Homemade Goodness

Graham crackers and milk where one of my favorite snacks as a child. I could eat a whole package myself. Dunking until it was just right, still with a bit of crispness, not too soggy.

My kids haven't really experienced the goodness of graham crackers and milk because most brands are full of hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup and bleached flour. I have found a couple of brands that have a good ingredients list, but are totally lacking in flavor.

Why couldn't I make some? So my quest began. I found a recipe in my stash of cookbooks, but the attempt failed miserably. I couldn't be satisfied until I had successfully completed my mission. I scoured the Internet, I found recipes and compared them to the first. Finally I found one I felt looked worthy.

It was my first time visiting Baking Bites.

The graham crackers worked perfectly and tasted better than I'd hoped, with a hint of molasses, honey and cinnamon. And it couldn't be easier, just throw all the ingredients into a food processor. I've since made them many times, sometimes using cookie cutters for fun shapes, but usually I just cut them straight with a pizza cutter and snap them apart when cool. Just like when I was a kid.

*Please follow the link for the recipe, the only thing I did different was to use white whole wheat flour for the total amount of flour instead of a mix of AP and whole wheat.

Tomato Orange Soup, or I Love Power Tools

I had this soup at a school pot luck dinner and LOVED it. I'm told it is a recipe from a deli in town that is known for delicious food.


The key is to use quality ingredients. Violet helped me squeeze the orange juice and I used tomatoes I brought home and froze from the farmer's market.


After it has all cooked, it needs to be blended. You can do this in a conventional blender, but that involves ladling hot soup into it. Also, I've heard you must be extra careful when removing the lid or else you can end up with hot soup on your ceiling. Here is where I get out the power tool, the immersion blender. You can just stick it right in the pot and blend it smooth. I could have used a smaller pot because I had to tip the soup to one side to cover the top of the blender so it wouldn't spray. Still, much less work than the on the counter version.

Elephant's Tomato Orange Soup
1/4 cup unsalted butter
28 oz unsalted diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup fresh orange juice

In a saucepan melt butter, add onion and sauté until translucent. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper, baking soda and thyme. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Purée in a blender and return to sauce pan. OR use an immersion blender and keep it right there in the pan! Stir in orange juice and cream. Simmer and serve.

We ate it with grilled cheese and bacon sandwiches. YUMMY!

Homemade Hot Cocoa: For REAL!

Look at that face, I think he likes it!


my preferred ingredients

I give you two recipes. First a Hot Cocoa mix recipe. One that I made with friends a couple of winters ago and gave as gifts. Originally from Sunset magazine. Go here and you will find many versions; Mexican, peppermint, mocha. Just note, there is a typo. Use 1 teaspoon salt, NOT 1 tablespoon! The second is a stove top recipe, you can also make it by the cup in the microwave for an instant fix.


Classic Cocoa Mix
1 cup powdered milk
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mini chips

Mix together in a container. Pour 1 cup boiling water in a cup, stir in 1/3 cup of cocoa mix. Et voilà! I like to pour in a bit of half and half to cool it and for a smidgen of creaminess. This makes a deliciously rich hot cocoa.


Stove Top Hot Cocoa
4 cups milk, any kind
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt

Place all ingredients into a pot. Turn on to medium heat, start stirring when milk warms up. The cocoa powder will not mix in until milk is warm. Don't boil! Makes 4 cups of hot cocoa just like your grandma used to make.

For 1 cup serving:
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
dash of salt

Place in a ceramic mug, microwave for 2 minutes. Stir and enjoy!

*An interesting fact about cocoa powder, it doesn't actually dissolve, it just suspends in the warm liquid. That is why you always find cocoa at the bottom of your cup!

Chupe de Quinoa

If you haven't tried quinoa, this is your chance! Quinoa is a quick cooking, extremely healthful grain. It contains a balanced set of essential amino acids which make it a complete protein source. What more could you ask for? Besides delicious. Which is where this soup comes into play.

Although this is a lengthy recipe, it is quite simple and comes together rather quickly.

Chupe de Quinoa, Quinoa Soup
(adapted from The Art of South American Cooking)

2 T oil
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
1 jalapeño, chopped
2 t cumin
1/8 t white pepper, or 1/2 t black pepper
1 T coarse sea salt, or 2 t regular table salt
1 lb potatoes cut into 1" cubes, peeled or unpeeled
1/2 lb fresh spinach, shredded
1 c raw quinoa
5 c stock or water
Juice of an orange
8 oz feta cheese
Hard boiled eggs, one per person

Heat your oil on medium heat, in a large pot. Add garlic and jalapeño. Be careful not to let the garlic brown. Add cumin, pepper and salt, cook until fragrant, 1-2 min. Pour in your 5 c water or stock and bring to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until soft. About 15 min. While potatoes are cooking, make your quinoa and eggs.

