Poppy Seed Cookies

This recipe is from an old Penzy's catalog.  I've made it as part of our annual Christmas cookie tradition now for a couple of years.  It is essentially a butter cookie, but with the additition of ground almonds and poppy seeds to add a distinctive flavor and crunch, and rolled in colored sugar to make them festive looking. 

(Don't they look nice?  Ace took this picture!)

Poppy Seed Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 cup finely ground almonds

1/2 cup poppy seeds

1/4 teaspoon salt

Colored sugar

Cream the butter.  Add the sugar, egg and vanilla and mix well.  In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, almonds, poppy seeds and salt.  Gradually add to the butter mixture and mix well.  Divide the dough into half and roll into logs.  Roll the logs in colored sugar.  Wrap the logs in waxed paper and chill for a couple of hours.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.  Slice the logs 1/4 inch thick and bake at 325 degrees for about 12 minutes or until delicately browned. 

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

A note on poppy seeds:  These can be awfully expensive in a regular grocery store.  I've found them much less expensive at my local ethnic food store.  Penzy's carries them, but for a little more than the ethnic grocery.



Pecan cookies

This cookie was clipped from an old newspaper.  The clipping is quite yellow and brittle.  The headline of the article is "Pecans Used In Cookies."  The article goes on to describe the "pleasingly cruncy texture and good flavor of these cookies."  I think that my husband can vouch for that.  I've had to make two batches since the first was chomped up already. 

Pecan Cookies

[Four Dozen]

3/4 cup butter

1 1/4 cup confectioner's sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon rum flavoring

2 1/4 cup sifted all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

Pecan halves

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Add egg and rum; beat thoroughly.  Add sifted dry ingredients and mix until blended.  Chill for an hour or longer.  Shape into small balls about an inch in diameter.  Place on ungreased cookie sheets and flatten slightly with fingertips.  Press a pecan half into the center of each cookie.  Bake at 375 degrees about 10 minutes or until delicately browned.

Ideas for feeding a largish family - Improvisational Pancakes!

Whenever my parents come to visit, they are always surprised how well we can feed our largish family. I really can't say "large" family, because our family currently only has 7 members, and I know lots of families that have 10 or more. Not that I'm judging, just comparing my largish to their large. I digress, back to food.

I have several techniques to keep the food budget manageable, and still provide a decent variety of meals. First is meal planning. There are several schools of thought on this. One is to plan out meals, by day, as I've seen loads of bloggers do for "Menu Plan Monday." Another is to have a decently stocked pantry, and fly by the seat of one's pants, deciding on what to make as the spirit moves you. Yet another is to make the same or sorta the same foods every week. I sorta do all of them.

Breakfast at our house follows a very (almost painfully) predictable pattern.
Sunday - bacon or sausage, eggs, and toast. Yes, EVERY Sunday. It is the only day of the week that we have meat for breakfast, and the eggs provide enough protein that the kids can make it through church without STARVING before lunch.
Monday - Oatmeal. Nearly always oatmeal for Monday. Occasionally, I'll make Cream of Wheat or Quick-cooking steel cut oats, but that's how far I vary from that.
Tuesday - Pancakes. Here I like to have a little fun. I consider pancakes as my way of using up leftovers. Got leftover squash? Throw it in the pancakes. Leftover rice? Throw it in the pancakes. Overripe bananas? Banana pancakes. One apple rolling around the fruit drawer? Apple pancakes! My pancake recipe to follow this post. It is endlessly variable.
Wednesday - Cold cereal, and/or toast and/or yogurt and/or get it yourselves, because this is the one day I don't feel like cooking.
Thursday - Scrambled eggs and toast.
Friday - Usually pancakes again.
Saturday - Whatever I'm feeling like making. This is the one day we might even make waffles, if I'm feeling really motivated. Also, if I've purchased bagels, we'll do them on Saturday.

