Peach Cobbler

I won't bore you with the details, but lets just say that after a week long battle with a stomach bug, I have yet to get the whole eating thing back on track. I am using it as an opportunity to cook out of the pantry. Someone might as well enjoy themselves with a little comfort food-Even if that someone isn't me. :p (feeling a little green!)

Microwaved Peach Cobbler
1 bag (approx. 4 c.) frozen peaches
1 T. cornstarch
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. water

spray or butter a glass dish (I used a deep pie pan) stir together ingredients Microwave on high power 6-8 minutes until it begins to thicken

stir in a generous pat of butter +1 T. lemon juice

2T butter
1 egg
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. self rising flour
1 t. cinnamon

while peach mixture is cooking: soften butter in bowl over warm water. Beat in egg, sugar self rising flour and cinnamon.
spoon over peach mixture. Microwave additional 10 minutes. (spooning liquid over dumplings the last 2 minutes of cooking)

Serve warm with milk or vanilla ice cream.

I modified this recipe just a little from an about.com recipe. While it is not exactly grandma's peach cobbler, it is quick and easy which is great if one wants to serve the family a treat but doesn't want to spend much time in the kitchen. Next time I will not add all that sugar to the peaches. We found them to be a bit too sweet. (of course, despite our recent holiday splurges, we're still not eating much sugar)

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies!

I'm busy gathering my cookie recipes. I'm looking for an Italian snowball cookie recipe. I haven't found one that looks exactly right yet. I found a few others that come close though. I'm also not sure which spice cookie to make. (maybe both?!) I'm also going to make a sugar free oatmeal cookie for a friend, but realized that I don't have any old-fashioned oats. I was hoping I wouldn't have to go to the store!


Soft Gingersnaps
* 1 1/2 cups butter (no substitutes), softened
* 2 cups sugar
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup molasses
* 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 3 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* Additional sugar

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in molasses. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until dough is easy to handle.
2. Roll into 1-in. balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 8-12 minutes or until puffy and lightly browned. Cool for 1 minute before removing to wire racks.


Molasses Sugar Cookies
* 1 1/2 cups shortening
* 2 cups white sugar
* 1/2 cup molasses
* 2 eggs
* 4 cups all-purpose flour
* 4 teaspoons baking soda
* 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1 teaspoon salt

1. Melt the shortening in a large pan on the stove, and cool.
2. Add sugar, eggs, and molasses, beat well.
3. In a separate bowl, sift dry ingredients together and add to the pan. Mix well and chill 3 hours or overnight.
4. Form into walnut-size balls. Roll in granulated sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.
5. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 8-10 minutes.
6. Store in an airtight container to keep from getting overly crisp. If they do lose their softness, an easy way to restore it is to place one slice of fresh bread in the container with the cookies for a couple of hours or overnight and they will be soft again!

Walnut Balls
* 1 cup(s) (2 sticks) butter (no substitutions), softened
* 6 tablespoon(s) granulated sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
* 2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
* 1/8 teaspoon(s) salt
* 1 bag(s) (8-ounce) walnuts, chopped
* 1 1/4 cup(s) confectioners' sugar

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat butter, granulated sugar, and vanilla until creamy, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour and salt just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl. Stir in walnuts.
2. Shape dough by rounded measuring teaspoons into 1-inch balls. Place balls, 1 inch apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet. Bake cookies 13 to 15 minutes or until bottoms are lightly browned.
3. Place confectioners' sugar in pie plate. While cookies are hot, with metal spatula, transfer 4 or 5 cookies at a time to pie plate with confectioners' sugar. Gently turn cookies with fork to generously coat with sugar. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely.
4. Repeat with remaining dough and confectioners' sugar. Store cookies in tightly covered container at room temperature up to 1 week or in freezer up to 3 months. Dust with additional confectioners' sugar before serving if you like.

Mexican Wedding Cookies
You'll just have to click over to the link.

Italian Snowball Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

½ cup confectioners' sugar plus more for rolling cookies

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

½ cup finally chopped nuts (almond, walnuts or pecans all work fine)

2 cups sifted all purpose flour

¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 400 F.

In a large bowl, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla and almond extract until well combined. Add chopped nuts and mix well. Stir in the flour and salt until a firm dough is formed. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into 1 inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until set but not browned, 10 - 12 minutes. Try not to overcook these! Cool on the cookie sheet for a few minutes and then roll in the confectioners' sugar.

Eggnog To try

I'm still working on gathering the recipes I want to try. This is another one I've had my eye on! I love eggnog, but store bought is just waaaayyy too high in sugar. This one looks good!


