it but really all you need to know is to be cautious about adding too many strong flavored veggies such as broccoli, brussels sprouts and cabbage as they can easily be overpowering. Other than that really any vegetable you have can go in. After you have made a few batches you will have a better idea what you like.

The taste is far superior to the canned or boxed and often it is dang near free. Mine today was - dang near free. My uncle has a garden that he allows me to glean from - I thinned his beets, carrots and onions, picked some green beans, a ginormous zucchini and a few smallish tomatoes. All of which I cleaned and put in a crockpot. To this I added some celery that was past its prime and some garlic, salt and pepper. I just used the beet greens but added the whole carrots, greens and all. I covered this all with water and cooked it on low all day.

It is the best smelling/tasting vegetable stock ever. All for the cost of limp celery and garlic - hmm, $.50?? I got almost a gallon. Which I strained and put in canning jars and then when cool will put in my freezer.

I don't always have free veggies for the picking and so, when I know I am going to make some I start saving my scraps in a bag in the freezer - you know, the bottom of asparagus, broccoli, bits and pieces of onion, mushroom stems, peppers - what have you. (I usually give them to the chickens) When I get a decent amount I add whatever is in the fridge that needs using up - always some carrots, celery and onion plus a bit of garlic to the crockpot along with the scraps from the freezer.

You often don't need to peel the vegetables - just be sure they are clean. You can vary the seasonings to your own taste or what you plan on making with it.

While bone broth is my usual go to liquid for so many things, sometime a nice light vegetable broth is what a recipe needs.

I love making stock/broth because it is not only frugal, but healthy and helps me to come closer to a zero waste kitchen! I HATE wasting food - don't you?

In case you are curious - I use it to make rice, soups, sometimes during lent it is the base for my lentil soup. How do you use it?

So, do you make your own stock/broth? Do you know anyone else that does? What do you always/never add to yours??

Turkey Chop Suey

2011-06-10T17:28:00.002-04:00

Is chop suey authentic anything?? Other than a yummy dish? I don't know but I really like it. When I make it that is. Please indulge me on another recipe in which I start out with something you know and love and then change, change, change it because I don't have all the normal ingredients.

In an old Taste of Home Book (2007 Annual Recipes) I found the original which was a use for leftover turkey - which is what I needed to do. I cooked a turkey that was in my freezer in anticipation of getting a half of a cow worth of meat and I needed the space. Then the temps hit 97 degrees for a couple of days and who really wants a turkey dinner when it is that hot?

This is my take on the recipe - it used up some random veggies in my fridge, and because I am unbelievably out of tamari sauce I "invented" my sauce - which was really good.

Any veggie would work but these were really yummy!

Turkey Chop Suey

1 small onion diced
2 celery ribs, sliced
1 leek, sliced thin in half moons, cleaned well
1 small zucchini sliced in half lengthwise and then sliced thin in half moons - parboiled
1 small container of mushrooms sliced thin
1TBS butter 1 TBS coconut oil
2 - 3 cups cooked chopped turkey
2 cups turkey broth - made from your turkey carcass
2 TBS cornstarch
1/4 cup cold turkey broth or water
3 TBS tamari OR 2 TBS fish sauce and 2 TBS teriaki eel sauce
1 can of bean sprouts drained or one small bag fresh
Hot cooked rice

In a large skillet, saute the onion, celery, mushrooms and leek in butter/coconut oil. Meanwhile bring a small amount of water to boil in a small pan and add your zucchini - parboil for 3-4 minutes. When zucchini is soft dump the whole pan, liquid and all into your skillet. Add turkey and broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat.

Meanwhile in a small bowl combine cornstarch and your 1/4 cup liquid plus the tamari stirring until smooth. Add to pan and stir. Bring back to a boil and stir for a couple of minutes until liquid begins to thicken. Add bean sprouts and cook a bit if fresh. Serve over rice.

Alfredo Sauce - Super Simple and Delicious!

2011-06-09T08:59:00.002-04:00

I happened upon a delicously simple recipe for Alfredo Sauce at The Sushi Snob - wonderful as it is but like many people do with recipes they find I changed it up a bit for my family.

My husband will eat anything I put in front of him but if I were just cooking for him he would never eat a spaghetti type noodle again, ever. He will eat, and kind of like penne or rigatoni or even ziti but that is it - and they cannot be over cooked - mushy just grosses him out. All this to say I didn't use fettucini noodle in my dish!

Alfredo Sauce - Super Easy
1 stick butter
1 small container whipping cream ( not the fake stuff, real whipping cream ;o)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp garlic powder
Optional but we really like it:
1 cup cut up orange pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
One and a half cup meat (turkey, chicken, shrimp - whatever!)

Melt butter, add whipping cream and stir to combine cooking over medium heat. Add cheese and spices stir to combine. That's it - seriously!

Now when I made this I chopped up some orange peppers I had in the freezer and saute'd them a bit in a little coconut oil, then added 1 clove minced garlic for a minute. To this I added about a cup and a half of cooked turkey - chicken or shrimp would be delicious too.

I added this to about 8 oz of cooked rigatoni - and didn't have near enough for the 8 people at the table. I will double this next time. If you used g/f noodles this would obviously be gluten free - but you knew that right?!

My guess is it serves 4 perfectly!

I am linking this to Ekat's Kitchen's Friday Potluck!

Mexican Corn with Cream

2011-05-09T10:46:00.001-04:00

Tessa once again had to make a dish for Spanish class. (Remember her Holy Week Donuts?)
She forgot until this morning - typical child -
anyhow thankfully I have a recipe book addiction and happened to have one aptly named "The Complete Book of Mexican Cooking" by Jane Milton. Tessa desperately looked through it hoping to find a recipe with the following criteria:
1. Authentic-ish
2. Easy
3. Portable
4. We had the ingredients
5. Not a lot of steps

I think we came up with a winner - so much so that I am going to start making this as a regular dish in our meals - and certainly something to take to a potluck. This is a winner people - trust me. It reminds me of the corn on the cob you can buy from street vendors in Mexico - only better!

Mexican Corn with Cream

4 ears of corn (or 2 cans, drained;or 1 bag frozen)

1/4 cup butter (I used part coconut oil)

1 small onion finely chopped

1/2 small can (4oz can) of fire roasted chilis - more or less to taste

4 oz cream cheese (1/2 a brick)

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste.

Strip off the husks from the corm and pull off the silks. Place the ears in a bowl of water and use a vegetable brush to remove any remaining silks. Stand each ear in turn on a board and slice off the kernels, cutting as close to the cob as possible. OR open and drain your 2 cans, OR simply open the bag.

Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the chopped onion and saute' for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion has softened.

Add the corn kernels and cook for 4-5 min. until they are just tender (if using fresh) add the chilis and stir.

Stir in the cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Cook over low heat until both cheeses have melted and the corn is coated in the loveliness of the cream. Season with salt and pepper. This is best served either immediately or use a small crock pot.

I am linking this to the Hearth and Soul Hop!

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T11:53:00.000-04:00

I am abundantly blessed.

I have 8 awesome living children (our sweet baby Luke and 4 children we never met in heaven) and one beautiful granddaughter, a loving husband and an incredible extended family.

I thank God every day for these blessings and so many more.

I do not take for granted the gift of fertility that I have been given.

When I was young I had two dreams - I either wanted to be a nun or the mother of a large family.

I always assumed I would have eight children, never any less.

A mom of a large family because that is what I knew - I am one of 10 - and I thought that was wonderful.

A nun because I wanted to be a saint and all saints it seems were nuns! LOL
I know now that there are many mothers who must be saints, because I know so many incredibly holy mothers who pray and sacrifice daily for their families.

While I have the utmost respect and gratitude for all the women who give their lives to Christ in a religious order I am grateful that this is the life God has called me to.

I am thankful for dirty dishes - it means we have plenty to eat.
I am thankful for laundry - it means we have plenty to wear.
I am thankful for bathrooms to clean and groceries to put away.
I am thankful for dandelion bouquets and sticky kisses.
I am thankful for babies and toddlers - they grow up too fast.
I am thankful for grade schooler's and the crazy things they do.
I am thankful for teenagers - I know my time with them is so short and they are so interesting!
I am thankful for young adults and the new and wonderful relationship we have.

