Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows

I had so much fun making the marshmallows, I decided to dress them up a bit for Christmas!


Ingredients:

• 1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
• homemade marshmallows
  

Toppings:

• sweetened flaked coconut
• 2 candy canes or peppermint candies
• walnuts (or any nut you like)

Directions

Double boiler: I used a small saucepan with about 2 inches of water hand got it boiling on the stove. Then I set a medium sized stainless steel bowl on top of the pan, making sure the water wasn't touching the bowl. Add the package of chocolate chips and stir until melted completely. Dip the top of the marshmallows in the chocolate and set upright no a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Top with any topping that sounds good to you. These were a hit and really tasty! Of course you could do the same with store bought marshmallows to dress them up for a party. Hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and are looking forward to the new year to come!

Much love!

e

Homemade Marshmallows

I have found my new favorite Christmas treat! Homemade marshmallows! I have had so much fun making them the past few days and trying out different recipes. While most of the recipes I found are pretty much the same, there are a host of different flavors you can make. So far I've made peppermint and vanilla. They have turned out great and it's so fun to do something other than cookies or fudge! Make sure you have a candy thermometer (I'm borrowing one from my grandmother-in-law :)). My poor Kitchen Aid mixer is tuckered out...I'm making more as I type! :)


Ingredients

• 3 packages unflavored gelatin
  
• 1 cup ice cold water, divided
• 12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
• 1 cup light corn syrup (Karo or generic)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (optional-I didn't use it because I didn't have any)
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or peppermint)
  
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar
• Nonstick spray

**red gel food coloring

Directions

Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixture on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

Lightly spray an 8x8 pan with cooking or baking spray and dust with powdered sugar, tapping out the excess.

With a greased spatula, scoop mixture into pan and flatten out the top the best you can. **For the peppermint marshmallows, drop about 7 drops of red gel food coloring on top and swirl into marshmallows with a knife**. Let marshmallow mixture set and cool for at least 4 hours.

After 4 hours, turn out mixture onto a heavily powdered sugared surface. With a greased knife, cut marshmallows into 1 inch squares (they will be 2 inches tall in the 8x8 pan so you'll have to cut them half), making sure to dust each side with powdered sugar to prevent them from sticking to you, each other and any other surface they can find to stick to!

Stay tuned for chocolate dipped marshmallows coming soon to a foodie blog near you! :)

Enjoy!

e

Vegetarian French Onion Soup

After a cold snowy day and delivering Christmas goodies to the neighbors, French Onion soup sounded good. Most French onion soups are made with beef broth. I just replace it with vegetable broth. The soup is lighter than the traditional, but still yummy. We even got some Jarlsberg cheese to broil on top! Perfect way to end the night!

Ingredients

• 2 quarts vegetable broth
• 2 pounds yellow onions, peeled and thinly sliced (about 6-7 medium size, no need to be too precise)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
• Salt & pepper
• Loaf of French bread, cut in one-inch slices
• ½ pound Gruyere cheese, shredded or sliced

Directions

1. Heat the oil in the pot over medium heat.
2. Add the onions to the hot pot and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The onions should become soft but not yet browned.
3. Add the sugar, salt, and pepper, and continue cooking for about 20 minutes. Stir frequently and lower the heat if necessary to avoid burning the onions. They should be golden brown and soft. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
   
4. Add the garlic and broth and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat and simmer for at least 15 minutes. You can keep the soup warm on the stove until ready to broil and serve, or allow it to cool and keep it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
6. When ready to serve, heat the broiler (we used the broil setting on our toaster oven and it worked great!) and ladle the soup into individual oven-safe bowls.
7. Top each bowl with a layer of bread and cover the bread with the cheese.
   
8. Heat under the broiler until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown.

Enjoy!

Chocolate Krinkle Cookies

2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
2-3/4 tsp baking powder
1-1/8 cups shortening or butter (I use butter flavored shortening)
2-3/4 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
6 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together the shortening, sugar and cocoa for about 4 minutes or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla and beat until well blended. Gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and mix only until combined. chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Drop the dough by the tablespoon (I use a small ice cream scoop) into the powdered sugar and roll until well coated. Place on greased cookie sheets (I cover sheets with parchment so I don't have to grease them--easier clean up!) and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Do not over bake. Loosen the cookies from the pan while still warm.I LOVE my stacking cooling racks! So great for a small kitchen!

Enjoy!
e

Homemade Granola

I got this recipe from a lady at our church. She is super frugal and told me this recipe would make a lot. I decided it would be good to make it and give it out this year with my soup jars! It's very honey-y, but delicious! You can add pretty much any kind of dried fruit or nuts you want to it when it's cooled. I used golden raisins, sliced almonds, and chopped dates. I also used local honey!

Ingredients

10 cups cornflakes (or do 1/2 cornflakes, 1/2 rice crispies)
10 cups regular or quick oats (I used regular)
2 cups coconut (optional-I did)
1 Tbsp + 2 tsp cinnamon
1-1/2 cups wheat germ (optional-I didn't)

Mix the above in a very large bowl (preferably one that can go in the oven-like stainless steel)

In another bowl mix:
1-1/4 cup brown sugar
1-2/3 cup oil

Then add:
1-1/4 cup honey (add honey last or you will have a sugary ball of goo that won't mix well. believe me...) :)

Stir all together. Bake in bowl at 250 degrees F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes (the granola stays moist if you bake it in the bowl instead of a cookies sheet, but if you don't have an oven safe bowl, a cookie sheet works fine...just make sure it's big!)

Once the mixture is cooled you can add a total of 5 cups of fruits, nuts or whatever you like. Here's an example:
2-1/2 cups raisin/ craisins
1-1/4 cup dried apricots, or other dried fruit
1-1/4 cup slivered/chopped almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, etc.

Enjoy!

e

Minestrone Soup Jar Mix

I decided that this year I would try to make some homemade Christmas gifts for our wonderful neighbors. Instead of the typical plate of baked goodies, I decided to mix things up a bit. Dry soup mix recipes are all over the internet. One of my favorite soups is Minestrone and this recipe seemed pretty good. They were really easy to put together. For a more vegetarian soup, skip the beef bouillon and use veggie bouillon if you can find it or just use veggie broth instead of water. This makes a great hand made gift for any food lover! I'm giving these jars out with a bag of Homemade Granola.

