On the table tonight

Turkey and Bean Soup with Bacon

jennie — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:49:00 GMT

Sometimes making a meal that tastes good out of the things I actually have on hand seems like a difficult task. Especially when I slack off and don't really plan ahead. That's how its been for awhile around here, and last week I found that I had a lot of food in the house, but nothing that made a very good sounding meal. Deciding that I couldn't bear to go to the store AGAIN, I decided to force myself to make something with the ingredients on hand.

Using odds and ends of things I'd made and frozen earlier in the month + a few items from the cupboard, I came up with a recipe for soup that was both delicious and filling. I'll definitely make it again, especially since I usually have most of these items in the house.

Print it: Turkey and Bean Soup with Bacon

Non-dairy Rhubarb Bread

jennie — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 14:32:00 GMT

As the end of the winter weather approaches (she says with quiet optimism), I like to clean out the freezer to make sure that I use up all of the food I froze during last year's growing season. As usual, I still have a large amount of rhubarb left in the freezer. So this week, Sophie and I decided to make some rhubarb bread.

There is no better source for recipes like rhubarb bread than church or nursing home cookbooks. The recipe we started with was from the Luther Memorial Memorable Meals cookbook (published 1982), contributed by Mrs. Opal Kunz. To modify the recipe, we substituted non-dairy butter for shortening, baked it in bread pans, and divided the recipe. It tasted a bit bland at first, but it improved each day.

Print it: Non-dairy Rhubarb Bread

Coconut Layer Cake

jennie — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:45:00 GMT

At our house when its your birthday, you can choose any dessert you'd like to celebrate your special day. This year Sophie's pick was for a coconut layer cake. I'm pretty sure that she's never had one, but no amount of coercion could get her to choose any sort of cupcake in its place. So, I found a recipe that looked promising and set out to make it. I made some changes to the recipe to make it non-dairy and also to remedy issues I had along the way. It was touch-and-go for awhile, but in the end, we had cake:

A few tips:
1. Be very careful when transferring the cake into the refrigerator to set, its very slick and top heavy and could topple over VERY EASILY.
2. Use buttercream frosting instead of the traditional seven minute frosting because if things go south and it starts to separate WHILE ON THE CAKE, you'll end up with avalanches of cake sliding off the plate just moments before the party.
3. Check with the child first to be sure they actually LIKE the taste of coconut instead of just the IDEA of coconut. In the words of Martin - "I don't like the TASTE of coconut, but I DO like coconut bras." Seriously, who doesn't.

In the end, the cake really was good. I liked the buttercream frosting combined with the coconut, and it helped to hold the whole thing together. The frosting and coconut mixture makes a very forgiving cover for a cake, which is good if you're a layer cake novice like me. And in case you have any cake leftover, it only improves with time.

Print it: Coconut Layer Cake

Non-Dairy Bette Le Mae

jennie — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 13:00:00 GMT

If you've ever stayed at Ruttger's Bay Lake Lodge you may have been lucky enough to have the dessert Bette Le Mae. And if you ever spent a summer working at Ruttger's, you can probably attribute at least a few pounds of weight gain to having Bette Le Mae on a regular basis. A delicious, dense, flourless chocolate cake - Bette is tough to pass up.

Last week when I was looking for a recipe to make for Sophie's birthday, nothing sounded appealing and I realized that what I really wanted was Bette Le Mae. I pulled out my Ruttger's cookbook and found the recipe, and decided that I'd give making a non-dairy version of this delicious dessert a try.

The result was delicious, although not quite as solid and dense as the dairy version. These differences might have also been because the recipe I used was slightly different the version I found on Ruttger's website. I'm not sure which recipe is currently in use at Ruttger's, but I'll definitely try it again. I'm pretty sure that I'll have plenty of taste-testing volunteers.

Print it: Non-Dairy Bette Le Mae
Print it: Ruttger's Original Bette Le Mae

Roasted Asparagus

jennie — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:40:00 GMT

Sophie's favorite vegetable is asparagus, which is great except for the fact that its only in season here for a relatively short period of time, and that time does not fall around her birthday. Sometimes out of season vegetables can be really short of flavor or have a bad texture, and that is particularly true with asparagus. Regardless, I picked some up at the store and tried a new recipe. The result was delicious, tender and very easy.