I know that Mother's Day is a day in which Mom's everywhere know that they are truly blessed!

I am off to thank Mimi - for all of her unseen and unknown sacrifices she has made for me.
We will be putting flowers on my Mother-in-law's grave today.
Join me won't you and thank the mothers in your life?

Beef Enchilada Lasagna

2011-05-06T18:41:00.002-04:00

Tonight for dinner I combined two recipes - I took the sauce from my Amazing Chicken Enchiladas and layered it like Taco Enchilada Lasagna but I used shredded beef from a pot roast I had cooked in the crockpot and had in the freezer to add to a meal. I loved it. My husband thought it was too spicy. My daughter's boyfriend added Louisiana hot sauce. Spice is so personal.

I think this is another winner - I will just tone down the spiciness (I didn't have a jalapeno so I added a TBS of homemade fermented hot sauce - that is what put it over the edge I think).

I have no picture but it was sure tasty.

1. cook a pot roast in the crockpot till it falls apart. (put in roast, sprinkle some onion powder, garlic powder, cumin and pepper on top, then add water just to the top - you don't want the spices in the water. When done let cool a bit and then shred it with two forks or your fingers. I put it in small containers and froze.)

2. Make the Enchilada sauce.

3. Put a small amount of sauce in large pan.

4. Add a cup and a half of sauce to meat plus a small can of black olives diced. Heat.

5. Dip corn tortillas in sauce and put down a layer in your pan.

6. Put a layer of the meat sauce.

7. I forgot to tell you to shred some cheddar cheese - do that and spread some on top of the meat.

8. Add another layer of the sauced tortillas, meat and cheese.

9. Top with a final layer of sauced tortillas, any leftover sauce and cheese.

10. Heat in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes.

11. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut and serve with sour cream and more hot sauce if needed.

Submitted to Ann Kroeker's Food on Friday and EKat's Kitchen's Friday Potluck.

Hearth and Soul Hop # 46

2011-05-02T23:04:00.000-04:00

HEARTH and SOUL HOP!

Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Hop #46!!

Hello foodie friends - I want to thank everyone who participates in the Hearth and Soul Hop - especially those who have linked up through my blog.

I have been praying about my hostessing the Hop and have come to the realization that I can no longer be a hostess. Without going into the whole story I just know I need to focus on my family a bit more. -

I have 8 children, 21, 20, 18, 17, 15, 14, 13,12 and 6.(and a beautiful 2 year old grandbaby)

They have all complained of my computer time and I must respect that - they will only be around a short time more. They grow up so stinkin' fast!

Next week link up at one of my wonderful co-hosts - all the links are below.

Please know that I leave a little piece of my heart with the Hearth and Soul Hop - I have been doing this for almost a year and have met so many wonderful people.

Love to you all!

Christy

Take a few minutes to read our mission and the "rules" if you haven't in awhile - lots of thought and love went into making them.

The hop has become my favorite place to find new recipes and to share in all the lovely stories that come from your hearth and soul!

Thank you for letting me have a peak into your kitchen.

Mission:

Food from your hearth, to feed your soul. Food that follows your intuition. Preparing food from scratch to nourish your family…body, mind AND soul! Food made with your own hands…infused with energy and passion and intent. Real food made by real people to feed real families (big and small, in blood or spirit). Ingredients from scratch, be it something grown in your garden or raised on your land…food foraged in the field or woods…food from local farms, farmers, or farmers markets…or even ingredients chosen by you from your local market that will be turned into something that feeds your soul. Tapping the food memory that each of us has stored inside; letting it guide and influence our own time in the kitchen.

We hope to embrace not only the “expected” areas of real food, but also those who want to incorporate healthier choices without sacrificing their love of food…how it tastes, the memories it conjures up, the comfort it brings. Yes, we’re trying to steer clear of packaged, processed, and boxed foods in favor of real foods….without absolutely excluding the sometimes frowned upon white sugar or flour (because the body craves what it craves…and sometimes things just don’t taste the same when you replace these). Making conscious choices and being present in the now with what your body needs…and taking steps towards exploring and enjoying healthier choices. If you take the time to listen, your body will tell you what it needs.

The warm comfort of the home hearth…stories, anecdotes, lessons, adventures, journeys, recipes, meals, beverages…we want to share the “why” of how food feeds more than just our bodies…how it also feeds our souls. After all, aren’t these the essential ingredients in defining real food? Please share links from your Hearth and Soul Hop with us each week.* Each time you link to the hop, you will get exposure over 5 blogs and receive feedback in the way of a high quality comment on your linked post, because this is personal for us…we want you to know that we appreciate that you’ve taken the time to create a post, add a link back to the hop, and add your link! We’ll be sure to acknowledge this with a comment and a tweet on Twitter (using hashtag #hsoul).

Rules for linking:

-One link per week, please-Must include a link back to one/any of the host sites (through worded link or badge) in individual post, not on sidebar…although we love having links on your page, as well (this benefits all of us). You will be sent a gentle reminder if no link is added to your post, we understand that sometimes people forget…but if it becomes a regular occurrence, (even though we don’t like to do it) your post may be removed. It’s just not fair to those who do take the time and show the grace to link back.

-Try to link a post that you think fits into the mission. You don’t have to link up every week…link up when you can. We welcome posts that are shared in other events. If you have an older, archived post that you want to add, we welcome that…as long as you go in and add a link back to Hearth and Soul.

Linky will stay open from 10 pm Monday to 11:59 pm Wednesday (Eastern time).

Your Hosts:

Alex of A Moderate Life

Christy of Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy

Jason of Alternative Health and Nutrition News

April of The 21st Century Housewife

Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen

Alea of Premeditated Leftovers

Michelle of Fit Foodista

Kankana of Sunshine and Smile

If you'd like to use a badge, please feel free!

here

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop vol. 45

2011-05-01T10:30:00.000-04:00

HEARTH and SOUL HOP!

Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Hop #45!!
Hello friends - my trip was amazing - I want to move there!
One of the exciting things we did was going on a foodie tour - it is called "The Hole in the Wall Tour"
I would recommend it to anyone visiting Oahu - great fun!
Please link up and visit all the great foody love that is linked to the Hop!
Aloha!!!!
Thanks for stopping by and linking up and/or just checking out the great real food, soul loving links!

I am looking forward to another great Hop!

Take a few minutes to read our mission and the "rules" if you haven't in awhile - lots of thought and love went into making them.

The hop has become my favorite place to find new recipes and to share in all the lovely stories that come from your hearth and soul!
Thank you for letting me have a peak into your kitchen.

Mission:

Rules for linking:

Linky will stay open from 10 pm Monday to 11:59 pm Wednesday (Eastern time).

Your Hosts:

Alex of A Moderate Life

Christy of Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy
Jason of Alternative Health and Nutrition News
April of The 21st Century Housewife
Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen
Alea of Premeditated Leftovers
Michelle of Fit Foodista
Kankana of Sunshine and Smile

If you'd like to use a badge, please feel free!

here

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop vol. 44

2011-04-18T22:08:00.001-04:00

HEARTH and SOUL HOP!

Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Hop #44!!
I will be heading to the beautiful island of Oahu on Wednesday and won't be back until next Wednesday.
I am taking my husband for his 50th birthday - he is an old geiser but I surely love him!
One of the exciting things we will be doing is going on a foodie tour - it is called "The Hole in the Wall Tour"
It is supposed to be fabulous - the one sad thing is we can only do it on the last day so we won't be able to go back to any of the places we visit!
Please still link up and visit all the great foody love that is linked to the Hop!
Aloha!!!!
Thanks for stopping by and linking up and/or just checking out the great real food, soul loving links!

I am looking forward to another great Hop!

Take a few minutes to read our mission and the "rules" if you haven't in awhile - lots of thought and love went into making them.

Mission:

Rules for linking:

Linky will stay open from 10 pm Monday to 11:59 pm Wednesday (Eastern time).