Ingredients:
¼ cup red lentils ( I used regular lentils which are green)
¼ cup green split peas
¼ cup barley
1/3 cup beef bouillon powder
2 tbsp. parsley flakes
3 tbsp. onion flakes
1/3 tsp. thyme
1/3 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. basil
approximately ¼ cup alpabet macaroni ( used mini star pasta and orzo when I ran out of the stars--Barilla brand--I think they're more cute and appropriate for the season!)

Directions:
In a two-cup jar, layer from bottom in the order given, then seal the jar.

Include these instructions on your gift tag:
In a very large saucepan combine 8 to 10 cups of water, a 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes, and soup mix. Add 2 chopped carrots, and 2 to 4 chopped potatoes (optional: 2 cups chopped cabbage). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for one hour or until peas are tender. Enjoy!

I made labels on the computer with blank shipping labels for the directions and used some pieces of fabric and an elastic bow to dress up the jar a bit. Try using Christmas-y fabric. I would have if I hadn't have been so lazy. :)Cheers!
e

Peanut Butter Banana Bread

I found this recipe in one of my Cooking Light magazine. I've been wanting to try it out and with time to focus more on food and less on papers, I finally had time to try it out. This was my first go at some holiday baking. Two thumbs up! I substituted the yogurt with applesauce. Enjoy!

Ingredients

• Bread:
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
• 1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 2 tablespoons chopped dry-roasted peanuts
• Cooking spray
• Glaze:
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon 1% low-fat milk
• 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare bread, combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until blended.

3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through allspice) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Stir in nuts. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool.

4. To prepare glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, and 1 tablespoon peanut butter in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle glaze over bread.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's been a while, but a holiday that is celebrated with family and food calls for a blog post of my family's Thanksgiving Dinner. Everyone had something to contribute this year, even though my dad and I usually handle most of the food. Here's a quick look at our menu:

Turkey ( of course)
Mashed potatoes with chives
Sourdough stuffing & Mom's traditional stuffing
Savory Stuffed Pumpkin with Gruyere & Bacon
Citrus Green Beans with pine nuts
Orange Coconut Crescent Rolls

Nantucket Cranberry Pie
Pecan Spice Cake with Maple Frosting
Sweet Stuffed Pumpkin with Apples & Golden Raisins

Needless to say we were stuffed! Actually, as of right now we haven't even touched the desserts. I'm sure I'll take a break while writing to sample some! :) The hit of the dinner was the pièce de résistance, David's Savory Stuffed Pumpkin. A few weeks back he heard about this French recipe on NPR one afternoon and thought it would be fun to try. I have a feeling that it might just become a new family tradition for Thanksgiving! So, let's start with the stuffed pumpkin!

Here's the link (I'm too lazy to type the whole recipe)

Stuffed Pumpkin

Hanna preparing the pumpkins
So YUMMY!!!
Hubby is proud of his pumpkins (and his kilt apron!)
My husband and sister, Hanna making their pumpkins

Citrus Green Beans w/ Pine nuts

Ingredients

• 1 lb green beans

• 1 shallot, sliced

• 1 Tbsp oil

• salt & pepper

• 1 tsp grated orange peel

• 1 Tbsp orange juice

• 3 Tbsp. pine nuts

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add green beans and cook for 2 minutes. Drain. In a large skillet, add oil and coat the bottom of the pan. Add shallot, beans, orange peel and juice. Stir to coat. Cook for 2-4 minutes or until desired done-ness of beans. Add toasted pine nuts as a garnish to beans.

Pecan Spice Cake w/ Maple Frosting

Ingredients

• Cake:
• Cooking spray
• 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
• 9 ounces all-purpose flour (about 2 cups)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash of ground cloves
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• Frosting:
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Dash of salt
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare cake, coat 2 (8-inch) round metal cake pans with cooking spray. Line bottoms of pans with wax paper; coat with cooking spray. Dust each pan with 1 teaspoon flour. Weigh or lightly spoon 9 ounces flour (about 2 cups) into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 9 ounces flour, baking soda, and next 4 ingredients (through cloves), stirring well with a whisk.

3. Place 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter in a large mixing bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture and beating just until combined. Fold in 1/3 cup pecans. Divide batter evenly between prepared pans.

4. Bake at 350° for 24 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes on wire racks. Invert cake layers onto racks; cool completely. Discard wax paper.

5. To prepare frosting, place 1/2 cup brown sugar, heavy whipping cream, maple syrup, 1 tablespoon butter, and dash of salt in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil, stirring just until sugar dissolves. Cook 3 minutes, without stirring. Scrape brown sugar mixture into a bowl. Add powdered sugar; beat with a mixer at high speed 2 minutes or until slightly cooled and thick. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Place 1 cake layer on a plate. Spread about 3/4 cup frosting evenly over 1 layer; top with second layer. Spread remaining frosting over sides and top of cake; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons pecans. Let the cake stand until frosting sets.

As you can see, we focused more on the food than the table decorations. We tend to decorate with the food. :) Maybe next year we'll take some pointers from our friend Mindy. Check out her Interior Design blog: Design Inspiration. Mindy definitely has talent and is a pretty loyal follower of my blog. I do food, she does design...maybe we could start a business? :)

What a wonderful Thanksgiving it was this year. I can't begin to describe all of the many blessings that I have received this year. All of it was made possible by our Savior. I am so thankful for my faith, my family and friends. A special thank you to my husband, whom I love greatly and greatly appreciate his support through all of the craziness of life. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone and God Bless!

e

Butternut Squash Soup

This is one of our favorite soups in the fall and winter. We had a great crop of butternut squash in our garden this year. I've made this several times this fall and I'm sure there is more to come! I think we still have 6 left in the basement! :)

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium carrot, chopped
• 2 medium potatoes, cubed
• 1 medium butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
• 1 (32 fluid ounce) container vegetable broth
  
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Direction:

1. Melt the butter in a large pot, and cook the onion, celery, carrot, potatoes, and squash 5 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour in enough of the chicken stock to cover vegetables. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover pot, and simmer 40 minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.
2. Transfer the soup to a blender, and blend until smooth. Return to pot, and mix in any remaining stock to attain desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper.

