On the table tonight

Non-Dairy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

jennie — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 07:58:35 GMT

One of the things I miss most about cooking without thinking about food allergies is the convenience of boxed or pre-made meals. Not only are they easy to make, but I love the taste of macaroni and cheese, chicken-flavored noodles, and scalloped potatoes. Granted, these are not the healthiest items on a plate, but sometimes they just hit the spot.

So, even though it's not as easy as adding water and waiting a few minutes by the microwave, I've come up with a recipe for scalloped potatoes and ham that is delicious. It's not very hard to make and satisfies the need for something homey and warm. It's also a great way to use up some extra ham.

Print it: Non-Dairy Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

I wish that turkey only cost a nickel

jennie — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 09:23:25 GMT

I love Thanksgiving, and if all goes well, we'll be hosting it at our house again this year. This is the only holiday that we host at our house, and we're thrilled to have a mixture of guests each year from both sides of our families and friends. This year, it looks like there will be twelve of us - not too many but just enough to need two tables.

Artwork by Martin, 2004

Over the years, I've settled on a few recipes that have become my old standbys, the other sides change from year-to-year. The turkey, stock, and gravy recipes are Martha's - they are delicious, easy, and have very predictable results. The stuffing is one I found a few years ago and it has quickly become a family favorite (I use less broth than called for in the recipe). Even though there will be only twelve of us, I'll make a double-batch. That second batch will be primarily for Marty.

I make almost everything a day ahead and reheat it in crock pots. The exception to this is the stuffing, which I make up to the point of assembly and final baking. My goal on Thanksgiving day is to keep the last minute stuff to a minimum so that I can enjoy the day with less chaos. Now the day before, that's a different story.

For the past few years the kids have gone to my mom and dad's the day before Thanksgiving. That means that I'm on my own to get all the cooking, cleaning, and table setting done. IT IS THE GREATEST GIFT EVER. It means that I can focus, crank out the food, and everything stays clean and in place. IT IS AWESOME.

And, just in case you need a mix for when you're doing all the cooking, here's the mix that will be playing at our house the night before Thanksgiving.

Tank Tu: 2004 (titled for the way it sounded when Martin said "thank you" way back in 2004)
A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving by George Winston
Thank You by Dido
Thank You Louise by Ryan Adams
Thank U by Alanis Morrisette
November Rain by Guns N' Roses
Kind & Generous by Natalie Merchant
Thankful by Kelly Clarkson
Thank You by Sly & The Family Stone
Thanksgiving by Beatroots
Thank You by Vicki Evans
Thank You for the Music by The Original London Cast, Mamma Mia!
Thank God I'm a Country Boy by Tina and the B-Side Movement
Thanks a Lot by Johnny Cash
Turkey Leg Woman by Dr. Ross
The Thanksgiving Song by Adam Sandler

Print it:
Perfect Roast Turkey
Giblet Stock
Perfect Turkey Gravy with Rosemary and Madeira
Sourdough Stuffing with Pears and Sausage

Mini Chocolate Cupcakes

jennie — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 11:23:37 GMT

Since the kids just don't get enough sugar around Halloween, we decided to whip up a batch of mini cupcakes. Sophie took some with her to a Halloween party, but I wasn't disappointed that we had a bunch leftover for our house.

This was the first time I tried making mini-cupcakes, and I think they might be my new favorite thing. Instead of making a single batch of 12 cupcakes, the same amount of ingredients made 48 mini cupcakes. So when you polish off two mini cupcakes, it's practically like dieting because you've only eaten the equivalent of half of a regular cupcake. And who ever eats just a half cupcake. No one, that's who.

For this batch, I made two recipes from the Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World cookbook (big surprise). I baked each batch for 7 minutes and they turned out perfectly.

Also, because they are small, you don't feel too bad letting your kids eat them at any time of the day. Say, for example, breakfast. Here are the kids eating a nutritious breakfast on Halloween, trying to look scary:

Here Sophie is trying to get in her Daily Recommended Allowance of sprinkles. Which according to her, can be measured by the handful.

Print it: Basic Vegan Chocolate Cupcake, Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting

Side note: Even if you are not vegan or avoiding dairy, these cupcakes are delicious and very easy to make. I'd highly recommend them.