Your Hosts:

Alex of A Moderate Life

Cube Steak Beef Stroganoff

2011-04-13T22:32:00.004-04:00

Cube Steak Beef Stroganoff

I have tried and tried to cook cube steak so that my family will not only eat it but like it.

Besides being a frugal piece of meat I always seem to get some when we get our quarter of a cow, and if you know me you know I don't waste a perfectly good piece of meat!

(think liver, heart, tongue and feet.)

I have been sadly not very successful until tonight.

I think the trick was omitting the flouring step.

That's right I just browned the meat in lard and moved on and I really liked it and my family well they said it was OK and it all got eaten.
I love it when I discover a way to feed my family frugal, nutritious and even slightly - or more - delicious food!

I would like to try this with browned hamburger next time because the sauce is yummy!

Cube Steak Beef Stroganoff

1 package of egg noodles 

6 decent sized cubed steaks cut into 2x1" pieces

4 TBS flour

1/2 onion, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

3 tablespoons lard or tallow (plus more if needed to cook the steak)

3 tablespoons butter

1 1/2 cups water (or beef broth and then omit veggie powder)

1 small carton whipping cream or 1 cup milk

1 TBS veggie broth powder OR 1 1/2 cups beef broth

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground rosemary

1/4 cup sour cream (eyeball this and add more if you like a stronger flavor)

Salt - lots

Pepper - lots

1. Cut steaks into small pieces.

2. Cut up onion.

3. Heat the lard in a pan. When it's hot, add pieces of the steak making one layer (you will be doing this in batches. Brown on both sides - be patient it is worth it. You are not going to get the steak all the way cooked at this time. When it's browned on both sides, remove from the pan. Repeat until all of the steak is cooked. Add more lard if necessary.

4. Add diced onions to the pan. Sprinkle onion with salt and pepper. Stir until onion is translucent. Add minced garlic and cook about a minute.

5. Add 4 tablespoons of flour to the pan and stir it into the onions. Let cook for 30 seconds.

6. Slowly start adding the water. Stir to break up the onion/flour mixture. Sauce will begin to thicken. Add vegetable powder, milk, cayenne, rosemary. Add additional salt and pepper if needed.

7. Add cubed steak back to the pan. 

8. Simmer the meat in the sauce over medium heat. Add water if needed to thin the sauce and stir periodically.

9. It is time to begin the noodles. Add a teaspoon or so of salt to the cooking water. Cook the minimum time.

10. The noodles and the steak should be done at the same time. 

11. Add sour cream to sauce and stir until it's incorporated. Taste again to make sure it's well seasoned and that you like the amount of sour cream.

12. Pour sauce over the noodles.

13. Stir it all together and serve.

Notes:
You can add mushrooms to this if you like. I didn't this time but I may next time.
I really think the cayenne pepper is key - it gives this dish just the right amount of ummpf. I also used very little sour cream because the sauce was yummy without it.
Try this with browned hamburger next time. I think it will go over better.

I am sharing this with the Hearth and Soul Blog Hop and Real Food Wednesday and a new to me - Raising Homemakers Homemaking Link Up and EKat's Kitchen: Friday Potluck.

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop vol. 43

2011-04-11T22:00:00.000-04:00

HEARTH and SOUL HOP!

Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Hop #43!!
Thanks for stopping by and linking up and/or just checking out the great real food, soul loving links!

I am looking forward to another great Hop!

Take a few minutes to read our mission and the "rules" if you haven't in awhile - lots of thought and love went into making them.

Mission:

Rules for linking:

Linky will stay open from 10 pm Monday to 11:59 pm Wednesday (Eastern time).

Your Hosts:

Alex of A Moderate Life

Robyn O'Brien's Ted Talk

2011-04-10T21:56:00.000-04:00

This is so worth your time to watch. It will make you mad and hopeful.

Amazing Chicken Enchiladas

2011-04-04T23:01:00.007-04:00

Josh turned 15 over the weekend - sigh, where does the time go? He a BIG boy towering over me and already the tallest in the family. It is hard to wrap my mind around it. He is my sweetest, most loving child. He kisses me and thanks me all the time. He is thoughtful and caring. I love him so much!!

He requested a chocolate cake and let me tell you the cake I baked didn't disappoint - I made him Pioneer Woman's The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake Ever - and good gosh all friday, it is one SUPER SWEET TREAT!!! I omitted the nuts in the frosting but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. The is my new favorite cake. You can't eat much it is so rich but wow does it taste amazing. Perfect for my big boy!

Then for dinner I made homemade chicken enchiladas - it was a hit - so much so my husband requested I make it again and for company! That my friends is the highest praise he gives and I am still smiling.

It came out rather spicy but delicious. This is definitely a winner

Amazing Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients

1 small onion, chopped (about a cup)
Coconut oil or butter or combo
4 small cloves garlic, minced
1 lg can tomatoes, fire-roasted if you can get it
1 jalapeno - no seeds
red chili powder (start at one tsp and keep tasting)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup to 1 cup of water
1 tiny can of sliced black olives - chopped
12 corn tortillas
Coconut oil or lard
2-3 cups of bang bang cooked chicken
Salt
2 cups grated cheese (about 1/3 lb) I used a combo of cheddar and Monterrey jack

Method

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2 Prepare the sauce. Coat a large iron skillet (if you are lucky enough to have one) with oil and sauté the onions on medium heat until translucent, this just takes a few minutes. Add the garlic for a minute more. While the onions are cooking, purée the canned tomatoes in a blender with the jalapeno. Add the onions and garlic to the blender and just blend a bit. Put the red sauce back into your pan and bring to a low simmer. Start adding the chili powder, one teaspoon at a time, tasting after each addition, until you get to the desired level of heat and chili flavor. It depends on your taste and how strong the chili powder is that you are using. I used way too much for us this time - will start small next time. Also, the tortillas and chicken will absorb some of the heat, so you want it a bit spicier than you would think. Add a tsp or so of sugar if necessary to cut down on the acid from the tomatoes. You want your red sauce to have more of the taste of the chili and less of the tomatoes. As the sauce simmers, you will need to dilute it with water to keep it from getting too thick. I let it simmer for about 5 minutes. Then remove from heat.

3 Mix in about a 1/4 cup of the sauce with the cooked chicken, add the olives and stir. Sprinkle with a little salt. Set aside.

4 Prepare the tortillas. Heat a small iron skillet on med-high heat. Add enough oil to coat the pan. Cook the tortilla for a little bit - a minute on each side at the most, you are just heating them up a bit and then you dip the tortilla in the sauce to coat the tortilla with sauce on both sides.I used tongs to flip the tortillas around.

5 Assemble the enchiladas. Use a large baking dish. Lightly cover the bottom with some red sauce. Then place a couple spoonfuls of the chicken mixture in the center of a tortilla, add a bit of cheese and roll it up. Place in the baking dish and repeat until all dozen of your tortillas are neatly placed in rows in the casserole dish. Cover the tortillas rolls with the remaining sauce.
Sprinkle with the remaining grated cheese.
6 Place in the oven and cook for 10 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly.
I served this with sour cream and I bet it would be fabulous with guacamole!

Notes:
1. can use up to 2 TBS of chili powder but that would be way too spicy with the jalapeno.
2. Having the chicken cooked and bang banged ahead of time would make this go much quicker.
3. Double this for our family (only 5 of us were here and we ate every bite) Maybe make one a bit spicier than the other.
4. I liked the sauce way better than any I have tasted before - from scratch is definitely the way to go!

How about you, is there a sauce you make now that just knocks the canned version out of the running? Or one that you would like to make from scratch and haven't yet tried?

Update 10/25/11 All I had was pepperjack cheese which is way too spicy for my husband so I melted a brick of cream cheese and mixed in the pepperjack which I then put on top of the enchilladas (no cheese inside, I didn't have enough). This made a delicious variation that I actually like better.

I am linking this to the Hearth and Soul Hop and Fudge Ripple's Tuesday Night Supper Club. Plus Amy @ Simply Sugar and Gluten Free's Slightly Indulgent Tuesday.
and Kelly the Kitchen Kop's Real Food Wednesday.