So simple, so easy, so yummy!Just a little laugh. David made an "old man smiley face" with the bread and cheese. Gotta love my hubby! :)

Blessings,
e

**recipe from allrecipes.com Butternut Squash Soup II

French Baguettes

A few weeks back I made French Baguettes for a supper with some friends. I hadn't made bread in a long time. If I had more time on my hands right now, I would love to bake more. Maybe I'll have some time over Thanksgiving or Christmas Break. I am so busy right now and I've really neglected my blog. It will probably be like this for a while. I'll post when I can, but I'm forgoing the weekly menu for now. I still make a menu, but I just don't always have the time to post. Here's the baguette recipe!

Ingredients

• 5-1/2 to 6 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 packages active dry yeast
• 1-1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cups warm water (120 to 130 degrees)
• Cornmeal
• 1 egg white, slightly beaten
• 1 Tbsp water

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together 2 cups of the flour, the yeast and salt. Add the 2 cups warm water to the flour mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping bowl constantly. Beat on high speed for 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (8 to 10 minutes total). Shape dough into a ball. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease dough surface. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double in size (about 1 hour or less if you used quick rise yeast).
3. Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in fourths. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. While dough is resting, lightly grease two baking sheets or four baguette pans; sprinkle with cornmeal. roll each dough portion in to a 14x5 or 16x5-inch rectangle. Roll up, starting from a long side; seal well. If desired, pinch and slightly pull ends to taper them. Place shaped dough, seam sides down , on prepared baking sheets or baguette pans. In a small bowl, stir together egg white and the 1 Tablespoon water. Brush some of the egg white mixture over loaf tops. Let rise until nearly double in size.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a sharp knife, make three or four diagonal cuts about 1/4 inch deep across each loaf top. Bake for 20 minutes. Brush again with some of the egg white mixture. Continue baking for 10-20 minutes more or until bread sounds hollow when lightly tapped. Immediately remove loaves from baking sheet. Cool on wire racks.

Enjoy!

e

A Truly Manic Monday Menu

Wow, what a crazy day! Unfortunately for me not the good kinda crazy. We copped out and ate at DP Dough in Downtown (I refuse to call it "Uptown") Normal tonight. Fantastic calzones! Then it was off to Meijer for the weekly groceries. I'm fighting a nasty cold, so this week's menu reflects my desire for minimal effort cooking. :)

Monday: Out
Tuesday: Gnocchi with zucchini
Wednesday: Butternut Squash soup
Thursday: Loaded Baked Potatoes
Friday: Paninis

I'll try to still put a few more recipes up, but considering the direction this week has taken, no promises. Just trying to keep my head above water, but remembering that I have a God that cares for me and is the strongest when I am the weakest. Have a wonderful week!

e

Chili with Cheese Pot Pie

I tried this recipe last winter and we loved it! It's like having chili with cornbread all in one pot! Super simple. It came from my Budget Buster: Quick and Easy cookbook--a shower gift that has been one of my best friends in the kitchen! I'll post more recipes from it later for sure!

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 2 cups canned chopped tomatoes
• 1-1/2 canned corn kernels, drained
• 1 cup canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
  
• salt & pepper

Topping:

• 3/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 egg, beaten
• 6 Tbsp milk
• 1 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet and gently cook the garlic and the diced bell peppers and celery for 5-6 minutes until just soft.

• Stir in the chili powder, tomatoes, corn kernels, beans, and seasoning. Bring to a boil and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes. Stir in the cilantro and spoon into an ovenproof dish.
  

• To make the topping, mix together the cornmeal, flour, salt, and baking powder. make a well in the center, add the egg, milk, and oil and beat until a smooth batter is formed.
  

• Spoon over the bell pepper and corn mixture and sprinkle with the grated cheese. Bake in a preheated oven, at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until golden and firm.

• Serve immediately and Enjoy!
  

Stuffed Poblanos

This was a great find for a new recipe! Really easy and oh so tasty! David was a big fan!

Ingredients:

• 28 oz. can whole, peeled tomatoes
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1 medium onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• salt & pepper
• 1 can black beans
• 1/2 cup yellow or white cornmeal
• 1 cup shredded cheese (Cheddar, Pepper Jack)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 3/4 cup water
• 4 large Poblano chiles, havled

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a blender (or with an immersion blender), puree tomatoes along with their juice, jalapeno, 1/2 of the onion and 2 of the garlic cloves until smooth; season with salt. Pour sauce into a 9x13 baking dish and spread to cover.

• In a bowl, combine beans, cornmeal, 1/2 cup cheese, onion, 1 garlic clove, cumin and water; season with salt and pepper.

• Divide mixture evenly, stuff Poblano halves; place on top of sauce in dish. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cheese; cover dish tightly with aluminum foil.
  

• Bake until peppers are tender (about 35-40 min). Uncover and cook until sauce thickens and cheese is slightly browned (10-15 min).

I found that my 9x13 didn't hold all 8 Poblano halves, but 7 of the 8. I just used the other half in another dish. If you try it, let me know what you think!

Manic Menu 10/4--10/8

We I did a really lousy job at posting last week. I don't know whether I've ever been quite this busy. But I am still finding time to cook. I was a little more prepared for this week and did a menu yesterday. I hope to get a few more recipes up this week if at all possible. Let me know if there is any recipe that I skipped from a menu that you would like! I'm always willing to share! My email is eekuche@ilstu.edu. On to the menu:

Monday: Vegetarian meatloaf; homegrown mashed potatoes; peas

Tuesday: Stuffed Poblano peppers; chips & salsa

Wednesday:Stir fry with eggrolls

Thursday:Carrot, Apple & Parsip soup; bread

Friday: Chili with cheese pot pie; peaches

Have a blessed week!

e

Manic Menu 9/27-8/1

Wow, so I've been so busy that to try to work a Monday menu into my blog is just a little much right now. My schedule allows me to grocery shop on Tuesday mornings, so I end up doing a menu and my grocery list on Monday night. I'll still post what we had for Monday, but often it's a cheater meal...take out pizza from Eduardo's. :)

Monday: Eduardo's
Tuesday: Creamy Root Vegetable Soup
Wednesday: Fajitas
Thursday: Spaetzle and Veggies
Friday: Baked Zucchini with Peas & Potatoes

Hope everyone is having a great week!