Shredded Pork

jennie — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:33:47 GMT

I've made this recipe for Shredded Pork twice, and both times it was a huge hit. It makes quite a large batch, and is perfect to serve to a crowd. The main source of flavor in this recipe comes from a seasoning packet, and the flavor will be different depending on which one you use. I really liked both of them, but the Mild Chili packet was my favorite.

Marty loves the shredded pork served on soft white dinner rolls (the kind "soft enough to use as a pillow", he says). I thought it was good that way, but really loved it as a filling for enchiladas. To make the enchiladas, I filled tortillas, lined them up in a baking dish, poured a can of green enchilada sauce over the top, added non-dairy cheese, and some pico de gallo - then baked the whole thing for about half an hour. Really easy, and really delicious.

Print it: Shredded Pork

Hearty Chili

jennie — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:07:15 GMT

We really love chili, and over the past few years I've tried countless recipes. It seems that everyone has a very favorite and best ever chili recipe - except for me. Almost every recipe I've tried has been GOOD, just not GREAT. So when I was planning to host an afternoon with Marty's family, I decided that we'd have a chili dog buffet. I figured that with chili and hot dogs on the menu, there would be something for everyone, even if they didn't actually combine the two to make a plate-sized chili dog meal.

My friend Nicole sent me her chili recipe, one that she'd modified over the years, and still changes depending on what she has on hand. That's the good thing about chili - it doesn't have to be exactly the same each time to be good. Although there are a lot of ingredients in this chili, it's very easy to make. Plus, it's thick, hearty, and the flavors are just right (to me). I'd highly recommend it, and I'll definitely make it again.

This chili tastes even better on the second day. I made it a day ahead and refrigerated it, then reheated it in the crock pot a few hours before lunchtime. Also, this is a very large batch of chili. I figure as long as I'm going to the effort of making it, I might as well make enough to freeze some for another time.

Print it: Hearty Chili

Thanks Nicole for the original recipe!

Creamy Celery Soup

jennie — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:22:30 GMT

In the past few weeks, I've heard or read about celery soup several times. And since it's cold and gloomy here, it sounded awfully good. I looked through recipes and found that many of them include the same basic ingredients. I looked them over and created a modified version - thicker and a bit creamier than the recipes that I'd found.

A few things you should know before trying this soup:
- There's a really good chance that ~~Marty~~ somebody at your house will suggest renaming it "Poor Man's Soup" and ask if we've started bouncing checks or something. I would argue that a meal does not have to be expensive in order to be tasty, and if a low price were a requirement for a meal, this one would be a BIG WINNER.
- If you are cooking for kids, you may not have luck in getting them to eat it. I might try calling it "Shrek Soup" or "Frankenstein Foam" in an attempt to make the green color more appealing to my children.
- If you have a sore throat or an upset stomach, this recipe might just hit the spot. It's somewhere between "mild" and "bland", which is sometimes exactly what is needed.
- Let's say that you've just come off of a big eating weekend, or you've polished off the leftover pizza for three meals running, you might think it's time for something lo-cal. In cases like that, a soup that is almost entirely made out of celery rises to the top of the list.
- If you're the kind of person who makes hot dish but can't use the super-easy canned version due to dairy allergies, this soup would make a fine substitute, and is much easier than making non-dairy cream of mushroom soup.

All in all, it's a tasty and soothing soup, perfect for some occasions. Still interested?

Print it: Creamy Celery Soup

Diner Meat Loaf Muffins

jennie — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 08:19:59 GMT

We're lucky enough to have a freezer full of beef, but let me tell you, it takes some creativity to use about 100 lbs. of ground beef in a year. So as I was going through a file of some of my favorite recipes, I was thrilled to come across this one again - Diner Meat Loaf Muffins from Cooking Light. It's been a long time since I made the recipe, but it was just as good as we had remembered. It's quite easy to make, cooks in much less time than a regular meatloaf, and the leftover muffins freeze/reheat well.

Print it: Diner Meat Loaf Muffins

Rustic Squash Soup

jennie — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:03:51 GMT

Over the past few weeks, I've been busy roasting, pureeing and freezing the squash that is in season here. They are inexpensive and freeze really well for use in recipes throughout the year. I'll use as a simple side dish, as a filling in lasagna, and this year I think I'll try to make some squash ravioli.