Quinoa: You should always thoroughly rinse your grains before cooking. (Bob's Red Mill sells pre-rinsed quinoa!) Place 1 c quinoa and 2 c water in a pot, bring to a boil. Place lid on, turn off heat. Leave the pan on the hot burner. It should be done in about 10 minutes.

Eggs: This method is from Martha, and produces the most perfectly cooked egg. You know when you have over cooked eggs when your yolk is green. That wont happen when following these directions. Place eggs in a pot, add cold water to cover by about 1 inch. Bring to a rolling boil, cover pan and remove from heat. Let stand for 12 minutes, then drain and run under cold water. I like to cook more than I need so that there are some left for a quick protein snack.

Back to the Soup!

Once your potatoes are soft, stir in the spinach and cooked quinoa. Pour in the orange juice and cook for 5 minutes more. Serve with feta and boiled egg on top. Bon Appétit!

A few additional notes:

*I don't always have jalapeño or oranges on hand and the soup still tastes delicious with out these ingredients.

*For less spice, remove the pith and seeds from the jalapeño before cutting. A spoon works great for this. Cut jalapeño in half and use a spoon to scrape out the insides.

*Choose feta made with goat or sheep's milk, it is much more flavorful. You will find that you use less, which counters the higher price.

*You can substitute any green leaf vegetable for the spinach.

*If you want to add meat, brown it in the pan before adding the garlic.

*If you want to add other vegetables, add them with the potatoes.

Quick And Tasty

You've just got to love a dish that is both quick and tasty!

I can't think of a name for this dish that conveys how yummy it is, so I will just get on with the recipe.

8 oz pasta, cooked according to package instructions
1 bunch of cooking greens like chard, collard, mustard, kale. Use one, or a mix.
1 c chicken stock or broth
1 T oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
Shredded Fontina cheese, or Trader Joe's Quattro Formaggio
Bacon for garnishing

I use rotelle pasta and I chop the greens pretty small with the thought in mind that small pieces will get stuck between the ridges of the pasta and then be consumed by my unsuspecting children. That being said, any shape pasta will do.

In a large pot, heat oil on med. Briefly cook garlic until soft, being careful not to brown. Add broth and greens. There will seem to be quite a bit of greens, but they cook down. Stir until the greens are wilted and then put a lid on so you don't loose all the liquid, cook for about 15 min. Mean while, cook your pasta, grate your cheese, get your bacon ready. I baked mine in the oven and then crumbled it to order.

Add your salt and pepper, mix the pasta and greens together. Serve with cheese and bacon. Yum.

Making Some Sauce

I brought home about 35 lbs of tomatoes from the market. Suffice it to say, we spent a few days roasting tomatoes.


For the most part, we quartered the tomatoes, placed them on the pan skin down and roasted them for about 3 hours at 250 degrees. Then we skinned them, weighed them out to 28 oz (large can size) and threw them in the freezer.


After hearing from some friends that they roast tomatoes with onions and garlic and then blend it all up in to a nice sauce base, I had to try some. The sauce was bursting with roasted garlic flavor and had a lovely sweetness to it. Hopefully I can make some more of this before tomato season is over.

I also tried my hand at crock pot tomato sauce and came up with a pretty good one.

Crock Pot Tomato Sauce

8 cups chopped tomatoes, I skinned mine, but it isn't necessary
3 carrots, grated
1 large onion, diced
1 red or green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 T olive oil
3/4 t dried oregano
1/2 t dried marjoram
1 t dried basil
3/4 t fennel seeds
3/4 t salt

Heat oil in a sauté pan. Sweat onions, bell pepper, garlic and grated carrots until soft, being careful not to brown. Place everything into crock pot and cook on low for 7 hours or until done. You can blend this sauce or use it chunky.

A Day Spent In The Kitchen

I spent most of Sunday in the kitchen.


Baking bread. I'm re-working a recipe and as soon as I've got it right, I'll post it. I'm also going to try making Yeast Free Bread, very interesting.


Making more jam, black berry this time.


And these crumb bars. I used up the black berries and it was delicious!


For dinner we had grilled summer squash. We use a little olive oil, salt and pepper, throw them onto a baking sheet and then put the baking sheet right onto the grill. YUMMY!


Along with some delicious turkey burgers topped with divine market tomatoes.