Blessings,
e

Spanish Tortilla

Not what you think of when you hear tortilla. This is a Spanish fritatta with potatoes, eggs and veggies. It was fun to make and tasted pretty good. I served it with chorizo sausage for David. Two thumbs up!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs waxy potatoes, thinly sliced (the thinner the better)
• 4 Tbsp canola oil
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 green bell pepper, deseeded and diced
• 2 tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
• 1/2 can of sweet corn
• 6 eggs, beaten
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley (I didn't have parsley so, I used green onions)
• salt & pepper

Directions:

1. Parboil the potatoes in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain well.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet, add the potatoes and onion and then saute over low heat, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes until the potatoes have browned
3. Add the garlic, green pepper, tomatoes, and corn, mixing well
4. Pour in the eggs and add the parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for 10-12 minutes until the underside is cooked through.
5. Remove the skillet from the heat and continue to cook the tortilla under a preheated medium broiler for 5-7 minutes or until the tortilla is set and the top is golden brown.
6. Cut the tortilla into wedges and serve. Or cut in cubes and use as an appetizer (or tapas!)

Enjoy!

e

Orange-Coconut Crescent Rolls

I found this recipe in the April/May 2010 edition of Farm and Ranch Living magazine. David loves just about anything with coconut and these sounded great! Hope they turn out! Pictures and taste review to come!

Ingredients:

• 3-1/2 to 4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 package active dry yeast
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, cubed
• 1 egg

Filling:

• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/2 cup flaked coconut, toasted
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp grated orange peel

Orange Glaze:

• 1 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
• 1 to 2 Tbsp orange juice

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine 2-1/2 cups flour, sugar, yeast and salt. In a small saucepan, heat milk and butter to 120 to 130 degree. Add to dry ingredients; beat just until moistened. Add egg; beat until smooth. Stir in enough remaining flour to form a firm dough. Cover and let rest for 15 min.
2. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6-8 mins. Divide dough in half. Roll each into a 12 in circle. Brush with melted butter. Combine the coconut, sugar and orange peel; sprinkle over dough. Cut each circle into 12 wedges. Roll up wedges from the wide ends and place point side down 2 in apart on greased baking sheets. Curve ends to form crescents. Cover and let rise until double, about 30 min.
3. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-16 mins or until golden brown. Remove from pans to wire rack to cool. For glaze, combine the powdered sugar and enough orange juice to achieve desired consistency. Drizzle over warm rolls.

Yield: 2 dozen

Manic Monday Menu 9/20-9/24

Wow! September is almost through! Where has the time gone? I guess it's true that even when you're busy and have a lot of long days, time still flies. We are looking forward to a wedding this weekend in the Chicagoland area. David's cousin is getting married and we get to see a lot of his family! Can't wait! In the meantime though, we still have to eat! Here's this week's menu:

Monday: Gnocchi w/ zucchini; salad--a fav in our house

Tuesday: Spanish tortilla; fruit

Wednesday: Pizza; salad

Thursday: Loaded Baked Potatoes

Friday: BLT sandwiches; fries; fruit (for the vegetarians out there, my sandwich will be a "Bean"-LT--recipe to follow & for the carnivorous bunch, I'm using turkey bacon for David's)

A few new recipes this week. Looking forward to trying them out! Especially the Spanish tortilla! Yum! Enjoy and have blessed week!

e

Potato Leek Soup-Vegan

This potato leek soup is one that I modified (as I so often do) from a Fugal Gourmet cookbook that my parents had for years. It's about cooking food from our immigrant ancestors. It is a great cookbook that I highly recommend. I was able to use our homegrown potatoes-freshly dug, I might add! I also recommend the Jewel brand organic veggie broth (Wild Harvest) or homemade broth is always good too. Of course you could use chicken broth if you prefer. I wish I could grow my own leeks too, but alas, I had failed ever time. We really enjoyed this soup last night and I hope you will too! (sorry, no picture this time...I forgot-too hungry :)

Ingredients:

• roughly 6-8 medium sized yellow (Yukon Gold) potatoes, peeled and quartered
• 3 leeks, trimmed, washed, halved and cut into 1 inch chucks
  
• 1 to 1-1/2 boxes of veggie broth (about 32-48 oz)
• course sea salt & pepper to taste

Directions

• In a large soup pot, place potatoes, leeks and broth. Bring to a boil over high heat.
  
• Allow to boil for about 10 minutes, then reduce heat to medium and let simmer for another 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
  
• Remove from heat and blend to desired consistency with an immersion blender.
• Season with salt & pepper
  

So simple! Really yummy too! Enjoy!

e

Emmy's Thrown-Togther Omlet Dinner

So last night I had to get creative quick. With no plan and no new groceries for the week, dinner turned out pretty good! Using some of the ingredients from Sunday night's calzones at my parents, I made an omelet for 2! And of course with our plethora of potatoes, I roasted some of those up too!

Here's the recipe (for 2 people):

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp butter or margarine
6 eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp milk

2 Tbsp (approx) canola oil
1/2 of a medium onion, chopped
1/2 of a bell pepper (any color, we used orange), chopped
1 clove garlic
1 small crown of broccoli cut in to small pieces
1/4-1/2 cup cheddar cheese

*note, you can use anything you like for the omelet. use what you have and what you like.

Directions:

• Add oil, veggies and garlic to a small skillet. Saute until tender.
• In a larger NON-STICK!!!! skillet, melt butter/margarine
• Add milk to beaten eggs and whisk to combine
• When butter is melted add eggs
• Stir eggs in pan until they start to clump up. (sort of like you would for scrambled eggs but don't break the egg up) Run spatula around the edge of the eggs to loosen it from the bottom.
  