I used a recipe for roasted asparagus by Ina Garten, and made just a few changes. I used only one pound instead of the two called for in the recipe, cut the roasting time down to 10 minutes, and let the asparagus sit (covered with foil) for 20 minutes while our other food finished in the oven. It turned out just fine and made it possible for me to use the oven for two dishes in one meal. I'll definitely try it this way again.

Print it: Roasted Asparagus

Brined Turkey

jennie — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 21:16:00 GMT

For many, many years my friend Kathy has been trying to talk me into making a brined turkey. I was hesitant to do so because I already had a tried-and-true turkey recipe that I loved, and rarely make a whole turkey on any occasion other than Thanksgiving. Last year before Thanksgiving I purchased a turkey when they were practically giving them away, and decided to pull it out of the freezer last week - just the right occasion for trying the brining method.

Since its cold here, the garage gives me the perfect place to both thaw and brine the turkey. I researched a few brine recipes and decided to make up a simple version that would leave me with a well-seasoned, but basic sort of bird.

The resulting recipe and method produced the tastiest, moistest turkey I have ever had. It was so good that now I have a new/old standby recipe for turkey.

Print it: Brined Turkey

Venison Red Stag Cola Chili

jennie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 03:07:00 GMT

I woke up this morning with football on my mind. More specifically, I had FOOTBALL FOOD on my mind. After searching through the freezer and cupboards, I realized my best option for football food (without having to go to the store) was chili. However, I didn't have any beans, diced tomatoes, or ground beef. But I did have plenty of venison steak in the freezer, which I'd been trying to figure out a way to cook for quite some time.

Awhile ago someone recommended to me that I try cooking the venison steak in coke - that it added some sweetness and took away the gamey flavor responsible for its lack of popularity at our house. It sounded like a good idea, but maybe not quite enough. I wasn't sure if it would be good with the venison, but I know that its good with coke (and on its own) - and decided to marinate the venison in Red Stag Bourbon (its a cherry-flavored bourbon by Jim Beam, recommended by my brother) to add some extra flavor. To add deeper flavor to the sauce, I borrowed the caramelizing idea from French Onion soup. It seems like there are a lot of steps to this chili - but in reality it goes pretty quickly and doesn't require much actual effort.

The resulting chili was terrific - the flavor was great, and the meat was tender without being gamey. I'll definitely make this one again.

Print it: Venison Red Stag Cola Chili

French Onion Soup

jennie — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:54:00 GMT

I really love French Onion soup, especially when its topped with a toasted slice of bread and a whole pile of melted gruyere. The bad part about making a non-dairy version is that there is no reasonable substitute for the goodness of gruyere. So, when making a non-dairy version of this soup, it usually lacks some of the richness I enjoy from the cheese-topped version.

I made a recipe yesterday that is so delicious and rich-tasting (thanks to the addition of some brandy) that I didn't even miss the melty-gruyere topping. Sure, I think it would be BETTER with some cheese, but it was darn good without it.

Side note for those who eat dairy: You can substitute butter for the non-dairy version in the recipe. And of course, you could also consider the addition of gruyere.

Print it: French Onion Soup

Caramel Apple Pie, or Love Potion No.9

jennie — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:33:00 GMT

There are two good reasons to make this pie:
1. you have an abundance of apples
2. you are trying to make someone fall in love with you

This pie is delicious, and you should make it. You should also take care to really seal up the edges of the crust and maybe put a cookie sheet on the bottom rack, because if you don't - you may end up with a gooey, caramel mess on the bottom of your oven. If you take those simple precautions, you will be on the fast-track to winning hearts in no time.

Print it: Caramel Apple Pie

Pot Roast with Red Sauce

jennie — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:31:00 GMT

I've made the turn from summer foods into winter comfort foods. Menus featuring grilled foods have been replaced with all things slow-cooked. My crock pot has again taken its place on the countertop. And tonight, we had our first pot roast of the season. Since Sophie is refusing to eat anything with onions, I decided to try a version that includes a mild tomato-based sauce. It was very easy to make, tender, moist, and really delicious.

The original recipe suggested serving it with squash and hominy. Although it sounded good, I decided to skip those options and instead served brown rice, corn, and red peppers (for those who wanted it - which meant mom and me). It was delicious, and a much lighter meal than a traditional gravy-based pot roast.