La la la la Lemon

I have been craving lemony things lately. So when I saw a recipe for Creamy Lemon Squares in this months issue of EveryDay Food, I was all over it.

I love lemon squares, but I can be pretty critical about them. Too sweet? Not lemony enough? Crust too soggy or too hard?

Not only was this recipe simple, they were delicious. The crust was wonderful, a perfect texture and so tasty that it could stand up on its own. The filling calls for sweetened condensed milk (hence the name creamy lemon squares) and lots of freshly squeezed lemon juice. Perfectly rich and lemony.

Creamy Lemon Squares

1/2 c (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 c powdered sugar
1/4 t salt
1 c all-purpose flour
4 large egg yolks
1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
3/4 c fresh lemon juice (about 3 large lemons)

Preheat oven to 350. Line bottom of 8-inch square pan with parchment paper (I did this, but will try w/o next time).

Make crust: Using an electric mixer, beat butter, sugar and salt until light and fluffy. Add flour and mix on low just until combined. Press dough into the bottom and 1/2" up sides of prepared pan; prick all over with fork. Bake until lightly golden, 15-20 min.

Make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together yolks, condensed milk and lemon juice until smooth. Pour over hot crust; return to oven and bake until filling is set, 25-30 min. Cool completely in pan. Refrigerate until filling is firm, about 2 hours or up to 3 days. Cut into 16 squares and dust with powdered sugar.

What I've Been Eating For Breaky

Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp!



The kids don't really like it, so that means there is plenty left over.
I used this recipe for the filling and then used my own crisp topping recipe because I like an oatmeal crisp, especially if I'm going to be eating it for breakfast.



Crisp Topping

1 1/2 t ground nutmeg
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 c flour of your choice
1 1/2 c rolled oats
3/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c cold butter

Mix dry together and then cut in butter until it resembles coarse meal. I just use my fingers. Sprinkle on top, don't pack it down or else you will never be able to cut into it!

Makes enough for one pie or make 1 and 1/2 recipe for a 9"x13" pan.

A Little Cookie For The Weekend

I love everything coconut, especially macaroons. This recipe comes from the April 2008 issue of Every Day Food and was super simple and delicious. The aroma wafting through the house took me to a warm tropical island. I'm so ready for summer!

I couldn't help myself from picking off the crispy bits of coconut that stuck to the parchment paper and nibbling them. And I do recommend using parchment paper with these ones, they are sticky! The apricot lent a subtle fruitiness that I enjoyed. Although if you left it out, it would still be a great macaroon. I imagine that bits of dark chocolate mixed in would make these extra divine.

Coconut-Apricot Macaroons

3 large egg whites
1/2 c sugar
3/4 t pure almond extract (optional)
1/4 t salt
14 oz sweetened flaked coconut
1/2 c soft dried apricots, coarsely chopped (3 oz)

Preheat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment

In a large bowl, whisk together egg whites, sugar, almond extract and salt until frothy. Add coconut and apricots; mix to combine.

Using your hands, shape mixture into mounds, equal to about 2 Tablespoons; place 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet (macaroons will not spread).

Bake until golden brown, 35-40 min (my oven may be off, but mine only took 25 min total), rotating half way through. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week. Makes about 20.

*Rebecca, you gotta make these!

What's For Dinner?

Last night we had Cobb Salad. This is a wonderful family friendly meal because each person can create their own. I made sure that the choices included something that each person likes.



The ingredients:
chicken
diced tomatoes
hard boiled eggs
avocado
turkey bacon (for the hubby)
real bacon (for me!)
blue cheese crumbles
romaine lettuce


My salad, I like everything!

The kids ate their's with ranch, but I made a more traditional Cobb Salad dressing from this recipe for the adults. I loved this dressing! I want to make a blue cheese, pear, walnut salad and use this dressing.

The kids really enjoyed building their dinner and Denny told me that it was the best salad he'd ever eaten. One gold star for me!

Endulging The Craving: Carrot Cupcakes

I just needed to make them, Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting.

Wren saw me peeling the carrots and was intrigued. What was I doing? Why was I doing that? Could he do it too? I set him up with some carrots and the peeler and he diligently sat and peeled. "Look mom! I can do it! I'm getting all the parts!" I really wish I could post all the pictures I took. It's amazing how he was sitting in one spot, completing his task, but not actually sitting still!

He actually wanted to peel the whole bag, but then decided that he would eat one of the carrots he so carefully worked on.