• When egg is cooked how you like it, add veggie mixture and cheese to one half of the egg patty
• Fold egg over the filling and slide onto a plate (this is why you want non-stick)
• Enjoy!

Tortilla & Black Bean Pie

Ingredients:

4 flour tortillas (10in)
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 large onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 tsp ground cumin
coarse salt and fresh ground pepper
2 cans (15 oz each) black beans, drained and rinsed
1-1/2 cups water (of if you prefer 12 oz of beer-what the recipe calls for)
1-10 oz package of frozen corn
4 green onions, thinly sliced
2-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (I use sharp cheddar, but a Mexican blend of cheese would be good too)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Trim tortillas to fit a 9-in springform pan using the bottom of the pan as a guide.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, chile, garlic and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook until the onion is soft.
  
• Add the beans and water to the skillet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until the liquid has almost evaporated. Stir in the corn and scallions and remove from the heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Fit a trimmed tortilla in the bottom of the pan; layer with one quarter of the beans and 1/2 cup of cheese. Repeat three times using 1 cup of cheese on the top layer. Back until hot and the cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Unmold the pie; sprinkle with scallions. Slice into wedges and serve immediately

Two thumbs up from my hubby! :)

This recipe came from my Great Food Fast cookbook from Everyday Food. I LOVE this cookbook! So many yummy recipes-especially for fall and winter.

Enjoy!

e

Recipe Week

So, this week's menu is a little sparse because we'll be gone a lot for dinner. So instead of a menu this week, I'm just going to share some recipes. I've got a few meal ideas and some extras too. I guess I can post the three dinners I am actually making this week:

Last night: Veggie omelet with roasted potatoes

* this was my thrown together meal that actually turned out to be delicious! I hadn't gone shopping for the week or planned anything for dinner. I used what I had. An omelet is perfect for those kind of nights!

Tonight- Tortilla & Black Bean Pie (it got substituted for Eduardo's pizza after a very long day for the cook)

Wednesday- Cobb Salad

Thursday- Potato Leek Soup (first time this fall! YAY!)

We decided to go out to Olive Garden on Friday for the endless pasta bowl.... Don't worry, we'll pay for stuffing ourselves with carbs later and enjoy it while we can! :)

Hope everyone as a good week ahead of them. We are staying busy as ever! Don't forget to take time to enjoy the little things in life!

Always in love,
e

Applesauce Time!

Well, I've failed miserably this week in keeping up with my blog. Between school, clinicals, church and planning for the Memorial Park dedication today the time just flew by. But now in the midst of a busy, but fun day we're making applesauce. Our new neighbors have a large apple tree, but didn't want any of the apple from it this year, so this is the second time we've attempted applesauce with them. The first attempt with about a 1/4 bushel of apples gave us 6 pints of sauce. We need more than that. :) SO we did about 1/2 a bushel today. It's a big job, but I had the best helper- my husband! He's an expert at running our corer/peeler machine. Here's what we did.

Peel and core apples and cut into small-ish pieces. In a large stock pot (depending on how much you're doing you may need more that one pot) fill with water about 1/3 full of water. I packed a lot of apples in my pots, but they float so you have to watch them. I've already had one boil over. Let cook for about 45min to 1 hour, or until the apples are soft and can be blended easily. Drain water from the pot and blend or mash apples to desired consistence (we like chunky). I suggest using a good immersion blender or stick blender. Mine works wonderfully for this job. Add sugar if desired or depending on how sweet of apples you use. I use about 3/4 cup for 6 pints. I add cinnamon to mind, but plain is good too. I've even added apple pie spice. I don't measure it, so use at your leisure. Another great freezer product. I pack the sauce into freezer containers just like the peaches and corn and it will keep for a year or so. Great to pull out in late fall or winter for Christmas. Hope this was helpful! Happy cooking!

e

Manic Monday Menu 9/6-9/12

Happy Labor Day! I hope that today was as relaxing or as productive as everyone wished it would be. We tackled our upstairs room today and tried to organize some of the stuff we have. Congerville town-wide garage sales are September 16th, so we were hoping to put together some things to combine with my sister-in-law who is having one. It's amazing how much stuff two people can bring into a marriage. I don't even want to know how much stuff we'll accumulate in the coming years. Spent the afternoon in town shopping for things for the house and car batteries...we discovered David's truck battery died sometime this weekend. That was one purchase that we could have done without. But we did still get our groceries this week. We are so blessed by God with all the things he provides for us. We know that too many people go without many things we would consider necessities. I would encourage all of you to take some time today or this week to thank God for all that he has provided in your life. Now onto our regularly scheduled menu...

Monday- Pasta bake; salad; garlic bread made with ciabatta
Tuesday- stir fried veggies; egg rolls; fruit
Wednesday- Veggie noodle soup (with some of the chicken that I froze earlier this summer for David); bread; cheese
Thursday- Tortilla & black bean pie*; chips and salsa
Friday- one of our favorites...Gnocchi with zucchini; fruit
Saturday- Congerville Fundfest! Come for the chopped BBQ pork sandwich supper at the grade school 4-7pm; auction at 7pm
Sunday-Dinner with my parents: homemade calzones!*

*watch for the recipe later this week!

Have a wonderful short week!
e

Vegetarian Meatloaf

I know some of you are cringing at the thought of a "meatless" meatloaf. Honestly, I would love to have a nice meatloaf with ground turkey, but alas, it is not to be...right now anyway. I did some internet searching and found this "meat"loaf that uses lentils-one of my favorite legumes. David and I love lentil-barley burgers, so I'm hoping this is just as good. Being a woman I crave comfort food-although I know you don't have to be a woman to want comfort food. So, tonight I'll be experimenting with the recipe and trying it out. One of the ingredients in BBQ sauce, which makes everything better. I also topped it with BBQ sauce instead of ketchup. Sweet Baby Rays is our house sauce (even though it has HFCS...we'll let that one slide). Here is the recipe that I tweeked from a recipe submitted from food.com

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup lentils
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 cup quick-cooking oats
• 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
  
• 3/4 cup grated cheese ( cheddar, swiss, jack or american)-I used sharp cheddar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1-1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup BBQ sauce
  
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

1. Add salt to water and boil in a saucepan.
2. Add lentils and simmer covered 25-30 minutes, until lentils are soft and most of water is evaporated.
3. Remove from fire.
4. Drain and partially mash lentils.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
   
6. Scrape into mixing bowl and allow to cool slightly.
7. Stir in onion, oats, panko and cheese until mixed.
8. Add egg, tomato sauce, bbq sauce, garlic, basil, parsley, seasoning salt and pepper.
9. Mix well.