Print it: Pot Roast with Red Sauce

Whole Wheat Pizza with Pesto, Caramelized Onions, and Sundried Tomatoes

jennie — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 02:05:00 GMT

Last Spring, my friend Jessy came to visit and brought me a few pizzas as a gift. I was so excited to eat them, I barely waited until she was out the door before I started warming the oven. For days after her visit, I daydreamed about the delicious pesto topping, the mixture of caramelized onions and sun-dried tomatoes, the rich goat cheese. I wanted more, and Moose & Sadie's, the restaurant where she works, is too far for me to just stop on in to get some. So, with the memory of delicious pizza firmly in my memory, I set out to recreate the pizza.

The Crust
I started out with a whole-wheat pizza recipe by Martha. It was very easy to make, and freezes well for use at a later time. I've tried the recipe twice - once with instant yeast, once with active yeast - both with great results. The crusts were just as great when made fresh as they were frozen. Its a great crust to have on hand.

The Sauce
I set out to make a pesto using primarily a dark, leafy green. I tried the recipe twice - once with kale, and the second time with spinach. I thought they were both good, but the kale version was my favorite. Using regular garlic in the sauce gave it a strong, spicy flavor - the version I made with garlic scapes was even better. I'll use those whenever I can find them. Since Sophie is allergic to dairy I left out the traditional parmesan. I'm not sure if she's allergic to pine nuts, so I left those out just in case.

The Toppings
Jessy's pizza featured caramelized onions, sundried tomatoes, and goat cheese - so mine did too. I didn't quite get the temperature down right to keep everything coming out cooked properly, so on the second batch of pizzas I omitted the sundried tomatoes. It was still awfully good.

The Verdict
I think I came pretty close to the original, especially in making the crust and sauce non-dairy. If Sophie were to have this pizza, I would have made hers without the goat cheese. And that's the beauty of individual pizzas - each pizza can match the tastes of an individual. In reality - it didn't matter that I made this non-dairy because she didn't want to eat anything green, hates onions, and only wanted red sauce with black olives. That's just the way it goes.

Print it: Deep Green Pesto
Print it: Whole-Wheat Pizza Crust (by Martha Stewart)

You Say Tomato, I Say Sauce.

jennie — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 02:28:00 GMT

My parents were recently going to be out of town for two weeks, right around the time that the tomatoes in my mom's garden were likely to ripen. "I'll keep an eye on the tomatoes" I told my mom. Every few days we went to the house and picked tomatoes - at first they could all fit in a basket, later we needed a bucket. That was okay by me - I had my new tomato press on hand, a canning pot that I'd purchased years ago at a family auction, and was armed with jars purchased at the fleet farm.

Fifty pounds of tomatoes later, I was thankful that the garden was as small as it was, and doubly-thankful that I wasn't planning on putting up a whole years worth of vegetables. Home-canned goods are delicious, but it is no small effort to prepare all of the food and do the actual canning. And that doesn't even count all the effort that goes into raising the vegetables (thanks momma!).

I made three kinds of sauce. The original is based on a recipe I found in a canning cookbook and turned out to be a touch spicy, meaning that my kids wouldn't eat it. And only seven jars of that on hand!

The next batch I skipped the crushed red pepper, omitted the onion and garlic, added some red wine. Then, when I made the third batch, I decided to go ahead and add some onion and garlic, but I'll pretend that it isn't in there if the kids ever ask.

For that last batch, I put half of the mild into jars then threw a handful of quartered green olives into each jar. Who knows how it will taste. My guess is tasty and salty. Well, for sure it will be salty.

I thought it was great fun making the sauce, and the kids are quite good at operating the tomato press. By the time we finished processing all fifty pounds of tomatoes, we were like a well-oiled machine. A machine that was covered in pulp and seed bits, but a machine none-the-less.

Chewy Choc-Oat-Chip Bars

jennie — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:45:00 GMT

After a year and a half of making fancy-pants cupcakes, it turns out that what my kids really crave are oatmeal chocolate chip bars. If I could ignore the two sticks of non-dairy butter and the sugar and the chocolate chips, I guess one could call this a "healthy treat". Okay, not-so-healthy, but certainly delicious.