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop vol. 42

2011-04-04T20:33:00.000-04:00

HEARTH and SOUL HOP!

Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Hop #42!!
Thanks for stopping by and linking up and/or just checking out the great real food, soul loving links!

I am looking forward to another great Hop!

Take a few minutes to read our mission and the "rules" if you haven't in awhile - lots of thought and love went into making them.

Mission:

Rules for linking:

Linky will stay open from 10 pm Monday to 11:59 pm Wednesday (Eastern time).

Your Hosts:

Alex of A Moderate Life

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop vol. 41

2011-03-28T20:53:00.001-04:00

HEARTH and SOUL HOP!

Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Hop #41!!
I am back from Disney World - what a great trip - however I must admit I missed my own cooking - I was craving real butter and coconut oil terribly! However, not needing to cook or clean was lovely!

This is the week we say goodbye to my dear friend ButterpoweredBike At Hunger and Thirst as a co-host of the Hop. I have learned so much from her - she has changed how I view the world around me - I knew nothing about foraging before "meeting" Butter and her crazy awesome cooking style. We will miss her but know that this is the right path for her. I wish her every great thing!

Thanks for stopping by and linking up and/or just checking out the great real food, soul loving links!

I am looking forward to another great Hop!

Take a few minutes to read our mission and the "rules" if you haven't in awhile - lots of thought and love went into making them.

Mission:

Rules for linking:

Linky will stay open from 10 pm Monday to 11:59 pm Wednesday (Eastern time).

Your Hosts:

Alex of A Moderate Life

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop vol. 40

2011-03-21T21:00:00.003-04:00

HEARTH and SOUL HOP!

Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Hop #40!!

It seems like there is always something going on around here.....
I am so excited to announce that NEXT week we will be adding 5 new hostesses to the Hop!! WooHoo!
I am just thrilled to have these wonderful ladies and bloggers be a part of our little family here.
If you are a regular Hopper you will recognize
April of The 21st Century Housewife
Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen
Alea of Premeditated Leftovers
Michelle of Fit Foodista
Kankata of Sunshine and Smiles

They will all be writing hello posts this week and will begin hosting and commenting next week!

I am headed to Disney World with 2 of my children and 60 or so other teenagers!
Yes, I am chaperoning my children's band!! I am so excited,
I love hanging out with teens and these are some great kids!
PLUS I get to go to Disney!!!!!!!

So, I will not be around this week - please be sure and visit some of the posts that are linked up -we always get such great links!

Thanks for stopping by and linking up and/or just checking out the great real food, soul loving links!

I am looking forward to another great Hop!

Take a few minutes to read our mission and the "rules" if you haven't in awhile - lots of thought and love went into making them.

Mission:

Rules for linking:

Linky will stay open from 10 pm Monday to 11:59 pm Wednesday (Eastern time).

Your Hosts:

A Moderate Life

girlichef

Hunger and Thirst
Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy
Alternative Health and Nutrition News
If you'd like to use a badge, please feel free!

Cheese Stuffed Jumbo Shells

2011-03-20T14:56:00.000-04:00

Sometimes the recipes on the back or sides of boxes are wonderful - and this is one of those times. I basically followed the recipe on the back of the Meijer noodle box for Jumbo Shells. I used to make this all the time and it is a hit at our house. I quit making it when I learned of our different food allergies. A couple weeks ago I made it and it was the most delicious cheesy stuffed shells.

This wasn't just any dinner - we had 15 guests, all high school girls basketball players - and let me tell you that while they are incredibly polite you KNOW if your meal is a hit or not. I have been hosting "team eats" several times a year for 6 years now - I do it for every sport my kids are in - I love it. That night they ate every scrap of food, so I think it was a hit.

I want you to start with the Cheesy filling, then make the meat sauce, and finally boil your noodles - ok?

Cheesy Filling
2 containers of ricotta cheese (about 30 oz)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 cup Romano cheese, grated
8 oz mozzarella cheese, grated
2 frozen spinach cubes - thawed - optional (I cook spinach and then blend it and freeze in icecube trays)
2 eggs, beaten
1 TBS parsley (I used dried but fresh would be better)
salt and pepper

Mix it all in a big bowl with a spoon. Put it in the refrigerator until well chilled. When you are ready to fill the shells put about 1/3 in a big plastic bag - snip the corner off and squeeze like you are frosting a cake.

I then made a homemade meat sauce - to which I added 2 Italian Sausages, cooked in the sauce and then sliced. This could totally be a vegetarian dish if you used a marinara sauce instead -which I have done in the past. I like to serve this on Fridays in Lent.

Boil your noodles in salty water.

You will need 2 casserole dishes - lightly oil them(I used coconut oil but butter or lard would work too). Then put about a half of a cup of your meat sauce in each and spread it around. Place your FILLED shells on the sauce. Pour remaining sauce over the shells and bake for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Serve immediately.

While I haven't done it I am sure this can also be made ahead (up to the point where you cook it) and frozen. It would make a great meal to take to a new mommy!

This makes enough to serve oh, about 8 people - if you are serving 15 basketball players you will want to double the recipe.

I served this with a salad and garlic cheese bread. And for dessert I made my famous strawberry poke the hole cake - truly a most delicious dessert. Its not my recipe, and well, it isn't very healthy - but Dang is it ever delicious.

This could totally be a vegetarian dish if you used a marinara sauce instead -which I have done in the past. I like to serve this on Fridays in Lent.

I am linking this to the Hearth and Soul Hop!

For Japan with Love - Such a little thing we do.

2011-03-17T21:48:00.003-04:00

Because sometimes there is nothing you can say.
Because sometimes we should stand together.
Because sometimes it seems all we can do.
Because sometimes we must get involved.
Because sometimes we should pray.
Because we should always love.
Because sometimes we must donate.

http://forjapanwithlove.com/

Golden Layer Cake - Bittman Style

2011-03-17T20:09:00.002-04:00

It has been forever since I have "tackled Bittman". I love his books - they are set up just the way I love them. Give me a recipe and then show me 27 other variations. It is how I cook generally - IF I use a recipe at all.

Sylvia and I were discussing what we should do for St. Patty's Day - her teacher taught them to make Leprechaun Milk - it is magical and delicious. First you need "spetachio" pudding and some milk - put a little bit in a jar with a lid and shake shake shake - ta da! Leprechaun Milk!!! If you put too much dry mix in the Leprechauns turn it into pudding - true story!!! (I you can't find "Spetachio" you can try Pistachio).

After we had fun with that she wanted to make a green cake. I had to ixnay the green colored cake - just sounded gross but I agreed to make a cake with her. So out came my "How to Cook Everything" by Mark Bittman and on pg 907 was a delicious sounding recipe for Golden Layer Cake. Perfect because we decided it is the gold at the end of my rainbow!! Being that I am a leprechaun and all!

Sylvia helped crack eggs and stir flour, she poured the batter into the pans and frosted it all by herself - a wonderful helper for sure.

I don't know why she is making that face - silly I guess!

Golden Layer Cake - with a hint of orange

10 TBS of butter, softened
2 cups cake or all purpose flour plus a little for flouring the pans
11/4 cups sugar
4 eggs or 8 egg yolks (all yolks will make it yellower and richer)
1 tsp vanilla or 1 TBS grated or minced orange zest - I grated my own
1/4 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup milk

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of two 9" or 3 8" layer cake pans; cover the bottom with a circle of wax or parchment paper, butter the paper, sift flour over the pans; invert and tap to remove the excess flour.

2. Using an electric mixer cream the butter until smooth, then gradually add the sugar. Beat until light in color and fluffy, about 3 or 4 minutes. Beat in eggs one at a time, then the vanilla or orange zest and the almond extract. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; add to the egg mixture by hand , a little at at time, alternating with the milk. Stir just until smooth. (can you guess what I didn't see to do?)

3. Put the batter into the prepared pans and bake until a toothpick inserted int o the center of the cakes comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then invert onto a rack to finish cooling.