My Improvisational Pancake Recipe
Makes enough for a hungry family of 7

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (or all purpose flour, or combination of flour and wheat germ, leftover rice, etc.)
1 cup rolled oats (regular or old-fashioned, not instant. If you are mixing in leftover cooked oatmeal, you can use a little more.)
2 teaspoons baking soda (or 1 tablespoon baking powder but don't sour the milk later on.)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups milk, soured with vinegar. (unless you're using baking powder, in which case, don't sour)
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup vegetable oil (or melted butter, margarine, I've even used shortening when I've been low on everything!)

Directions: Mix up the dry ingredients. Mix up the wet ingredients (and any moist stuff, like squash, bananas, leftover rice or oatmeal, etc.) and pour into the dry ingredients. Stir together. Look at the batter. Does it seem over-thick? Add a little milk. Does it seem runny? Mix in a little more flour. You can decide, because it will vary depending on the ingredients and humidity of the room.

While mixing the stuff together, start getting your skillet hot. You want it pretty hot before you start putting batter on it. Once its hot, and your ingredients are mixed, spray with oil, or just dribble a little bit on and spread it around with your turner, and make your pancakes. I use 1/4 cup (a little on the shy side), but you can make them big or tiny, or in the shapes of little people, or turtles, or whatever.

Serve with butter, syrup, applesauce, or whatever you like.

Some other things you might mix in: blueberries, other berries, cornmeal, chocolate chips, pretty much any non-citrus fruit, dried fruit (make sure to soak it first to soften it if necessary), spices - cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, anise, cardamom, etc., mashed potatoes, yogurt (can sub for some of the milk), cottage cheese, just use your imagination, and the contents of your cupboard and fridge for inspiration.

Next time: What about lunch??

Taco Week - Day Five

The best so far. Seriously, I was thinking that "Must Have Mushroom and Cheese" tacos would be, at best, weird. They are really delicious!!! My kids thought so too, and they are NOT mushroom fans. However, the pan was nearly licked clean after they had dinner! The recipe is posted over at the Penzey's website, so let me tell you a few things before you go over there and download this utterly fantastic recipe.

1. I have no pictures, because the tacos were eaten before I could get my camera out - yes, even mine. YUM!

2. the Chihuahua cheese is an absolute MUST, it is so mild and creamy, it really elevates the dish.

3. This taco doesn't really taste like Tex-Mex, or anything else you might order at a Mexican restaurant, but don't let that stop you from trying it out.

4. The mushrooms really are good. Even if you don't like mushrooms, and I have some kids here who really don't care for them tell me that these were good.

Tomorrow I'm going to try some dessert-type tacos, with any luck. Yum!!

Taco Week - Day Four

Today's tacos come complements to the Penzey's Spices catalog. I made the turkey tacos with Penzey's Arizona Dreaming spice mix, but I wasn't super impressed with these. Maybe the turkey was a little blander than the steak, it certainly seemed dryer. Fortunately, we topped these with guacamole and chopped red bell pepper, and that boosted the flavor right up to yummy. Next time I make tacos with ground turkey, I think I'll stick to a regular taco spice mix, for the extra flavor.

Tasty Turkey Tacos

1 lb. ground turkey
1 small onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1 Tbsp. Arizona Dreaming seasoning mix
1-2 cups guacamole

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and onion and cook for about 8 minutes, until nicely browned, breaking up the turkey into chunks and stirring it to brown on all sides. Shake the Arizona Dreaming seasoning mix and cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes. Served topped with guacamole.

Taco Week - Day Three

Welcome to day three of Taco Week at the Heart household!!

Continuing the theme of TACO, is a classic, Steak Tacos. These tacos are really delish, getting thumbs up all around. What's new about them is the seasoning isn't my usual Penzey's Taco Seasoning, but rather Penzey's new Arizona Dreaming seasoning. The current catalog has an offer for a free bottle of it, so get a catalog, QUICK!

Arizona Dreaming seasoning mix has a different aroma than the normal taco seasoning. It smells like spice, of course, but also cinnamon and cocoa, and other savory things. The aroma really pops when it hits the heat, like nothing I've smelled before. Really good.

The recipe, is from the Penzey's catalog.