I found a great recipe on Quaker's website. As usual, I made a few changes:
- substituted non-dairy margarine for butter
- used vanilla soy milk instead of cow's milk
- added one bag of non-dairy chocolate chips instead of the 2 c. of the regular variety
- reduced the cooking time from 30-35 minutes down to 20-25

This recipe is delicious and I'll definitely make it again. In fact, I think I've made it three times this summer, and it's only the beginning of July.

Print it: Chewy Choc-Oat-Chip Bars

Wheat Berry, Roasted Corn and Spinach Salad

jennie — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:51:00 GMT

A few weeks ago, I found a recipe for a salad using wheat berries and read that they are loaded with iron. I had never had wheat berries, but decided to give it a try. It contained a lot of our family favorites - corn, spinach, cherry tomatoes, and has an orange-honey flavored dressing - so I figured that maybe my family wouldn't totally notice the wheat berries if they spotted some of their favorites in the bowl.

My thoughts were too optimistic as far as my family is concerned. I thought it tasted great, but no one else would even eat it. Martin and Sophie wouldn't even try it. I was disappointed, especially since a little bit of wheat berries makes a really giant batch.

Not wanting to waste the salad, I started bringing it to work for lunch. There was so much of it, that I think I ate it for five days in a row. But the thing is, that as each day passed, I started to like it more. It was chewy, flavorful, and satisfying. I'll definitely make it again, but this time just for myself. Maybe if it is "forbidden" it will have a whole new appeal for the rest of my family.

I made the following changes to the recipe:
- This recipe is fine made ahead, and actually gets better each day.
- I doubled the dressing portion of the recipe.
- I used 2 green onions instead of the 1/4 c. called for
- I used 1/2 pint grape tomatoes instead of 1 c. cherry tomatoes
- I added a lot more spinach each day, placing a handful of spinach leaves at the bottom of a bowl and spooning the salad on top - I thought it really improved the salad.

Print it: Wheat Berry, Roasted Corn and Spinach Salad (from Betty Crocker)

Pork Kabobs with Oranges and Rosemary

jennie — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:37:00 GMT

In my continuous effort to clear out our freezer in order to make room for this season's vegetables, I've been trying to make our meals out of whatever meats are left in the bottom. Our options are slim at this point, and many of the foods are better suited for things like slow-cooking rather than grilling. Last week I thawed a pork sirloin roast which I usually roast in the oven, this time deciding that I'd give it a shot on the grill. A pork sirloin roast is not too big (this one just under 4 lbs), but it is round, sort of like a small soccer ball. Not knowing how I'd grill something of that shape, I decided to cut the roast into 2" cubes and place them on skewers to guarantee more evenly cooked meat.

I searched all over for a good recipe for pork kabobs, but didn't find any that really sounded great to me. So I decided to use a marinade recipe for pork tenderloin that is my mom's old standby. Filled with flavors of orange, soy sauce, and rosemary - It is light, flavorful, and always tastes great. To add a little variety to the kabobs, I alternated the pork with orange wedges.

The result was delicious - the kids loved the sweetness of the orange wedges, the pork was tender and flavorful, and the skewers made the meal more fun. I'll definitely make these again.

Print it: Pork Kabobs with Oranges and Rosemary

Southern-Style Summer Greens

jennie — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:04:00 GMT

Last week we received our first box of produce from our local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) - Loon Organics. I have been eagerly anticipating starting to receive the boxes, and was thrilled when my week finally came. We ate the strawberries within minutes of arriving home, ate the cucumber with our sandwiches, had butter lettuce on our BLT's, and chopped the kohlrabi into sticks and ate it like a snack. I knew that Marty would enjoy eating the beets, but it seemed like a shame to toss all those lovely greens. So, I looked around until I found a good recipe for collard greens with bacon, made a few changes and added the beet greens to my collection of collards.

The resulting recipe was easy to make and flavorful. The kids were more excited by the idea of collard greens (thanks to Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco who ate their rice, beans, rutabagas, and collard greens) than they were about actually eating it, but Marty and I really enjoyed it. I'll definitely make it again.

Print it: Southern-Style Summer Greens

June = Cupcakes

jennie — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:47:00 GMT

We've entered another stretch of the year where we seem to have all kinds of occasions for which we need cupcakes. We started a few weeks ago when we celebrated Father's Day and my mom's birthday - for that occasion, I made Tiramisu Cupcakes:

Golden Vanilla cupcake, center and cap soaked in a mixture of espresso and Kahlua, layered with Vegan Cream Cheese frosting, dusted with cinnamon and cocoa powder. Yum.