Keeper of the Home's Eggnog Recipe
6 beaten egg yolks (free range is best)

2 1/4 cups whole milk (raw, if available)

1/3 cup unrefined sugar, like Rapadura or Sucanat (I bet Coconut/Palm sugar would also work, though I haven't tried it)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup whipping cream (avoid ultra-pasteurized)

2 Tbsp unrefined sugar, or 1 Tbsp honey, or a few drops or maybe 1/2 packet of Stevia (just enough to add a touch of sweetness)

Ground nutmeg

(Note: You may want to begin the recipe the day before you want the egg nog- it's an easy recipe, but does need time to chill properly)

1) In a medium pot, mix the egg yolks, milk and the 1/3 cup sugar. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture just coats a metal spoon (see photo). Remove from heat. Place pot in a sink or bowl of ice water and stir for 2 minutes to cool mixture off a little. Stir in vanilla. Cover and chill for 4-24 hours.

2) When you're ready to serve:
Beat the whipping cream and 2 Tbsp of sugar (or sugar alternative) until soft peaks form.

mixing-egg-nog:
3) Transfer the chilled egg/milk/sugar mixture to a punch bowl. Fold in the whipped cream. Serve immediately. Sprinkle each serving with nutmeg. If you find it a little too thick or too sweet, simply stir in a bit of milk to thin it out.

Blueberry...something.

Hmmm...decisions. I may make Recipe #1 and add a little lemon zest to it. Yum! Recipe #2 sounds good as well!

Jordan Marsh Blueberry Muffins
Makes 12 regular size muffins
Print recipe only here.

1/2 cup butter
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 pint blueberries, rinsed and patted dry
1 teaspoon sugar for blueberries
1 teaspoon cinnamon for blueberries

Place rack in center of oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line a 12-mold regular size muffin pan with paper muffins cups.

Using a hand mixer, cream butter, sugar, and salt until soft. Add eggs, and mix until light and fluffy. Mix the flour and baking powder together, and stir into the batter, alternating with the milk. Stir in the vanilla. Mix until just incorporated.

This is my mom's tip, and it works beautifully: In a small bowl, sprinkle blueberries with 1 teaspoon each sugar and cinnamon. Gently toss until well coated. Fold into the batter. Spoon batter into the 12 muffin cups.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are light gold and a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a rack to cool for 5 minutes before removing each muffin and placing on a wire rack to cool.

Blueberry Maple Muffins (w/ oatmeal and streusel )
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 cup vanilla yogurt
1 over ripe banana (mashed)
1/4 cup butter (melted)
1 egg
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup blueberries
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup flour
pinch cinnamon
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoon unsalted butter

Directions:
1. Mix the brown sugar, maple syrup, yogurt, banana, butter, egg and rolled oats in a bowl and let it sit for 10 minutes.
2. Mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.
3. Mix the wet and dry ingredients along with the blueberries until just mixed.
4. Spoon the mixture into a greased muffin pan.
5. Mix the pecans, flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and butter until they form crumbs.
6. Spoon some of the streusel onto the muffins.
7. Bake in a preheated 375F oven for about 20 minutes.

Christmas Menu Planning

I'm typing it up here so I don't have to print. Maybe it will be helpful to someone else. (recipes follow)

Brunch

Quiche Lorraine (prebake)
Bacon
Blueberry...? (Muffins maybe.)
Sparkling Juice
Coffee or Tea


Evening Feast
Peking Duck
Ham
Sweet Potato casserole
Collard greens
Fuzhou Noodles OR Mac-n-Cheese (made w/ Dreamfields Penne)

Cookies, ice cream/ root beer Floats

Quiche Lorraine
Refrigerated Pie Crust (or make your own...but why bother?)

4 large eggs
2 cups whipping cream or half-and-half
8 slices bacon, crisply cooked, crumbled (1/2 cup)
1/2-1 whole red bell pepper depending on taste (chopped, and excess moisture squeezed through paper towel)
1 cup shredded Swiss cheese (4 oz)
4 Tbsp chopped green onion or chives
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
grape tomatoes divided in half (for garnish)

Heat oven to 425. Line pie pan or quiche pan with pie crusts. Cover entire crust with double layer of foil. Bake 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake additional 2-4 minutes until pastry begins to brown and set.

Meanwhile, whisk eggs, cream, salt and pepper together.

When crust is ready add bacon, bell pepper, cheese, onions to the pastry. Pour egg mixture over. Garnish with tomatoes and red pepper.

Reduce heat to 325 and bake 45-50 minutes or until knife inserted into center come out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

New Soup

11yo is a girl scout. Anyone with a scout knows that twice a year they do sales. The first one being QSP (candy, nuts, magazines) and the second one being cookies.

This year, instead of candy we bought magazines. Family Fun to be exact. It was cheap and I know quite a few people that subscribe and do neat little projects from the pages. Our first issue came this week. I flipped through quickly and the first thing to catch my eye was some soup recipes.