Steak Tacos

1 lb. boneless rib-eye steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes (at $9.95/lb, this was too dear, so I substituted cheaper sirloin. It was still really good!)
1 Tb. canola oil
4 tsp. Arizona Dreaming seasoning mix

Heat the oil in a skillet over high heat. Cook the steak in small batches until it is crispy brown and rare. Return all the cooked steak to the pan, and shake 1/2 of the Arizona Dreaming. Toss the steak around, and add the rest of the seasoning. Serve in your favorite shells with shredded cheddar if desired.

I used crisp corn shells, and topped mine with shredded Mexican blend cheese, and prepared salsa. I served it up with a bean salad with sweet and sour dressing, the kids preferred left over Mexican rice from yesterday.

My photo is a little odd. Nearly every one looks like carnage, thanks to the salsa. This one is the least gory.

The Arizona Dreaming

Taco Week - Day Two

Well for the second day in our week of tacos, I made a Tomato, Avocado and Black Bean Taco from the Weight Watchers in 20 Minutes cookbook, along with Knorr Mexican Rice mix. The kids were okay tending towards meh on the tacos, but they really liked the rice. I thought the tacos were pretty good, with the main bonus being that they were really quick to make. I'm not sure on the size of the tortillas. The recipe called for 6-inch tortillas, but there was way more bean filling than would fill 6 tortillas of that size. But, the extra will be good on a salad, I'll bet!

Tomato, Avocado, and Black Bean Taco

1 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 Tablespoon taco seasoning (like that from Penzey's)
1 (15 1/2-oz.) can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 plum tomatoes (I used 2 regular ones from the garden!)
6 (6-inch) corn tortillas, warmed
2 cups finely chopped romaine lettuce
1/2 small Hass avocado, pitted, peeled, and diced
6 Tablespoons prepared salsa
1/4 cup light sour cream

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and taco seasoning and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the beans and the tomatoes, toss to combine.

Sprinkle the center of each tortilla with 1/3 cup of lettuce, 1/3 cup of beans, 1/6 of the avocado, 1 tablespoon of salsa, and 2 teaspoons of sour cream. Fold the tortilla to enclose the filling.

Serves 6

Potato Soup

The good thing about soup in the winter is that it is warming on a cold day. It is a great meal for anyone who doesn't want to spend a lot on food, and it is also a great meal for anyone who likes to eat good food.

Originally this meal came from the Everyday Cheapskate, but I've modified it just a little to suit our family.

Quick, Easy and Fabulous Potato Soup

3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
3 cups water
1 large onion, chopped
2 Tablespoons butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 cups milk

1 can creamed corn

Place potatoes and water in a large saucepan. Cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 7 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, sauté chopped onion in the butter until tender. Stir in the flour, salt, thyme, rosemary and pepper. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil. Cook, stirring for 2 minutes. Add corn and potatoes with hot water. Heat through and serve hot. Serves: 7.

Cheap and yummy!

My Favorite Thing of the Week - Cumin

Yesterday I went north and visited my college roommate, whom I don't get to see often enough. We had nice time catching up, shopping and eating Thai food. One of our stops was at the Penzey's spice mother-ship store. I love Penzey's Spices, and I frequently order from the catalog. Going to the store, was a new experience though, because I could smell and sample the spices and spice mixes.

One of my all time favorite spices is Cumin. I bought a whole bunch of it, and my girlfriend was wondering, what am I going to do with all that cumin? So for her - and my other readers (hello, Mom!) here is the deal on cumin, and why it is my favorite thing of the week.

According to Penzey's Spices, cumin is one of the most popular spices in the world, second to black pepper. It is used in Mexican, Indian, Thai, and Latin American cooking. It has a strong, pungent smell and a distinctive taste which blends wonderfully with a lot of other flavors, because it enhances and draws out the natural sweetness in other foods. It can be used either as whole seeds and in a ground form. (I've used both, but mostly the ground type.)