9. Spoon into loaf pan that has been generously sprayed with non-stick cooking spray or greased another way...like butter...mmm butter
   
10. Smooth top with back of spoon.
11. Bake at 350 degrees for 30- 45 minutes ( add some bbq sauce to the top 10 minutes before done) until top of loaf is dry, firm and golden brown.
12. Cool in pan on rack for about 10 minutes.
13. Enjoy!

    

It was really good! We had mashed potatoes from our garden and I couldn't resist breaking into some of the freezer corn I did earlier in the summer. :)

e

Organic Strawberry Freezer Jam

After my weekly shopping trip to Meijer, I decided to make some freezer jam. Organic strawberries were on sale for a decent price. I only needed about 3 lbs. to make 5- 1/2 pint jars. I found "No cook" freezer jam pectin. I think you can find it in Walmart or really any store. The whole process took about 15-25 minutes. The jam can stay in the fridge for 3 weeks or in the freezer for up to a year. I just have the leftovers in the fridge.
Strawberry Freezer Jam

1 packet of "no cook" freezer jam pectin
1-1/2 cup sugar
3 to 4 lbs. strawberries, tops removed and crushed

Stir packet of pectin and sugar together then stir in crushed strawberries. Stir for 3 minutes. Fill freezer containers. Tighten lids. Let sit on counter for 30 minutes to allow the jam to thicken. Place in freezer.
On the back of the packet they give these directions, as well as the quantities to make different fruits into jam. For example, it takes about 12 medium peaches peeled and crushed to make the same amount of jam.

This was really fun and easy! I know we will enjoy the jam this winter, along with our other freezer goodies. Hoping to make applesauce with our neighbors apples on Saturday! Cinnamon applesauce too! YUM!

Manic Monday Menu

Sorry it's taken me so long to post again. Last week we were going and doing something every night. On top of it all it was the first week back in class. Still trying to adjust to the new schedule, but things look manageable so far. Here is the menu for this week. Even though I didn't get it posted on Monday, we'll still keep with tradition.

Monday: Pizza, salad
Tuesday: dinner at Grandma Steffen's
Wednesday: breakfast for dinner! my favorite! French toast, oven potatoes and sausage for David
Thursday: Vegetarian meatloaf, mashed potatoes, corn
Friday:Vegetarian Chili (adding turkey burger in for David), corn bread (it's suppose to be a high of 76, so we're breaking out the chili again!)
Saturday: Paninis, fries, fruit

Busy day today, but it's also my grocery shopping day! Might even be able to run by the Normal Farmer's Market, although it might be a little much to pack in today. Hope everyone had a great start to their week! I'm sure I'll find a recipe to post sometime this week. Any requests?

Blessings,
Emmy

Soup Fever

So, there is a little nip in the air tonight and I just had to make soup and deviate from my regularly scheduled supper. I'm making soup tomorrow night too. I can't get enough of the stuff once it starts to get cool around here. I got the chance to try out a new kitchen toy too! I always get really excited about new kitchen gadgets...that is, until I have no where to put them in my tiny kitchen! :) In New Glarus we picked up a proper spaetzle maker! For those of you no educated in German dumplings, it is egg dough pressed through holes to make little dumplings and dropped right into hot liquid to cook. They are sort of like German pasta and only take about 3 minutes to cook. They are excellent on there own, with gravy or in soup. I added them to my veggie soup tonight and they were delicious! The recipe I used came on the back of the spaetzle maker package and made quite a bit, but it was perfect for the soup, or should I say stoup (thank you Rachel Ray). It's pretty thick with all the starchy little spaetzles, but there is still some yummy broth. As if we didn't have enough carbs with the spaetzle, I defrosted some ciabatta bread and sliced up some baby Swiss cheese that we had gotten in Monroe, WI. With a full tummy I'll leave you with the spaetzle recipe:

German Spaetzle

3 eggs
1 cup milk
3 cups flour (I'm going to try 1/2 white, 1/2 whole wheat flour next time to make it a tad healthier)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat eggs until foamy and then combine with milk. Mix together flour, salt and nutmeg. Add to eggs and milk a little at a time. The dough will bevery stiff and elastic. Consistency of the dough is important so it will go through the holes of the spaetzle maker or you could use a strainer with bigger holes (not mesh...what a mess that would be!). If dough seems too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to get correct consistency. Press dough through holes into boiling water or stock. When done, they will float and you can either scoop them out if you're using them as a side or leave them in for a great starch for a soup.

Enjoy!
e

Manic Monday Menu 8/23-8/30

Well it's back to classes for me today. I have a pretty open schedule, but I still have to commute to Normal 5 days a week. I'm looking forward to seeing how this new schedule works with my domestic schedule. Because I have a 3-1/2 hour break this morning I decided to come home and get some cleaning and laundry going. I made some time to sit down and plan out a menu this week. An easier week for me this week:

Monday: Leftovers (we have so much food left from the cookout!)
Tuesday: Fajitas with chips & salsa-maybe homemade salsa to use up some garden tomatoes?
Wednesday: Stuffed shells with peppers, zucchini & mozzarella; salad
Thursday: Butternut squash soup; homemade bread; cheese
Friday: Potluck
Saturday:Pizza/salad
Sunday: Baked Potato Bar with my parents

I'll probably add the butternut squash soup recipe up later this week. I need to make bread to bring to potluck, but I'm not sure what I'll make yet. Hope everyone has a good week, especially those who are heading back to school, starting new teaching jobs or sending kiddos to school!