4. Frost or glaze. I did a bit of both - I had buttercream icing in the fridge from another snack and I just kept adding frozen oj concentrate until it was thin enough for Sylvia to swirl around. I then grated a little more zest on top for taste and garnish!

This cake is fabulous. I will absolutely be making it again. We aren't huge frosting people and so swirling was better. I used 2 different sized pans and so it had a tiered look and I thought it was lovely - so did Sylvia!!

Because I had all the ingredients this was a very frugal cake for me. Loving it that the chickens are laying!

I am linking this to the Tackling Bittman and His Buddie's Recipe Hop and Simple Lives Thursday
Life as Mom's URS - St. Patrick's Days Feasts
Erin @ Ekat's Friday Potluck

Pan Seared Chicken Thighs w/Beer and Mustard Sauce

2011-03-15T23:20:00.000-04:00

so, I don't know how to garnish - LOL! I was in a hurry!

Judy at Savoring Today a blog I just recently discovered is writing a cookbook.

She wants you and I to help her by testing out recipes

and leaving comments and suggestions on the dish.

She calls it "Test Kitchen Tuesdays".

How fun is that??

I am so glad she linked it through the Hearth and Soul Hop!

Last week the recipe was Pan Seared Chicken Thighs w/Beer and Mustard Sauce. I made it for dinner and followed the recipe exactly except my grocery store didn't have shallots - can you believe that?? So I added 1 leek and a 1/3 of an onion plus I followed another commentors suggestion and added 4 garlic cloves. My family loved it - I will need to double the recipe next time I make it to have enough.

Go check out what other "testers" thought and try out the recipe - or this weeks Irish Beef Stew and Colcannon.

Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Shank Soup

2011-03-15T13:07:00.005-04:00

hello

I have a freezer full of unusual (to me anyways) cuts of meat.

I have shared my adventures with liver and heart and tongue in the past.

The other day I pulled out a package that said "beef shank" a cut I have only used once before.

I was in the mood for a comfort food.

After looking at several recipes for beef shank I decided it would be perfect used in an

"Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Soup".

Or something like

"kitchen sink soup - as in everything but the sink".

Mimi always made a pot of something like this every week or so

with all the leftovers in the refrigerator.

I think this turned out just as delicious.

Don't be afraid of the number of ingredients -

some are optional and all are ones you probably already have.

Old Fashioned Vegetable Beef Shank Soup
aka Kitchen Sink Soup

2 lbs or so of Beef Shank
1TBS Salt
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp pepper
1 bay leaf
3 or 4 garlic cloves peeled and chopped
6 cups beef broth (I used homemade -yum)
1 cup red wine (I used a merlot)
1 small onion - chopped
2 medium potatoes - peeled and cubed
2 turnips - peeled and sliced (optional but yummy)
2 stalks celery - sliced
2 carrots sliced
1 can tomatoes - fire roasted would be good if you have it - with juice (break up if you use whole)
1/2 cup each frozen corn, peas and green beans - or whatever you have
1 cup cooked lentils and 1 cup cooked beans - optional but delicious.
1 cup noodles - I used macaroni - optional too - g/f if you use them or omit this
1TBS Worcestershire sauce

In a large pot - I used my enameled cast iron pot - combine the first 8 ingredients. Simmer, covered for 2 1/2 - 3 hours - until your meat is tender. Remove meat and bay leaf. Cut the meat off the bone and cut into small pieces. There is a lot of fat on this piece that I removed because I know my family wouldn't eat it - but if you like it I am sure it would be delicious. Return to soup, add onion, potatoes, turnips, celery, carrots and tomatoes - cook until carrots are soft - add frozen veggies and lentils and beans macaroni and cook until noodles are almost done. Add the Worcestershire sauce. Remove from heat - it will continue to cook your noodles. You also could cook the noodles separately and add when the soup is done.

When I was done I put that beef bone in the freezer to save to make more beef broth!

I am linking this to the Hearth and Soul Hop, Tuesday Night Supper Club, Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesday.
Foodie Wednesday
and Sunday Night Soup Night!

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop vol. 39

2011-03-14T21:44:00.002-04:00

HEARTH and SOUL HOP!

Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Hop #39!!

Top O' the Mornin' to You!
I love St. Patty's Day - I even have my kids convinced (well when they were little) that I am a leprechaun - true story! It helps that I am 5' tall and have little pointy-ish ears and can talk with an Irish accent! Do you do anything fun to celebrate - green mashed taters or corned beef and cabbage perhaps?

I am looking forward to all the great link - ups! It was an amazing week last week - so many wonderful posts - Thank you!

Be sure to check out the new Hearth and Soul Hop blog.
Right now it holds all of the past hops in one place and our mission statement.
You can still link up through one of the hosts OR you can link there.
It is in its infancy but I envision great things going on there! Click over and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by and linking up and/or just checking out the great real food, soul loving links!

I am looking forward to another great Hop!

Take a few minutes to read our mission and the "rules" if you haven't in awhile - lots of thought and love went into making them.

Mission:

Rules for linking:

Linky will stay open from 10 pm Monday to 11:59 pm Wednesday (Eastern time).

Your Hosts:

A Moderate Life

girlichef

Hunger and Thirst
Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy
Alternative Health and Nutrition News
If you'd like to use a badge, please feel free!

here

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop vol. 38

2011-03-07T22:00:00.005-05:00

HEARTH and SOUL HOP!

Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Hop #38!!

From the very beginning of the Hearth and Soul Hop my dear friend Heather of Girlichef fame has been a creative and driving force to the Hop - we have been very blessed to have her as part of the team. For personal reasons she has decided to step away as a host of our hop - and we will miss her dearly. But we know that this is right for her and we wish her EVERY GOOD THING!!

Be sure to check out the new Hearth and Soul Hop blog.
Right now it holds all of the past hops in one place and our mission statement.
You can still link up through one of the hosts OR you can link there.
It is in its infancy but I envision great things going on there! Click over and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by and linking up and/or just checking out the great real food, soul loving links!

I am looking forward to another great Hop!

Take a few minutes to read our mission and the "rules" if you haven't in awhile - lots of thought and love went into making them.

Mission:

Rules for linking:

Linky will stay open from 10 pm Monday to 11:59 pm Wednesday (Eastern time).

Your Hosts:

A Moderate Life

girlichef

Hunger and Thirst
Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy
Alternative Health and Nutrition News
If you'd like to use a badge, please feel free!