So what do I use cumin in?
Chili
Black Bean Soup
Chicken Curry
Scrambled Eggs
Cornbread Muffins

Here is my Black Bean Soup recipe to get you started with your personal love of cumin. It is low-fat, delicious, and really cheap to make:

Simple Black Bean Soup

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped fine
4 cloves garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon cumin
pinch red pepper flakes
2 cans chicken broth
2 cans black beans, drained
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. In a soup pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and add onion and bell pepper. Cook until peppers are wilted and onion is translucent. Add the garlic and the spices. Saute for just a minute more, don't let the garlic brown. Add the chicken broth; bring to a boil.

2. Add the beans, bring back to a boil, salt and pepper to taste.

3. In a blender, puree half the soup. (You can also mash the beans in the pot as they cook). Add the puree back to the pot, reheat and serve.

This is good with corn muffins (add the cumin to the batter) or just some crusty bread and a nice salad. Make it totally vegetarian by substituting vegetable stock for the chicken stock.

Here are some other recipes that feature cumin as a starring ingredient:
Quinoa with Grilled Zucchini, Garbanzo Beans and Cumin
Three Bean Salad with Cumin, Cilantro and Oranges
Muhammara Dip with Cumin and Cayenne
Lentil Soup with Lemon
Good, Basic Chili
Steak Tacos
Whole Enchalada Bake
Indian Style Scrambled Eggs
Potatoes with Cumin - Substitute hot pepper sause for the Harissa.
Spicy Lentil Nachos
Breakfast in a Cup - Make a head and freezable!
Black Bean Breakfast Burrito

Making Stuff

I've been busy making stuff today. First, I made this for my dear friend who lives in Florida:

Pretty cute, huh? Just the thing for slipping on with a pair of jeans, and a cute top and being warm!

Then, I made these for me.



Which, if you've been to my house would totally make sense, since I have this thing about elephants.

Lastly, but not leastly, I made these yummy things!


They're super easy, and really delish! Plus they look like they took some work (which they so didn't.)

White Chocolate-Pecan Candies

1 1/2 bags white chocolate chips
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
Some pecan halves (about 30)

Empty the white chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl. I used my Pampered Chef Classic Batter Bowl (love it!). Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir. Microwave it for another minute. The chips should be melty by now. Mix in the butter and oil. Mix in the chopped pecans.

Use a small scoop (about 1 Tablespoon) and drop by scoops onto a sheet of waxed paper on a cookie sheet. Press a pecan half into each while it is still soft. Put in the fridge (or cold garage!) until firm.

Makes about 30.

Yummy Soup

This is from Weight Watcher's magazine. Okay, so what if it is a weight watchers recipe? It is totally easy and yummy, and not even too expensive. Plus, it's very heartwarming on a day like today.

One thing, the recipe calls for Shirataki noodles. No, I've never heard of them either. But I found them at Sunset foods. They are made of soy, and they really taste like regular noodles. The difference is that Shirataki have almost no carbs, plus 20 calories per serving; while regular noodles have 210 calories per serving, and 42g. of carbs. So, they are worth looking for. I found them in the noodle section of the refrigerated department (with the fresh pasta.)

Chicken Shirataki Soup

1/2 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into thin strips
1 1/2 tsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
1 (32-oz) carton low-sodium chicken broth
2 (8-oz) packages spaghetti-shaped shirakaki tofu noodles, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cup shredded carrots
2 tsp. Asian dark sesame oil
2 tsp. low-sodium soy sauce
1 small bunch watercress, trimmed
1/2 cup bean sprouts

1. Spray a non-stick Dutch oven with nonstick spray and set over medium heat. Add the chicken and the ginger; cook stirring constantly, until the chicken is no longer pink, about 1 minute.

2. Add the broth bring to a boil. Stir in the noodles, carrots, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 4 minutes.

3. Divide the soup among 4 bowls. Serve topped with watercress and sprouts.

Eat, yum!

Leftover Rice Muffins

I'm fond of wild rice, and ever since I discovered that I can make it in the rice-maker at the same time as brown rice, brown and wild rice have been a staple at dinner time. I had some leftover rice, though, and a request from my oldest daughter for "muffins for lunch" prompted me to start looking for a muffin recipe where I could use up the rice, and make it sturdy enough to carry around the back yard for a portable lunch.