As I was putting together the food processor, I discovered that the piece that attaches the shredding blades was no where to be found! So I ended up grating them all by hand with my handy little grater from IKEA. It was quite meditative, actually. I sat and pondered life, my mind wandering. I remembered Diane from CraftyPod commenting that she is a "total process-crafter" and at the time I didn't quite get what she was talking about. But it was starting to make sense to me. I'm all about the process when it comes to cooking and baking. I love to knead bread with my hands, make chicken stock from scratch, I don't mind grating carrots by hand on occasion. The rhythm becomes my mantra clearing my mind of all worries, at least for the moment. Then the task is completed and life rushes back in.

The cupcakes did hit the spot. They were moist and not overwhelmingly sweet. I wont feel bad at all eating some for breakfast tomorrow.

My Kids Eat Soup!

Well, they are eating Chicken Noodle Soup. OK, so they are mostly just eating the noodles, but I'm still thrilled! Normally, they'd give any dish that resembled soup one glance, push it aside and declare "I don't like it!"



My sister-in-law made us some wonderful soups one night for dinner last week, Chicken Noodle and Cheesy Vegetable. My kids ate it! Hoping it wasn't some sort of a fluke, I thought I'd give it another try.

I had most of the ingredients needed for a good soup, but not the noodles. I wanted those nice fat soft noodles that make a good chicken soup even better. Then it occurred to me, I'll just make them!

I didn't use a recipe for the soup, just onion, carrot and celery sautéed until soft. Then some homemade chicken stock and some pulled chicken left over from a baked chicken dinner. I threw in some thyme, salt and pepper and a can of evaporated milk.

But the noodles, I got that recipe from Cook's Illustrated's Best Soups and Stews cook book. This book is great, they have made pretty much any soup every way possible and documented the whole process.

I couldn't believe how easy it was to make noodles, why haven't I done this before?

Fresh Pasta Noodles

2 c All Purpose Flour ( I actually used white whole wheat)
3 large eggs, beaten

"Pulse the flour in the workbowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade to evenly distribute and aerate. Add the eggs; process until the dough forms a rough ball, about 30 seconds. (If the dough resembles small pebbles, add water, 1/2 teaspoon at at time; if the dough sticks to the side of the workbowl, add flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, and process until the dough forms a rough ball.)" Turn dough on to a dry work surface and knead until the dough is smooth, 1 to 2 min. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 min to 2 hours.

I don't have a pasta machine so I just cut the dough in to 6 pieces and rolled each piece as thin as I could get it with my rolling pin, turning and dusting lightly with flour if it got sticky. Then I cut the dough into strips. I made them the night before, so I stored them in the refrigerator in a container with a tight lid.

Boil them as you would any pasta and add them to the soup right before serving.

They were delicious! I might have to start making my own pasta more often.

Spice It Up!

I received a nice present of spices from Penzeys Spices for Christmas. Smoked paprika sounded interesting, but I wasn't quite sure what I was going to do with it. So, it sat in my cupboard for a few months.

I was making Spanish rice one evening for dinner. Looking through my spices for something to add flavor, but not heat, I spotted the smoked paprika. Perfect! It added a nice smokiness along with a good depth of flavor.

I've added it to hummus and used it in a spice rub for chicken. I love it!

Then I remembered chipotle peppers! These aren't anything new, I have used them before in restaurants, I just never thought about using them at home. The next time I made Spanish rice, I chopped up one chipotle pepper, removing most of the seeds, also adding some of the adobo sauce. This added a nice touch of spice with the smoky flavor.

Since we have chipotles in the fridge now, my husband has been putting them on everything, including his turkey sandwiches. He likes it spicy!

Smokin' Spanish Rice

2 T olive oil

1 small onion

1 1/2 c uncooked rice

1 t oregano

1 t smoked paprika or 1 chipotle pepper with 1 T adobo sauce

1 - 10 3/4 oz can of tomato purée

2 c chicken or vegetable stock

1 t salt

Heat a sauce pan over medium heat, add oil and onion and cook until transparent. Add rice, oregano, and paprika or chipotle and cook until rice starts to brown. Now add tomato purée, stock and salt. Bring to a boil, give it a good stir to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom. Cover, turn off heat and let rest on hot burner until done.

*If you don't have stock, water will work as well.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

It was my husband's birthday yesterday. So I made his favorite dessert, Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie.

I acquired this recipe years ago when I worked at The Bistro in Cannon Beach. It is a fairly easy recipe, there are basically 3 steps.