1. MexItalian Pasta Bake at a Moderate Life!

2. Minute Mayonnaise

3. Marinated Flank Steak with Mushroom Cream Sauce

4. Homemade Mocha cake

5. Honeybear Brownies

6. Cook w/ Wild Spruce Fir or Pine Tips

7. “Shunning” Whole Foods, (and you don’t have to be

8. Potpie Empanadas

9. Semi Whole Wheat Pizza

10. Parsley, it's back!

11. Red Beans N Rice

12. SkyFlake Baked Basa

13. Home Made Fried Ravioli

14. Slow Cooker Pot Roast

15. BLT Hummus Wraps

16. Dandelion Fritters

17. Big and Crispy Onion Rings with Zesty Sauce

18. Savory Stuffed Acorn Squash at Create With Joy

19. Cheesy Grass-Fed Meatloaf

20. Swiss Roll. . . Step by step

21. Crepes with Strawberry Compote

22. Cuban Sweet Potato Salad

23. Mango Sorbet

24. Chickpea Cannelloni @ {Rosy ~ Posy}

25. 2 Almond Cookie Recips

26. Roasted Roma Tomato Lasagna

27. Breakthrough Celiac Video

28. Fried Apple Rounds

29. Sloppy Joe Casserole

30. Grain-Free Tuesdays Bloghop

31. Mashed Garnet Yams With Bacon, Chipotle and Pecans

32. Indian Mava Minicakes With Pistachios & Saffron

33. Lentil Soup with Homemade bread

34. Butternut and Quince Chutney

35. Pancakes for Shrove Tuesday

36. Simple Tuna Salad

37. chicken fiesta casserole

38. Mary w/Chicken Tikka Masala

39. Salmon Orzo Salad

40. 9 Pancake & Waffle Recipes

41. Gluten Free Pop Tarts

42. Cannelloni, Barcelona Style

43. Ranch Potato Cubes

44. Of Such is the Kingdom (Food for the Week)

45. Orzo with Fontina Cheese and Peas

46. Asian Vegetables In Garlic Sauce

47. Cheeseburger Pizza

48. Baked Oatmeal

49. Scalloped Potatoes

50. Easiest Ever Butternut Chili @ Analytical Mom

51. Spaghetti and Meatballs @ Sense of Home

52. Kid Friendly Cubed Roots - Hounds in the Kitchen

53. Spruce infused goat cheese

54. Real Food: An Introduction to My New Series

55. Old Fashioned Pear Cake

56. Chicken Chorizo Soup

57. Dr. Laura - Amish Cook's Cherry Coffeecake

58. Moms for Safe Food - Easy Chicken Stew

59. Turkey Sweet Potato Pot Pie

60. Flavorful No Onion No Garlic Meal

61. Stir-Fry Broccoli

62. Corn and Spinach Soup

63. Catalina Cranberry Chicken

64. French Rye bread

65. Coconut Banana Pancakes

66. Ground Turkey (Rice Dish & Meatloaf Roll)

67. Confetti Cupcakes

68. Cod Stuffed Collard Leaves or Pseudolmades

69. Kicked Up Black-Eyed Pea and Pasta Salad

70. Steamed Baby Bok Choy

71. Deep Fried Pork Wonton

72. Fight Childhood Obesity: Fit Foodista Giveaway!

73. Real Food for Dogs

74. Serbian flat bread

75. Black Bean Hummus

76. Foraging Wild Mustard- Penniless Parenting

77. Kerala-Style Edamame Curry

78. Crispy Honey Roast Pork Belly (vids of results!)

79. How to turn soup into gluten-free sauce!

80. Test Kitchen Tuesdays: Savoring Today

81. Rendering Lard

82. Slow Cooker Coconut Chicken Curry

83. Beef jerky with eggs for breakfast

84. Green Beans with Creamy Mustard Sauce - Martha

85. Peanutty Chicken

86. Corniest Corn Muffins

87. Bengan Bhartha - Indian Curried Eggplant

88. Beignets

89. Butterfly Garden Party & Recipes

90. Mexican Omelette ~ Family Tested & Kid Approved!!

91. Almond Oatmeal Cookies (vegan)

92. Avocado Onion Salad

93. Blueberry Muffins & Lemon Compound Butter

94. California Chicken and Avocado Rolls

95. Tres Leches Cake

96. Chickn & Mushroom Pasta in Creamy Sherry Sauce

97. Vegan Kale Pesto

98. Thai Beef with Chilies & Coconut Rice

99. ratatouille

100. Chicken Cutlets with Prosciutto

This linky list is now closed.

Get your own Linky Tools here...

Hearty Split Pea Soup

2011-03-01T09:22:00.001-05:00

I know I have mentioned it before that I HEART soup.

In a big way.

Sadly my family is not so in love.

Especially when I am serving them a soup that looks kind of like newborn baby poo.

So tonight I enticed them by first making the soup and letting the smell of sauteing onions and garlic fill the house.

Then a little later after the soup was fully made I began frying bacon.
Oh, the tantalizing smell of bacon brought them one by one into the kitchen.
"What's for dinner? What smell so good?" they asked.

"Split Pea Soup and BLT's".

After they all gathered and prayed I served them a small bowl of soup and told them when they were done they could make their sandwiches.

They were all a little hesitant at first.

Remember it looks like poo.

But slowly I began to hear comments like

"this is actually really good."

and "wow, I thought this was going to be gross but I like it."

Now no one had seconds - there were sandwiches to be eaten but I can and will serve it again.

I plan to freeze the rest in single servings for my own lunch.

Hearty Split Pea Soup

Ingredients

1 lb (2 1/4 cups) green split peas
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 large leeks, chopped
2 large carrot, chopped
1 turnip, chopped - optional but yummy!
4 cloves of garlic,minced
2 well-rinsed ham hocks or 1 cup cut up ham bits leftover from another time
Salt and Pepper
1/4 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp basil
1tsp smokey paprika
juice of 1 lemon

1 Pick over the peas and remove any stones. Wash and drain peas. Cover with 8 cups of water and 1 TBS vinegar. Let soak over night.
2. Chop up veggies, saute in large pot - I use my dutch oven - in 1TBS butter and 1TBS coconut oil until veggies begin to soften. Add garlic and cook a minute or two longer.
3. Add 8 cups of liquid - I used chicken broth, and let it get hot and add your drained peas. Add in your seasonings. Bring to a simmer. Cover loosely and simmer about 1 1/2 hours, or until peas are tender, stirring occasionally so that they don't stick to the bottom of the pan.
4. Remove the ham hocks. Purée the soup with a blender. If you are using a regular blender, take care to work in batches and only fill the blender halfway if the soup is still hot, and hold down the lid while blending.I like to use the immersion blender because you can only do half and get a rustic look.
5. Return the purée to the pot and heat to serve. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Squeeze a lemon and add to the pot - it gives a fresh flavor.
If you want, don't discard the ham hocks, but cut away the outer skin and remove the meat from the bones. Dice the meat and serve with the soup. I just added a cup or so of bits of ham from the freezer.

Warning: Don't do what I did (well you can if you want - I will do it again) and put the chopped ham in at the beginning - I had to pick it out of the soup to blend it because I wanted the taste of the ham to permeate the soup but also wanted the chunks after it was blended. I am sure you can just add the ham in after you blend and it will still taste delicious.

One of the nice things about this soup is because it will be blended in the end you don't need to chop your veggies nicely - just whack them up smallish and they will be fine. It is a super easy meal and could really be made in the crockpot - I just would saute the veggies first because it gives the soup such great flavor.

Another delicious soup my kids like is Shorabat Addas (lentil soup) although they call it mush soup. Split pea is similar in texture and look but has its own yummy deliciousness.

I am sharing this with the fabulous Hearth and Soul Hop hosted by Moi and 4 other amazing hosts along with the following carnivals.
Christy at Fudge Ripples Tuesday Night Supper Club
Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesday

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop vol. 37

2011-02-28T21:36:00.001-05:00

HEARTH and SOUL HOP!

Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Hop #37!!

Be sure to check out the new Hearth and Soul Hop blog.
Right now it holds all of the past hops in one place and our mission statement.
You can still link up through one of the hosts OR you can link there.
It is in its infancy but I envision great things going on there! Click over and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by and linking up and/or just checking out the great real food, soul loving links!

I am looking forward to another great Hop!

Take a few minutes to read our mission and the "rules" if you haven't in awhile - lots of thought and love went into making them.

Mission:

Rules for linking:

Linky will stay open from 10 pm Monday to 11:59 pm Wednesday (Eastern time).

Your Hosts:

A Moderate Life

girlichef

Hunger and Thirst
Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy
Alternative Health and Nutrition News
If you'd like to use a badge, please feel free!