Next, we celebrated my Grandma's 99th birthday. Although no one bit on my idea to mark each year with a rousing rendition of 99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall, they did dig into the cupcakes.

On the top side of the tray - Mini Brooklyn Brownie Cupcakes, filled with whiskey and cherry preserves, topped with a fudge frosting.

I also made Mini Golden Vanilla Cupcakes with Vegan Fluffy Buttercream Frosting, topped with edible flowers I picked at Loon Organics.

They were light and delicious, and the flowers held up beautifully.

This might be my new favorite way to decorate cupcakes - it could not be easier to do, and they look so lovely.

I couldn't stop taking pictures of them, they were so pretty.

Tonight, I made a batch of Sexy Low-Fat Vanilla Cupcakes.

They are topped in a variety of ways - a mixture of Skinny Confectioners Icing, black current preserves, cherry preserves, blueberries, strawberries, and more icing.

I hope they hold up until tomorrow. I also hope that no one discovers they are in the garage.

Ginger Steak Salad by The Pioneer Woman

jennie — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:06:00 GMT

A few weeks ago my friend Jessy came out to our house to join us for lunch. As always, I wanted to make something really easy and that could be made ahead of time. The only problem was that I hadn't quite gotten around to getting it ready ahead of time, and the kids were underfoot, and the house was a mess, and then all of the sudden she was here! When you're in a situation like that, it's best if the guest is a person who has lived with you before so isn't surprised by the mess, who likes kids, and who is a chef so that she can help you make lunch. As luck would have it, that's exactly the kind of friend I have in Jessy.

So, we tried to keep the kids from killing each other while we prepared the marinade and dressing. We put it all in the fridge and went out to the park. When we came back, everyone was STARVING, and we cooked up the steak. Plating the salad only took a few minutes, and in short order, everyone was eating.

This salad was fantastic and we practically licked the platter clean. I'll definitely make it again. And I'll definitely have Jessy over again, she's an easy guest, and one who likes to be put to work in the kitchen, and really that's the best kind.

Print it: Ginger Steak Salad by The Pioneer Woman

Ancho-Rubbed Flank Steak

jennie — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:51:00 GMT

A long time ago I signed up for a daily email recipe idea from MyRecipes by Cooking Light. The recipes are often ones I've seen before, and many times are the same ones featured in that month's issue of Cooking Light - but when they come to me in email, they seem even more appealing. I've made many of the recipes that were sent to me this way, but none have been quite as enjoyable as one that came a few weeks ago - Ancho-Rubbed Flank Steak.

The steak is made in a pan and only takes a few minutes to cook. I substituted regular chili powder (with a dash of jalapeno powder) for the ancho chili powder, and it tasted great. This recipe also includes an idea for a quick side salad and recommended serving it all with a side of roasted potato wedges. The kids loved all of it, and we cleaned up the salad, potatoes, and everyone had a healthy serving of steak. But since flank steaks are more then we can eat in one meal, it made great leftovers - serving our family for two more meals. I'll definitely make this one again.

Print it: Ancho-Rubbed Flank Steak

BLT-A Salad with Non-Dairy Ranch Dressing

jennie — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 14:32:00 GMT

Last night, to celebrate the end of the school year for our Kindergarten-age boys, we had a dinner party with our neighbors. When our families combine, there are ten of us - six kids between the ages of 4 and 6 years old. It's a busy place. I knew this would be the case and I wanted to have a dinner that would be easy to make and wouldn't require much effort while everyone is here. We made burgers and had some sides for the kids, but I also wanted to have something special and tasty for the adults. I found a recipe I had cut out of a magazine long ago that looked pretty good, and thought it might be okay if I substituted non-dairy ingredients. Besides - how could we go wrong with a salad that included tomatoes, avocado, and the always-popular bacon?

We lucked out - and it was delicious. Although the kids didn't eat any of it last night, I know that they'd really like it, and I'll definitely make it again. The dressing is simple to make and uses stuff I always have on hand, and it would be excellent as a dipping sauce for veggies as well.

Print it: BLT-A Salad with Non-Dairy Ranch Dressing

Note:
The original recipe used plain yogurt instead of the non-dairy sour cream, and cows milk instead of the soy. I haven't tried it that way, but I'd bet that it's good too.