We love soup. There is something so warming and comforting about eating a nice steaming bowl of soup. Add a fresh loaf of bread and a salad and you have a complete meal.

One soup recipe stood out above the rest.

Lasagna soup.

I know, ewwwww. The first time I heard of it was a few days before I had seen the actual recipe and I said, "Ewww. Sounds gross." Spaghetti sauce and noodles didn't sound appetizing to me in a soup, but my mom, the person who had told me she had tasted this soup at a ladies tea, said it was actually quite good. It's lucky for me she had mentioned this soup before I saw the article, otherwise I would have passed right by and never given this recipe a try.

Last night we tried it. The verdict? Everyone loved it. It was so filling and full of yummy Italian-like flavors. Definitely one to try.

Lasagna Soup (from the Kitchen of Meredith Deeds)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage (bulk or with casings removed)
2 onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons oregano
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
6 cups chicken broth
2 bay leaves ("The Factory" spice cabinet didn't have these, and the soup was still good.)
8 ounces fusilli pasta
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil
8 ounces ricotta
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella

1. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and sauté, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until the sausage is no longer pink, about 5 to 7 minutes. Drain any excess fat from the pot. Add the onions and sauté until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and sauté until the paste turns a rusty brown, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes with their juice, the broth, and the bay leaves and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes.

2. Add the pasta, then increase the heat to medium-high and boil the soup until the pasta is tender to the bite, following the time recommendations on the pasta package. Discard the bay leaves, then stir in the basil. If desired, season with salt and black pepper to taste.

3. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, the Parmesan, the 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and the pinch of pepper. To serve, place about 1 1/2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture in each bowl, sprinkle with some of the mozzarella, and ladle the soup on top. Makes about 13 cups.

Yum

I've been wanting to start baking my bread again. Store bought whole wheat bread is over priced and isn't that good. I wanted to start baking my bread again, but truthfully have just been too lazy. I don't own a bread machine-I have to do all that kneading by hand.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store and purposely didn't buy bread. I was determined to bake this week of light schooling. Today,thanks to Tammy, I found a new bread recipe at the King Arthur Flour website.

Long story short, but my 2 loaves just came out of the oven. We can never wait for it to cool before cutting into it. So...we did. It's yummy! The texture is very nice. I started with their recipe for white bread, it's always a good starting place.

The recipe is good enough that you should try it. They are very thorough with their instructions so even if you've never baked your own bread, you should be okay.


Our freshly sliced loaf.

King Arthur White Sandwich Bread
*my comments are in bold*
1 packet "highly active" active dry yeast; or 2 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast; or 2 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
7/8 to 1 1/8 cups lukewarm water*
3 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1/4 cup nonfat dry milk
1/2 cup instant mashed potato flakes

*Use the lesser amount in summer (or in a humid environment), the greater amount in winter (or in a dry climate), and somewhere in between the rest of the year, or if your house is climate controlled. *I needed to use just a bit more water...guess my house is pretty dry.*

Directions
1) If you're using active dry yeast, dissolve it with a pinch of sugar in 2 tablespoons of the lukewarm water. Let the yeast and water sit at room temperature for 15 minutes, until the mixture has bubbled and expanded. If you're using instant yeast, you can skip this step.
*What I did- measure out the lesser amount of warm water, yeast, and sugar in the bowl and let bloom.*

2) Combine the dissolved yeast (or instant yeast) with the remainder of the ingredients. *This is when I realized I need the extra water+plus a bit more to make the dough nice and moist-without being sticky.*Mix and knead everything together—by hand, mixer or bread machine set on the dough cycle—till you've made a smooth dough. If you're kneading in a stand mixer, it should take about 7 minutes at second speed, and the dough should barely clean the sides of the bowl, perhaps sticking a bit at the bottom. In a bread machine (or by hand), it should form a smooth ball. *I knead by hand for a full 15 minutes. Lightly flour the table or counter if you have trouble with sticking. Mine was good.*

3) Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover the bowl, and allow the dough to rise, at room temperature, for 1 to 2 hours, or until it's nearly doubled in bulk. Rising may take longer, especially if you've kneaded by hand. Give it enough time to become quite puffy.

4) Gently deflate the dough, and shape it into an 8" log.

5) Transfer the log, smooth side up, to a lightly greased 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pan. Tent the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap. *I use a very clean dampish tea towel. I then set it in the cold oven with the interior light on to raise.*

6) Allow the bread to rise till it's crested about 1 1/4" over the rim of the pan, about 1 hour. Again, it may rise more slowly for you; let it rise till it's 1 1/4" over the rim of the pan, even if that takes longer than an hour. While the dough is rising, preheat the oven to 350°F.