Blessings,
e

Pesto Pasta Salad- no mayo!

I don't care for mayo so I decided to come up with a pasta salad that didn't include mayo. I love pesto so I decided to make an Italian inspired pasta salad with homemade pesto. Another big hit at the cookout. This recipe makes a lot so you could cut the recipe down if you'd like.

• 2 zucchini, cut into small dices
• 1 large or 2 medium size tomatoes, cut into small dices
• 1 box of mini penne pasta or your favorite shape of pasta
• 1/2 cup of Parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1/2-1 cup pesto (see recipe below)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add pasta. Cook for about 5 minutes then add the diced zucchini pieces and cook for another 3-5 minutes (will depend on the pasta you use). Drain pasta and zucchini, rinse with cold water until pasta is cool. In a large bowl combine tomatoes with pasta, zucchini, cheese and pesto. Toss to coat pasta with pesto. Chill and serve! Simple and tasty!

Pesto

2 cups garden basil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
course sea salt & fresh cracked pepper

In a blender or food processor combine all ingredients together to make a paste. ( I use a hand or immersion blender in a cup or bowl and it works very well)

Another recipe to try! Enjoy!
e

"Best BBQ Baked Beans on the Planet"

This recipe is from Barbecue University. They truly are the best bbq beans I've ever had and they were a hit at the cookout. I always play with the recipes so I didn't use meat, liquid smoke mustard or jalapenos and they were still delicious. I did use 3 poblanos instead of 1. We did do them on the grill without smoking them, but you could just as easily do them in the oven and add the liquid smoke. Probably 350 degrees for a hour or so. I just copied and pasted the recipe from the website.

Serves: 12 to 16

• 1 pound smoked brisket or bacon cut into 1/4-inch slivers
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans
• 1 can (15 ounces) dark red kidney beans
• 3 cans (each 15 ounces) baked beans or pork and beans
• 1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 poblano pepper or green bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 to 6 jalapeño peppers, seeded and diced (for hotter beans, leave the seeds in)
• 2 cups sweet red barbecue sauce (your favorite commercial brand)
• 1-1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar, or more to taste
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard, or more to taste
• 2 teaspoons liquid smoke (optional; see Note)
• Coarse salt (kosher or sea) and freshly ground black pepper

You'll also need:
1 large (turkey-size) or 2 medium-size aluminum foil pans; 2 cups wood chips or chunks (preferably pecan or hickory) soaked for 1 hour in hot water to cover, then drained.

1. If using bacon instead of brisket, place it in a large skillet over medium heat and fry until crisp and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Pour off all the bacon fat, saving a few tablespoons for the beans, if desired.

2. Empty the cans of black and kidney beans into a colander and drain. Rinse the beans under cold running water and drain again. Place all the beans (including the baked beans or pork and beans) in a large nonreactive mixing bowl and add the onion, bell and poblano peppers, garlic, and jalapenos and stir to mix. Add the barbecue sauce, brown sugar, mustard, liquid smoke, if using, and brisket or fried bacon and stir to mix. Taste for seasoning, adding more brown sugar and/or mustard as necessary, and salt and black pepper to taste; the beans should be very flavorful. Transfer the bean mixture to the aluminum foil pan or pans. (If you used bacon, you can drizzle a few tablespoons of bacon fat over the beans for extra flavor.)

3. Set up the grill for indirect grilling and preheat to medium-low. If using a gas grill, place all of the wood chips or chunks in the smoker box or in a smoker pouch and run the grill on high until you see smoke, then reduce the heat to medium-low. If using a charcoal grill, preheat it to medium-low, then toss all of the wood chips or chunks on the coals.

4. When ready to cook, place the pan of beans in the center of the hot grate, away from the heat, and cover the grill. Cook the beans until they are thick and richly flavored, about 1 hour. If the beans start to dry out, cover them loosely with aluminum foil. Remove the beans from the grill and let them rest for 15 minutes, then serve.

Note: If you cook the beans in a gas grill, you probably won't be able to generate enough smoke for a strong wood flavor. Add the liquid smoke in this case.

Enjoy!

e

Cookout

What an exhausting, but fun day! Church, parade and cookout all in less than 12 hours. Good thing we started out with a hearty breakfast this morning to keep us going until we stuffed ourselves with BBQ! Our pipeband, Prairie Thistle Pipes and Drums marched in the Danvers Days parade this afternoon. We invited the band to our house after for a cookout. David manned the grill excellently with the BBQ chicken and brats. I worked in the kitchen to produce the following:

• Campfire potatoes
• "The Best BBQ Baked Beans on the Planet" (sans meat)
• fruit salad
• pesto pasta salad

We are grateful to some of our fellow band members for providing cookies and pies for dessert, even though most of us were too stuffed from supper for any dessert. All in all a wonderful night. Beautiful weather, great friends and good food. I do love cooking for a crowd, even if it's a lot of work. Thanks everyone who made it such a fun night!

e

Veggie Chili

This is a really easy chili recipe that I have sort of played around with. You can add more veggies or even ground meat to it for more protein-if you have to have your meat fix.

• 2 stalks of celery, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
  
• 2 bell peppers, chopped (I tend to use green and colored peppers together)
• 2 medium sized carrots or a handful of baby carrots, chopped or diced
  
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can red beans (really any bean you have around, sometimes I use black instead)
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 1 can of petite diced tomatoes (or more if you like tomatoes)
• chili powder
• salt & pepper
  

To a large soup pot, add onion, celery, peppers, carrots and garlic and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add beans, tomatoes and sauce. Add one can of water and chili powder. Bring to a boil then turn down heat to simmer for about 1/2 hour (the longer the better). You may have to add more water the longer you cook it. I always serve it with shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Enjoy!

e

Manic Monday Menu

Just finished up dinner tonight. The weather today as been fantastic and a bit reminiscent of fall (although it did still hit 80 today...still...). I've been craving chili, but just couldn't justify making it last week when it was so hot. I added several peppers from our garden to the chili and we had some leftover bread and cheese from this weekend in New Glarus. We found a 5 year aged cheddar made from Brown Swiss cow milk and it is incredible. So sharp and creamy! YUM! Here's the menu for this week and I'll include my veggie chili recipe in a separate post.