But right now, all this roasting has made me CRAVE squash, and last night I thawed the first bag of frozen squash. Only a week after I put it there.

I wasn't sure how this recipe would turn out, I only had a few ingredients on hand and not much time to make dinner before everyone lost their cool. As it turns out, it was very easy to make and the flavor was wonderful. It has a very chunky texture, so if you prefer a smooth squash soup you may want to consider pureeing the whole thing before serving. It is great served plain, but would also be good with toppings - a dollop of non-dairy sour cream, croutons, chopped scallions.

Non-dairy note: This recipe only includes 1-2 T. of non-dairy sour cream. If you're a person who consumes dairy, this could easily be substituted for it's dairy counterpart.

Ingredient prep note: This recipe uses squash that has already been roasted and pureed and frozen. I like to do this part ahead of time so that I have the squash ready and on-hand. If you don't have a stocked freezer and need to roast some squash, it is easy and takes about 45-60 minutes. I included basic roasting instructions in the recipe.

Print it: Rustic Squash Soup

Chicken Thighs, Potatoes, and Tomatoes

jennie — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:21:45 GMT

Tonight I tried a new recipe that I found in The Week magazine. It was described as "inspired comfort food" by Chef Jamie Oliver. It was really delicious, although I thought it was kind of a lot of work. I really, really hate cleaning or deboning meat so this recipe was an exercise in patience. The flavors were terrific and it smells like heaven (if heaven smells like roasting potatoes, olive oil, and herbs to you). But dang, for a dish described as "simple", I'd hate to try one that was described as difficult.

Try it, but plan taking your time and maybe having some wine while you cook. As if I have to tell YOU to do THAT.

Print it: Crispy and Sticky Chicken Thighs with Squashed New Potatoes and Tomatoes

Strawberry-Vanilla and Chocolate-Strawberry Ice Creams

jennie — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 08:07:28 GMT

Last week mom brought us a box of freshly picked strawberries. They were small and delicious and just at the point of being overripe. Not wanting to waste this delicious treat, we decided to make strawberry ice cream. I searched all over to find a recipe that I thought would still be good when using soy substitutes for the dairy that often makes homemade ice cream so dang delicious. I settled on this one from Williams-Sonoma.

Not sure how much ice cream the recipe would make, I decided to start with a half batch. I followed the recipes instructions, just substituting the half-and-half for Very Vanilla Soy Milk. It was creamy and delicious, but I could tell that it wouldn't make enough. So, we made a second batch, this time using Chocolate Soy Milk, following the same steps. They were both so good and we ate both batches in a single day.

I'll definitely make this again, but next time I will slice the strawberries paper thin. We found that the thinner the slice, the more quickly it melted in our tongues. Conversely, the thick slices sort of "freeze your face off". At least according to Marty.

Print it: Strawberry Ice Cream (Williams-Sonoma)

Non-Dairy Yogurt-Marmalade Cake, It's De-Lovely

jennie — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 07:31:15 GMT

On Friday morning, we decided that we would make a special dinner for ourselves. Martin and Sophie planned most of the menu - we had grilled fish and vegetables, a tomato-cucumber salad, and dessert. When I asked them what they wanted, they described their desired dessert as CAKE NOT CUPCAKES. A little bummed, since cupcakes have become somewhat comfortable for me, I wasn't sure what to make. Then, I came across a recipe for Yogurt-Marmalade Cake. And boy, did it look good.

Photo from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

It was really easy to make and the dairy ingredients had simple non-dairy counterparts. Instead of the yogurt that was called for in the recipe, I used two small containers of vanilla-flavored soy yogurt. I wasn't sure how my chocolate-loving family would respond to the sometimes sharp flavors of marmalade, but I didn't have time to ask. I was too busy shoveling the cake in my mouth. When I did finally look up to take a breath, their plates were clean and everyone was smiling. And that's the whole point of cake, isn't it?