7) Bake the bread for 15 minutes. Tent it lightly with aluminum foil, and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, till the crust is golden brown, and the interior temperature measures 190°F on an instant-read thermometer. *I don't have this kind of thermometer. Instead I baked it for 25 minutes and checked it-When you thump it, it should sound hollow. It should also be brown. Mine needed the extra 10-15 minutes.*

8) Remove the bread from the oven, and gently loosen the edges with a heatproof spatula or table knife. Turn it out of the pan, and brush the top surface with butter, if desired; this will give it a soft, satiny crust. Allow the bread to cool completely before slicing. As soon as it's completely cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap; or in a plastic bag, air pressed and fastened securely at the top.

The most DELICIOUS

Ya know,...not to toot my own horn but,..."toot toot."

I sure come up with some good eats.

Fridays are co-op days, and because they are busy, I try,when I'm on the ball at least, to have a quick meal planned for Friday evenings. I had been out of the habit of planning my meals, but after spending the last few weeks coming up empty of ideas at meal time, I decided it was time to start planning again.

This Friday's menu was Chicken Apple Salads. This has been one of our favorites ever since our first trip to Panera and they had a salad with apples on the menu.

Just as I was about to start I decided I wanted a different dressing. Some kind of honey vinaigrette sounded good to me, but I didn't know how to make it. I turned to the Internet and came up with 8 ba-zillion recipes.

Now what?

I did what all cooks do- I guessed. I looked at a few recipes, and thought, "I can do that."

It turned out to be the most delicious accident I've had for a while.

I wanted to take a picture of the salad....but I was sooo HUNGRY!!!!

Here's what I did:

Chicken Apple Salad

-1 chicken breast per person, cooked and chunked (I used only 2 v. 3 since we aren't big carnivores)
-mixed greens or your choice (we like spinach, and "early spring" greens)
-1 apple, cored and sliced into thin rings (we had Macintosh on hand)
-chopped walnuts (1-2 tablespoons per salad)
-Feta or Goat Cheese crumbles, 1-2 TBS per salad(we prefer the goat cheese for it's mild flavor)
-dehydrated onion flakes to taste (a way I sneak a little savory in and my Non-onion eater will still eat it)
salt and pepper to taste

Honey Vinaigrette Dressing:
I used a Pampered chef dressing mixer which has ounce markings on the side
and mixes the ingredients beautifully.

1 ounce Raw Honey (which according to google is roughly 2 TBS)
3ounces Olive Oil ( I used light instead of EVOO)
1 t. dry mustard
1 t. paprika
4 t. Balsamic vinegar
1-2 t. fresh lemon juice (we like things kind of tangy, use your best judgement)
Salt to taste ( I used my palm to measure...maybe a 1/4-1/2 t??)
Pepper to taste

Arrange Greens on plate, sprinkle with onion flakes, cheese, salt/pepper
top with cheese and walnuts
place 3(approx.) apple rings on top, ( I also used a squeeze of the lemon on top of the apple to add a little zing and prevent browning)
drizzle on dressing ( start with less, you can always add more)
top with chicken breast pieces
Inhale.

You can store leftover dressing in the fridge. The oil and honey mixture may become thick, just let it come back to room temperature and it should thin out ( or place in a mug/bowl of warm water to speed it up.)

Sorry I didn't take a picture. Maybe next time.

Farmhouse Chicken

Tonight after we came home from co-op, I got really hungry for stuffing. We only get it once or twice a year around the holidays. I just love the aroma of the onions and celery cooking away in the butter. It's heavenly. yummm....

I didn't really want a Thanksgiving type dinner though, but then I remembered a recipe I had seen over at Tammy's a few weeks back. It seemed like I remembered her writing that they had been making Farmhouse Chicken quite a lot after the recent birth of her third child. If she's cooking so soon after giving birth I thought it must be easy so I cruised on over to find the recipe.

The recipe calls for instant stuffing mix, which I didn't' have and didn't want to go to the store for. I found a recipe for one on the web and set out to make it. We had some stale hamburger buns laying around so I cubed them, along with a little of my rye bread, and popped them into the oven to toast. As I was having 10yo read the recipe to me (for the instant stuffing mix) I suddenly remembered that I actually know how to make stuffing-I don't need no stinkin' mix. (remember, I said I was a culinary genius!) In just a few short minutes the smell of Thanksgiving was wafting out of my kitchen. There's nothing like butter, onions, and celery-Nothin'. I have no idea how the rest of the recipe will taste. It's got another 15 minutes in the oven, but the stuffing was a success. I just wanted to grab a spoon and dig right in. This is where self control comes into play. I think this is going to be one of those oh so delicious comfort foods for me. mmmmm....