Monday: Veggie Chili; bread; cheese

Tuesday: Stir fried veggies with shrimp; egg rolls; fruit

Wednesday: Loaded baked potatoes, sweet corn

Thursday: Paninis (trying out a new 5 grain flax flat bread I found at Meijer); sweet corn; baked beans

Friday: Gnocchi with zucchini

Saturday breakfast (since we'll actually be home in the morning): fried eggs, turkey bacon, hashbrowns, toast

A few repeats from the last time, but sometime we get stuck on things and eat them often. We are hopefully having a cookout on Sunday with some of the pipeband after we play a parade in the next town south of here. I also had a party with some friends last week and hope to blog about the food. Well, off to go find a cure for some violent hiccups! :) Hope everyone has a safe and blessed week!

Enjoy!
e

Foodie Weekend Get-Away!

Well, since we spent part of our summer on our honeymoon in Northern Ireland this year, we're pretty much left with weekend get-aways. A few weeks ago we went to St. Louis and tonight we're leaving for my grandparents in Polo, IL. Tomorrow we will be in New Glarus, WI. We have made New Glarus a yearly trip in August right before school starts up again. We cannot get enough of this cute little Swiss colony. I have been going to New Glarus for many years with my parents, but now we have made it a traditional vaca spot at a couple. The area was settled by Swiss immigrants from the Glarus canton of Switzerland. There are lots of Swiss shops...most of them revolving around food. Here are a few of my favorites:

New Glarus Bakery
We absolutely love this traditional bakery that makes wonderful pastries and hearty breads. You can really never go wrong with any of their products. I love their morning buns because they remind me of the Chelsea buns I used to get in England.

Ruef's Meat Market
Ok so I'm a vegetarian, but that doesn't stop me from loving this awesome, old time butcher shop. My family has been buying Landjaeger sausages (homemade, cured sausage-way better than a Slim Jim) from Ruef's for years. Although I can no longer eat it, I like introducing it to people who haven't tried it before. They also have an awesome selection of homemade brats in all sorts of flavors.

Maple Leaf Cheese & Chocolate Haus
This has long been on of my favorite shops in New Glarus, mainly because of the big cow out front. However, there is another cheese shop in Monroe, WI (just south of New Glarus) who I think has better cheese, but they are part of a bigger company. Maple Leaf is more local. Still we always have to go for some cheese and chocolate. We actually met another customer last year that was from Bloomington!

Speaking of Monroe, WI, we have two favorite stops there too!

Alp & Del Cheese Store

They have a HUGE selection of cheese and cheese products. They are the only other place I've been to other than Ropp's in Normal where I used to work that sets fresh cheese curds out at room temp. They stay really squeeky! Their 2 year aged cheddar is my mom's favorite.

Brennan's Market

A must when planning a picnic or getting fresh produce. Their store has gotten bigger over the years, but is still great. Sometimes their produce is sort of pricey, but really good. Especially their peaches!

Well, this gives you sort of an idea of how we go on vacation. It all revolves around food! Usually we visit each place, pack a cooler with a knife, cups and paper towels and make a picnic from all the yummy food we've acquired. Also, we are sure to get wonderful home cooking from Grandma when we're there. Hopefully the rain in the forcast stays away and it isn't too hot!

Have a great weekend everyone! Enjoy the last few days of summer!

e

Happy Birthday Momma!

In honor of my mom's 50th birthday yesterday, I've made her a poppy seed cake-at her request! The recipe has been passed onto me from my Grandma Kuchenmeister who made it for my grandpa every year for his birthday. I've made this cake only one other time and it turned out pretty good. It calls for cream cheese frosting, but my husband and I both have an aversion to cream cheese. :)
Poppy Seed Cake

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 3/4 cup butter

• 1/2 cup poppy seeds

• 3/4 cup milk

• 2 cups flour

• 2 tsp. baking powder

• 4 egg whites, stiffly beaten (save the yolks for the filling)

Soak poppy seeds in milk for 2 hours prior to baking. Cream sugar and butter. Sift dry ingredients and add alternately with milk. Fold in egg whites. Butter and flour two cake pans. Pour batter evenly between the two pans. Bake at 375 degrees for about 25-30 minutes or until done in center.

Filling

• 2 cups milk

• 3/4 cups sugar

• yolks of 4 eggs

• 1 Tbsp. cornstarch

Cook until thick in heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently.
Lemon Glaze (if you don't like cream cheese either)

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 2 Tbsp lemon extract

Cool cakes on a cooling rack and cool filling. Place filling on one half of cake and cover (upside down) with other cake. Top with lemon glaze.

Enjoy! Love ya Ma!

e

Sunday Supper

David & I are trying to make a tradition of having supper with my family on Sunday night since we have breakfast every Sunday morning before church with David's parents. It is so nice have both our families so close and even though we are all so busy throughout the week, it's nice to slow down and spend some time with them on the weekends. I'm hoping Sunday Supper becomes a permanent feature of this blog along with Menu Monday (although this week there won't be any because of a busy week with only a few suppers at home).
Last night we all pitched in at my parents house to put together a wonderful, if not eclectic, supper last night.
My contribution to supper was bruschetta. Tomatoes from my parent's garden, basil from ours, onion, garlic, balsamic vinegar & olive oil all chopped up and placed on toasted roasted garlic bread and topped with feta cheese.


David & Hanna made pesto with my recipe:

4 cups garden basil
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup pine nuts (or walnuts)
course sea salt & fresh cracked pepper

In a blender or food processor combine all ingredients together to make a paste. Mix with pasta, use as a spread on sandwiches or paninis, or make your own creation.


They added it to bow tie pasta, sugar snap peas & white beans for a hearty pasta dish.

Dad made fruit salad and BLT sandwiches. Mom oversaw the whole production and we all enjoyed our family supper. We finished the peach/raspberry pie and some zucchini bread for dessert.