Garlic Lima Bean Dip

jennie — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:32:38 GMT

When trying to figure out which snacks to serve for the baby shower I was hosting for my sister-in-law Chris, I knew that I wanted something light but tasty. I searched through issues of Cooking Light for ideas, and found a recipe that sounded interesting and not too heavy - Garlicky Lima Bean Spread. The dip was easy to make and a big hit. I served it with vegetables, but I think it would also be good as a spread on a sandwich or as a sauce on a veggie pizza. The other good part - everything in it is good for you and uses only 1 T. of olive oil.

Plus, lima beans are really pretty.

I made a few changes to the recipe to compensate for an ingredient I couldn't find (roasted garlic paste), and to boost some of the flavors. I made it the night before serving, and while the flavor only improved overnight, the color was less green and slightly more pale than when it was first assembled.

Print it: Garlic Lima Bean Dip

Brooklyn Brownie Cupcakes

jennie — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 22:04:11 GMT

Part two of the Great Cupcake Project revival included THE BEST CUPCAKE EVER. The Brooklyn Brownie Cupcake (of course from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World).

This cupcake is the most chocolaty cupcake I've made to date. It has a hint of bourbon and cherry (from the bourbon and cherry preserves I added), and the frosting is more fudge-like than any of the others I've made. Both the batter and the frosting were so good, that the kids fought over who would get the last bits out of the bowl. In fact, they fought so hard that Martin punched Sophie and she threw him off the barstool. I sent them both to their rooms for a time out, and licked the bowls myself. To teach the children a lesson. That lesson being don't leave momma alone with the frosting.

Dulce Sin Leche Cupcakes

jennie — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 21:59:49 GMT

About a week ago, I resumed the Great Cupcake Project that I've been working on all year. After a brief hiatus, we were ready for more. I kicked us off by making Dulce Sin Leche cupcakes, as always, from my favorite cupcake cookbook - Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

They were very tasty - a hint of coconut and a strong taste of caramel. They were a little trickier to make than some of the others I've tried, requiring better timing and more attention to detail. One of which I missed when making the all-important caramel sauce, so I had to improvise a bit to get it to turn out okay. The result was still good, but I probably won't make the whole recipe again. However, I can guarantee that I'll make the caramel sauce again - it would be great over ice cream. Or maybe just a spoon.

Steak with Balsamic BBQ Sauce

jennie — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:56:32 GMT

For Father's Day this year, we tried two new things - New York Strips (new only to me) glazed with a Balsamic BBQ sauce. The steaks were great (obvious if you've ever had one), and the sauce was delicious. I made the sauce two days ahead and just brushed the steak sides once each during grilling. I served the sauce at the table and it made for a tangy steak sauce with a BBQ twist. It was tasty, and I'd definitely make the sauce again.

Print it: Steak with Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Roman Summer Salad

jennie — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 07:06:00 GMT

Yesterday I served one of my new favorite things - Roman Summer Salad. It was so easy to make, very pretty to serve, and most of it can be made up to two days ahead.

I took probably five photos of the platter and didn't end up with a single one in focus. You'll just have to take my word for it - it's PRETTY.

I made the olive/sauce part of the recipe two days before serving. It takes quite awhile to reduce the balsamic vinegar to the designated amount, and when it's done it looks almost like molasses. Cooking vinegar in this was makes for a pretty stinky house, so I don't recommend doing it late at night like I did, or your husband might wake up and ask you what "stinks" which makes you feel kind of bad, since it will be "dinner".

If you make this ahead, be sure to bring the olive sauce back to room temperature before serving. And, although I have not tested this, I think it would make a great appetizer with one tomato slice served on a crostini, topped with the olive sauce.

Note: I made two changes to the ingredient list - I left out anchovies and the capers. Because I don't like either of them, and around here, I'm the boss of all things food.

Print it: Roman Summer Salad

Mmmm. Bacon.

jennie — Thu, 29 May 2008 06:14:05 GMT

Earlier this year I saw a video clip of comedian Jim Gaffigan talking about one of his favorite things - bacon. Each time I make bacon or order bacon (which happens every time I can) I think of Jim and his love of bacon. Since I made two bacon recipes this week, he's been on my mind.

Enjoy. Both the video AND some bacon.