The crust is chocolate cookie crumbs and butter. You can use a chocolate sandwich cookie (think OREO), or a chocolate wafer. I think you can also find premade cookie crumbs in the store. Use your food processor to make the crumbs and a microwave to melt the butter. Mix them together and press them into the pan. I prefer to use a spring form pan because of how it looks, but also because it makes it easier to cut and plate. If you don't have one, you can use a pie pan. Place it into the freezer to set.

For the filling, you cream together peanut butter, cream cheese, sugar and melted butter. Then you fold in whipped cream. Take a spatula and literally fold the filling from the bottom of the bowl to the top until combined.

Spread filling onto the crust and place back into the freezer while you make the chocolate topping.

This topping is similar to a ganache, using sour cream. I have found it comes together easiest if you melt the chocolate and sour cream together in the bowl. Once I tried adding hot melted chocolate to cold sour cream and the chocolate stiffened up and wouldn't melt again.



Use a microwave, or it can be done in a double boiler on the stove. Once the chocolate has melted and is all stirred together, wait until it has cooled a bit and spread on top of the peanut butter filling and place back into the freezer to set.

After it has set, you can store it in the fridge or freezer. If you do keep it frozen, bring it out about 20 minutes to thaw a bit before you eat it.


Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie

crust:
2 1/2 c chocolate cookie crumbs
4 oz melted unsalted butter

filling:
8 oz cream cheese
1 c natural peanut butter, preferably freshly ground
1 c sugar
2 oz melted unsalted butter
1 T vanilla
1 c heavy cream, whipped

topping:
7 oz semi sweet or dark chocolate
1 c sour cream

Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter together and press into bottom of pan. Place in freezer to set. Whip cream to soft peaks. In a separate bowl, cream together cream cheese, peanut butter and sugar. Add melted butter and vanilla. Fold in whipped cream. Pour onto crust and spread flat. Place in freezer to set. Place chocolate and sour cream into a bowl and either microwave or place over a pot of hot water to melt. Don't let it get too hot, stir until chocolate is melted. Let cool to room temperature and then spread over the filling. Place back into freezer to set. Enjoy!

So, You Like Peanut Sauce?

Then you really should try Almond Butter Sauce.




This is a dish we had for dinner that I adapted from Feeding the Whole Family by Cynthia Lair.

Don't get me wrong, I love peanut sauce. But I really like the rich 'meatiness' that almond butter sauce adds to a dish. We ate it with marinaded tofu and collard greens, served over whole wheat noodles. I would also serve almond butter sauce with brown rice and stir fry vegetables - maybe even throw in some chicken!

Almond Butter Sauce

1/2 c creamy almond butter
4 t maple syrup
1/4 c soy sauce
2 T rice vinegar
1 T fresh ginger root, grated or minced
1-3 t hot pepper oil (adjust to desired spiciness)
2/3 c water

Put all ingredients into a sauce pan on low heat. Using a whisk, mix ingredients until smooth and warm. Add extra water to thin if necessary. The more you cook it, the thicker it gets, so be careful.

Marinated Tofu

1 lb firm tofu, slice 1/2" thick and then into small rectangles
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1" fresh ginger root sliced 1/8" thick
1 c water
1 T rice vinegar
1 T sesame oil
1/3 c soy sauce

Place tofu and marinade in a container with a tight fitting lid into the fridge and refrigerate at least 4 hours.

Heat 2 T sesame oil in a skillet and brown tofu on both sides.

Ode to Winter Squash

Winter squash, how many ways do I love thee? Last night it was in lasagna. Oh, so delicious.

I just threw a layer of mashed up butternut squash in the middle of my lasagna and baked as usual. Lasagna is such a wonderful winter meal that can be done so many ways.

And I'm always making up a batch of 'Pumpkin' Bread, made with basically any orange flesh squash I have on hand. I played around with the recipe and this one is my family's favorite. The only spice used is powdered ginger, which brings out the squash nicely instead of covering it up.

Sally's Winter Squash Bread

2 c squash purée

1 c granulated sugar

1 c brown sugar

4 eggs

2/3 c oil

2/3 c water

1 t salt

2 t baking soda

2 t powdered ginger

3 c white whole wheat flour (or any flour of your choice)

Mix squash and sugars together in a large bowl. Mix in eggs, one at a time. Stir in oil, water, salt, baking soda and ginger until combined well. Mix in flour just until combined. Bake at 350 in greased bread or muffin pans. Bread takes about 45 min and muffins range from 15-20 min. Bread will also brown much more on top than muffins will. Enjoy!

I don't think I will have enough squash left in my freezer to last through the summer. That's a funny thought, freezing winter vegetables to last you until they are in season again! Winter is almost over, thank goodness, but I sure will miss eating winter squash.