1. 8 Great Rose Hip Recipes @ Hunger and Thirst

2. English Savory Minced Meat at a moderate life!

3. Pumpkin Spice Egg Puffs

4. Easy Beef Roll

5. Snack-time with Savory Chickpea Rolls ( Khandvi )

6. Methi Thepla/ Fenugreek Flat bread

7. Greek Penne Pasta

8. Pantry Special - Pizza Sauce

9. Jelly Bean Biscotti

10. Chicken Vindaloo

11. Mexican Egg Salad with lime avocado Wraps

12. Sweet Dill Pickles

13. Chocolate Lace Cornucopias

14. Lemon Broccoli Chicken

15. Luscious Lemon Curd

16. White Lasagna

17. Healthy Blueberry and Macadamia Nut Muffins

18. Zuppa Toscana @ The Woodwife's Journal

19. Losing Creek Farm - Piggie Pasta GF

20. Mary w/Roasted Veggie Lasagna

21. Hearty Lemon and Chicken Bruschetta with Hummus

22. Spicy Lentil Burritos @ {Rosy ~ Posy}

23. Tuscan Bean and Tomato Soup

24. Comfort Zone

25. Malibu Chicken

26. Homemade Granola. . . Easy, Addictive, Affordable!!

27. health at every size @ chicken tender

28. “Death, White & Sweet”, or, “I Thought Hippies Were Nuts"

29. Grain-Free Tuesdays Bloghop

30. Waste Less Part 2

31. Almond Cherry Granola

32. Grilled Fish Fillets with Watercress Mustard & Tarragon

33. Crackers

34. Gluten-Free Coconut Banana Pancakes

35. Fish Tacos

36. CSA Time

37. balancing meal time

38. Banana Bread

39. Mom's Chicken Divan

40. Vegetarian King Ranch Casserole

41. St. Patty's Day Muffins

42. Winnie @ Healthy Green Kitchen (Potato Kale Frittata)

43. Pizza Margherita

44. My Mom's Contribution!

45. Sloppy Rich Burgers

46. Sweet Potato Bagels with Cinnamon Cream Cheese

47. Hearty Split Pea Soup @ frugalcrunchychristy

48. Spaghetti and Spaghetti Squash in a Lemon Garlic Sauce

49. Steamed Sweet Buns

50. March MADness w/ Mad Housewife Wines

51. Blueberry King Cake

52. Baked Honey Mustard Chicken

53. Porterhouse Steaks with Smashed Beet Salad

54. Green Tea Miso Soup

55. Spanish Style Black Bean Soup

56. 10 Favorite Soups & Stews

57. Sauteed Rainbow Chard w/ Red Wine Pasta

58. Cran-Apple Sauce

59. Strawberry Chipotle Glazed Grilled Chicken

60. Bran-Apple Pancakes

61. Tri Colour Pasta in Spinach Sauce

62. Cutie Brownie Buttons

63. Panna Cotta

64. Magic Sweet Potato Muffins

65. Fast & Easy Kid's Breakfast-Gluten Free

66. Pasta with shrimp and cilantro-lime pesto

67. Spiced and curried Salmon

68. Muesli @ Sense of Home

69. Party Foods - 4 Recipes

70. Myrtle berry and rosehip candies- Penniless Parenting

71. pizza spaghetti

72. Switching from Canned Beans to Dried @ Analytical Mom

73. Peruvian Garlic-Lime Chicken

74. Four Warming Spices for Winter Baking

75. Blueberry Blintzes

76. Lemon Herb Roasted Chicken

77. Thai Style Red Beef Curry

78. Butterscotch Banana Bread

79. Greek Lemon-Chicken Soup (GLUTEN FREE, DAIRY FREE)

80. Strawberry shortcake

81. Apple Squares

82. Thai Peanut Sauce for Stir-Fry

83. Banana Walnut Cookies (Andreas Kitchen)

84. Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip

85. Yumm Sauce!

86. Roasted Golden Beet Salad

87. Starbucks Pumpkin Scones

88. Strawberry Tiramisu

89. Yellow Eyed Beans Curry

90. Nutella Cookies (Eggless)

91. Tomato Bruschetta

92. Panzerotti

93. Pork and Cauliflower Hash

94. Alicia Silverstone Cookie

95. Meringues - Bell Cookies

96. Homemade Cultured Butter

97. Smoked Paprika Club with Roased Red Pepper

98. Cranberry-Nut Rolls

This linky list is now closed.

Get your own Linky Tools here...

Beef Heart Stew - For even the faint of heart!

2011-02-21T22:05:00.003-05:00


This tastes way better than it looks - and my son wasn't going to wait to eat for me to set up a shot!

All I can think of is that there must be a conspiracy. That there is a small group of people who are hoarding all the heart. They spread the false rumor that heart is gross. That kids won't eat it. That it is hard to cook. Why? So they can have it all to themselves. Oh, I am pretty sure this is happening.

Remember when I snuck a little heart in the not so sloppy joes? And no one noticed? Well I found some more heart in the freezer but just didn't want to make it that way. I have ground it and put it in ice cube trays and then added it to beef dishes. I didn't want to do that this time - I wanted to really eat it. So, I googled, and swagged and looked all over the internet for recipes for beef heart. There really aren't that many - I think it is all a part of the conspiracy.

The consensus to cooking heart is you either need to cook it fast - just moments on each side and pink in the center OR to cook it long and low and slow. I choose the second option to feed my family. I wanted it to be a little bit more disguised. I did tell anyone who asked that it was heart but asked them to keep the information to themselves. I have a reeeeaaaaalllllyyyy picky teenager who wouldn't even try it if she knew - although she watched me make it she never guessed it was heart LOL!! (She knows I serve cuts like this, she would just rather not know that is what she was eating.)

When I was browning the little cubes of heart I took a couple out that had been cooked just a bit - rare - and tasted them. Be.Still.My.Beating.Heart. They were amazing. I didn't think it tasted odd at all. Just like a rare filet mignon. Next time I cook just for my husband I will make us heart steaks - yummo!!

So, if you are a part of the conspiracy - I have blown your cover. This meal was devoured by my family and I can't wait to make it again!

Ingredients

2 lbs beef heart
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
salt and pepper to taste (lots of pepper)
3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves garlic chopped small
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 potatoes, chopped
1 leek, chopped into moons and rinsed well
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 cup beef broth (I used vegetable because it is what I had)
1/2 cup red wine

Directions

Wash the heart and remove any fat and arteries. Slice the heart in half, then slice it into 1/2 inch thick slices.
Put the flour and salt and pepper in a bowl and then dredge the heart in flour and season with salt and pepper.
Heat the butter in large dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the heart slices and cook for 30 to 45 seconds per side.Do in batches - you don't want to crowd them.
Eat a couple to be sure they are delicious and "not poisonous." (I always do this with anything that tastes amazing)
Stir in the onion, carrots, potatoes, leek, thyme, beef broth and wine. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for at least 90 minutes. Serve.

In case you are wondering why we would eat heart -besides the awesome taste this is why:

Heart is an excellent source of a number of nutrients, including thiamin, folate, selenium, phosphorus, zinc, CoQ10 and several of the B vitamins. In addition, beef heart contains amino acids that are thought to improve metabolism and compounds that promote the production of collagen and elastin (thin and wrinkle free? Sign me up!)

This is just another step on our adventure to eat all the cuts of meat we got when we bought a quarter of a cow (or 3) we have cooked and eaten the tongue and the liver and now the heart.

So tell me, do you cook "unusual" cuts of meat? Does your family like it?

Oh, and if you think my dish is way out there - check out the Head Cheese my dear friend ButterpoweredBike has cooked up for us!

I am linking this to the Hearth and Soul Hop and
Tuesday Night Supper Club @ Fudge Ripple
Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesday

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop vol. 36

2011-02-21T22:00:00.001-05:00

HEARTH and SOUL HOP!

Welcome to the Hearth and Soul Hop #36!!

Every so often my AMAZING co-hosts come up with great ideas to make this Hop the most Happening Party on the Web - and once again we have a WINNER!!
Heather of Girlichef fame has made the Hearth and Soul Hop its own blog.
This will be the Hub for all things connected to the Hearth and Soul Hop.
Right now it holds all of the past hops in one place and our mission statement.
You can still link up through one of the hosts OR you can link there.
It is in its infancy but I envision great things going on there! Click over and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by and linking up and/or just checking out the great real food, soul loving links!

I am looking forward to another great Hop!

Take a few minutes to read our mission and the "rules" if you haven't in awhile - lots of thought and love went into making them.

Mission:

Rules for linking:

Linky will stay open from 10 pm Monday to 11:59 pm Wednesday (Eastern time).