Potato Melts

jennie — Thu, 29 May 2008 06:07:22 GMT

In planning our meals for the week, I picked two recipes that called for bacon. To get a few things done in advance, I decided to cook all the bacon at once. I only needed six pieces, so obviously I made an entire pound. By the time I was finished making the whole pound, I had to hid those last six slices so that no one knew they were around. It's the power of bacon. IT CALLS TO YOU.

I started with a recipe for Potato Smashers (from Kraft Kitchens), then made enough substitutions based on what I had on hand so that every Kraft product was removed from the recipe (not on purpose, except for the cheese).

Side note: The Light Italian dressing by Wish-Bone is non-dairy. The flavor is great and worked well in this recipe. I also use it on salads, mixed with tomatoes and cucumbers, and the kids like it as a dip for veggies. It's tasty and not very expensive - and the all important non-dairy.

And instead of smashing baby red potatoes, I ended up using rounds of Yukon Gold potatoes - which means that the recipe even needs a new name since there is no smashing involved. Similar to many potato skin recipes, the flavors were good and I'll make them again.

Print it: Potato Melts

Corn Chowder

jennie — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:11:35 GMT

About two years ago my friend Meghan sent me a recipe she'd made up for Corn Chowder. It was so delicious, and curbed my almost constant cravings for the creamy goodness of dairy. Over the past two years, I've made this probably a dozen times, making a few changes along the way. Each time I make it, it is slightly different than the last, but always so, so good.

Of all of my favorite soups, this one is in my top two and is the one I make most often. MAKE IT. IT IS THAT GOOD. By the way, if you're a dairy person you could easily use real sour cream instead of the non-dairy version used in this recipe.

Print it: Corn Chowder

Rhubarb Crunch Cake

jennie — Wed, 28 May 2008 12:59:45 GMT

Last week we received one of the great Springtime gifts - a big bag of rhubarb.

Not lucky enough to have any growing in my yard, I was thrilled to receive it. I cleaned and diced up the rhubarb, placing most of it in bags in 2 c. portions to freeze for later use. I kept one bag out and started looking for a good recipe.

Martin wrote this word on his very own and is showing it to you, if you know what I mean.

Through most of my usual venues (see right sidebar for links) and found lots of sweet and tasty pies, tortes and sauces. I kept thinking about cake-like rhubarb desserts I've had in the past, and didn't find any recipes that seemed close. I remember receiving a fax from my mom probably about ten years ago with a few recipes from her stash, but couldn't find it in my mess of things anywhere. So, I went to my stack of old cookbooks - collections of old-style recipes from churches, nursing homes, and clubs. I don't think any of the cookbooks have dates on them, but if I had to guess, I'd say that most of the recipes are at least 40-50 years old.

In the old cookbooks, I found probably ten different recipes for different kinds of rhubarb cakes. I decided to start with one from the St. James Parish Cookbook from Jacob's Prairie, MN. The recipe was submitted by Mrs. Albert Karls and followed the format of many of the recipes of this kind - some ingredients are a mystery (is sour milk the same as buttermilk?), some are missing amounts (cinnamon? how much cinnamon?), and almost always contain ingredients listed in the directions instead of in the list of ingredients at the beginning.

I made some changes to the recipe to substitute soy milk for the dairy, changed the topping directions, adding cooking spray to the pan, and omitted the caramel-like sauce on the top. I haven't made the original recipe, but I'm sure it would be delicious. The result of the modified recipe was not exactly what I had imagined, but delicious anyway and good for those people who like some crunch to their desserts. Marty said it was the best dessert ever (cooking and baking for him is so easy), Martin said I am a Top Chef, and Sophie relayed the following:

Sophie: I like cherries in my cake.
Me: Well, there aren't any cherries in this one.
Sophie: Oh. Heh heh.

I'm assuming that's a positive review. Two cups of rhubarb down, eight to go.

Note: This cake is not this color, but it does look like that when sitting in a dimly lit area of my kitchen, which is what is actually represented here.

And Mrs. Albert Karls? In the very rare event that if you're still with us AND searching for your own name on Google AND you stumble upon this recipe... thanks. I greatly appreciate your recipe.

And Martin appreciates it too because rhubarb without sugar and other goodness tastes something like this.

Print it: Rhubarb Crunch Cake