Your Hosts:

A Moderate Life

girlichef

Hunger and Thirst
Frugality and Crunchiness with Christy
Alternative Health and Nutrition News
If you'd like to use a badge, please feel free!

here

1. Whole wheat hamburger buns at a moderate life!

2. Vegetarian Tofu Stew

3. Southwestern Butternut Squash

4. Asian Meatballs with Sesame Rice

5. Making Head Cheese @ Hunger and Thirst

6. Delicious Tender Coconut Pudding

7. Beef Heart Stew for the faint of heart @ frugalcrunchychristy

8. The Sourdough Debacle!

9. South Indian lemon rice

10. Thai Chicken and Vegetable Curry

11. Moroccan Chicken and Root Vegetable Stew @ Sense of Home

12. Cheddar Chive Cornmeal Waffles

13. Asian Pasta Salad (Vegan)

14. Sausage Omelets

15. A different and delicious cornbread

16. Hush Puppies from Bibberche

17. Asparagus Risotto

18. Aromatic Rice Pudding With Screw Pine Water & Foxnuts

19. Bruschetta with Spinach Pasta Topping

20. Papdi Chaat/Tangy- spicy Indian street food

21. Sausage and Balsamic Roast Shallot Pasta

22. Food Floozie: Red 'n' Black Bean Enchiladas

23. Grain-Free Tuesdays Bloghop

24. Chocolate chip Shortbread.

25. Foraging Pine Nuts- Revisited- Penniless Parenting

26. Just look at this gorgeous milk! @ chicken tender

27. Troy's Oatmeal

28. Pasta with leeks and bacon

29. I'm Becoming My Mother Just Throw It Together Dinner

30. Adobong Balut -peachkins

31. Tomato and basil SUNSHINE soup

32. Aubree Cherie (Lentil Curry Soup)

33. Grilled Eggplant, Onion, & Red Pepper Stuffed Bread

34. Butter Me Up, Baby

35. Mushroom Lamb Chops

36. Low Country Boil

37. Asian Baked Salmon

38. Roasted Cauliflower

39. Tips to Living Longer & Healthier

40. Blueberry Coffee Cake-Gluten and Dairy Free

41. Vanilla~Blueberry Cupcakes

42. Of Such is the Kingdom (Food Remixing)

43. Whole Wheat Molasses Bread @ Mo'Betta

44. Slow Cooker "Chicken" Posole

45. Pumpkin Cupcakes

46. Mac and Cheese Homemade

47. Mary w/Chicken Chow Mein

48. Spicy Yogurt Chicken 2 Ways

49. Dr. Laura - Cake Class

50. New England Clam Chowder

51. Pesto Pita Pizza

52. Flatbread Pizza with Figs, Goat Cheese & Spinach

53. Baked Tilapia Cakes

54. Lentil Rice Soup

55. Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp & Goat Cheese

56. Artisanal Root Beer Baked Beans

57. ANIMAL INSTINCT PIE

58. Gluten Free Breakfast Tacos (Mexican style)

59. Tempura and Hiyashi Soba

60. African Curried Coconut Soup with Chickpeas

61. Chicken Cacciatore (Andreas Kitchen)

62. Mango Lassi/Mango Yogurt smoothie

63. Blood Orange Layer Cake & Marscapone Filling

64. Making Yogurt: Getting Started @ Analytical Mom

65. Chocolate Topped Butter Mochi

66. The BEST cornbread!

67. Tofu Omelets @ Chez Cayenne

68. Slow Cooker Honey Chipotle Pulled Pork

69. Vegan Specials

70. Beer Cheese Dip from Hounds in the Kitchen

71. Nanas Lemak (pineapple curry in coconut cream)

72. The “Teeth-Rotting Diet” – It’s What’s For YOUR Lunch

73. Creamy Cheesy Corn Grits with Ham

74. Lemon Yogurt Cake

75. Roasted Chicken Enchiladas @ Big Mama, Little Mouths

76. Chasing Supermom Red Velvet Cookies

77. Spiced Breakfast Bulgur w/Fruit & Almonds-Kahakai Kitchen

78. Meyer Lemon Olive Oil Cake

79. Onion Soup Mix, Homemade, Low Sodium

80. Radical Lasagna

81. Brown Rice Pilaf with chicken

82. Mexican Cooking Utensils and a Giveaway!

83. Video/Recipe: Gluten-free, Grain-free Crêpes

84. Easy Kale Salad with Grapes, Cranberries & Pecans

85. Jalapeno Popper Dip

This linky list is now closed.

Get your own Linky Tools here...

We've Got Eggs!!

2011-02-19T12:46:00.000-05:00


Eggs from OUR chickens!!

After my whine session the other day about my chickens not laying

today the girls went out and found

not one or two or three or four or even five but SIX eggs in the coop!

WOOHOO!

And if you are wondering about how to serve eggs I have a great post that gives over 25 ways to prepare them!

Hashbrowns with Sausage and Peppers

2011-02-18T13:46:00.001-05:00

I found a gadget in my parents garage that has changed the way I view hashbrowns. It is no longer "too much trouble to make" as a matter of fact with the shredder attachment for my Kitchenaid makes it down right simple.

I'm guest-posting today at Alea's blog, Premeditated Leftovers. Please come on over to her wonderful blog and read how simple it is to make delicious hashbrowns that with the sausage and peppers I added are filling enough to be dinner! You will want to take a few minutes at least and look around she has tons of great stuff there.

(I feel like such a big girl blogger now - guest posting and all! )

Yukon Gold Potato and Leek Soup

2011-02-15T12:01:00.003-05:00

It seems like forever since I have posted a recipe. I have been in a rut. I know part of the reason is all my sources of great real food have dried up - the chickens aren't laying (and my backup sold their chickens) my source of raw milk sold their cow AND my source for good beef up and moved. How rude of everyone don't you think??
I am now back to conventional sources for eggs and milk and beef - SOB!!!!

But we have to eat. Everyday. Usually 3 times at least. And so I continue on, cooking with less than ideal food. I have come to terms with it - I am doing the best that I can and that is all that is asked of me.

Monday, Wednesday and Fridays my oldest daughter is home for lunch. She is like her mother and likes something warm, something prepared - not a sandwich unless it is a cheese toasty. We often have soup. There is just something so comforting about soup in the winter. Could be that I keep the house COLD and it is a wonderful warmer! This soup fits the bill perfectly. This should make around 6 normal servings or 3 hungry size servings.

Yukon Gold Potato and Leek Soup

2 TBS butter (REAL)

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 cups well cleaned and diced leeks - white part only (about 3)

3 to 4 Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced

3 to 4 thyme sprigs or 1 tsp dried

1 bay leaf

6 cups homemade chicken broth

1/2 cup heavy cream

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

garnish - with a bit of sour cream

Melt the butter in large dutch oven, add leeks and cook for 5 -10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook for a minute more. Next add the potatoes, thyme, and chicken broth. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for about 25 minutes. (remove bay leaf and thyme if using fresh) Partially mash the potatoes with a potato masher or your immersion blender. Stir in cream and serve.

I am linking this to the Hearth and Soul Hop hosted by myself and 4 other amazing bloggers!
Dr. Laura's Tasty Tuesday's.
Christy @ Fudge Ripple's Tuesday Night Supper Club
Amy @ Simply Sugar and Gluten Free's Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays

Quick Birthday Savings Tip

2011-02-15T08:11:00.004-05:00

This is a quick, frugal and earthy crunchy tip - the next time you have a birthday party for one of your children, save the hats.

Yes, that's it.

Save the hats.

We have about 15 miscellaneous hat that we haul out for every birthday.

We pick our favorite and wear them for the 5 minutes it takes to sing and get pictures.

Then I stack them back up and put them back in the closet.

Some of our hats are at least 12 years old.

The newest ones are 5 years old.

No one really cares if they have a used Winnie the Pooh hat - just that we are wearing hats.

Lets see the savings: 9 people x 12 years plus 1 person 5 years = that is 113 birthday parties x we'll say $4 a package? = (remember they come in pkgs of 8 and we always need 2)

So that is a grand total savings of.....drumroll please......$1108.00!!!!

That doesn't even take into consideration that these are usually only one use purchases and would have been pitched - we saved 1808 party hats from the trash.

So, if you are just starting out - buy one package for girls and one for boys and you are set for a VERY long time!!! OR if you want to be uber frugal, the next time you are at a party ask the hostess if she minds if you have hers - instead of pitching them. Then they are FREE!

P.S. It goes without saying that we reuse the number candles over and over and over again!!

This totally Works for Me (Wed @ We are THAT family)