Here is what I came up with for a
Leftover Rice Muffin

2 cups unbleached flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups cooked brown and wild rice
1/4 cup parmesan or romano cheese
1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 egg, beaten
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups milk

Preheat the oven to 400 deg. Stir dry ingredients together. Mix in the seasonings, and cheese. Mix in the rices, egg, oil and milk until just combined. Divide into prepared muffin cups. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until golden brown.

This made 15 for me.

The kids have pretty much eaten them all up. I got a little nibble off the side of Deuce's but they went like goldfish in a piranha tank. I guess I've got me a winner!

Hamburger Freezer session

So we got this coupon for a free one-day membership to Sam's Club. My husband asked me if I'd be interested in going? Sure, why not. So off we went.

It was a bit overwhelming. Luckily for me, I had my calculator with me, along with my mental price book. (If I'd been thinking, I'd have brought my actual price book, but we can't have everything, can we?)

So after breaking down prices into units, then converting the units into the portions that my normal grocery store sells, we discovered some of the things were good deals, and others were simply o.k. DH and I stuck to the things 1. that we knew were good deals, and 2. wouldn't rot or get bugs in them, and 3. we'd use.

We got toilet paper and dog food, laundry detergent and pancake syrup, bananas and a 10 pound tube of hamburger.

Yes, a 10 pound tube of hamburger. It was 90% lean, and a very good price.

Here are some facts about a 10 pound tube of hamburger.
1. It is as big around as the thigh of a 7 year old.
2. It is almost as tall as a 19 mo. old toddler.
3. It is almost impossible to resist slapping it.
4. A 4 1/2 year old will insist on carrying it around the house, before you are allowed to do anything with it.
5. It is also much more meat than I am used to looking at at a time.

This is what I did with my 10 pounds of hamburger:
One pound went into taco meat. (Made by TOH - nearly by herself)
Three pounds went into two meatloaves (BH&G basic recipe)
Three pounds went into 3 packages of meatballs.
Three pounds went into 3 batches of chili con carne. (I also put in 1/2 of one of those gigantic cans of crushed tomatoes in that. - the rest of the tomatoes I froze in 2 cup containers)

That's nine dinners done and in the freezer. Whew!

The upshot to all of this is that DH and I decided we didn't need a membership. Yes, they have some good deals, but mostly the grocery items are about the same price when you shop the sales at the "regular" grocery store, and don't even come close to touching the price you pay at Aldi. The other stuff may or may not be a good deal, but we don't usually buy big screen televisions or trampolines or stuff like that, so a membership for that sort of thing isn't worth it for us. If another one day membership comes along, will we take it? Probably, it was pretty entertaining at least, plus there were lots of samples being handed out.

Using it up!

So, what do you do with 1 lonely chicken leg quarter, half a box of arborio rice, some sprouted onions, and some leftover cooked broccoli? You make Chicken-Broccoli Risotto, of course.

This is adapted from the Weight Watchers New 365 Day Menu Cookbook.

Chicken-Broccoli Risotto

2 cups small broccoli florets (or in my case, the broccoli leftover at the back of the fridge)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I didn't need - more later)
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon reduced calorie tub margerine (butter)
10 ounces chicken breast, cut into bite sized pieces (1 slightly freezer burned, lonely chicken leg quarter)
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped onion (cut the soft parts and the sprouts off, and you're good to go!!)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
6 ounces Arborio Rice (Look at the back of the cupboard for this one - slightly less than half a box)
4 fluid ounces white wine (just pour part of your glass in there)
2 Tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese (or use Kraft, in the plastic container)
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest (I didn't even see this when I made it, and it was just fine without.)

1. fill a large saucepan with 1" water, set the steamer rack into saucepan. Place broccoli onto rack. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat to low. Steam broccoli over simmering water, covered, 4-5 minutes, until just tender. (Or, rummage around at the back of the fridge. Pull out a container of cooked broccoli from the other night. Chop a little more.)

2. In a small saucepan, combine broth with 1 cup water; bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat to low; let simmer while preparing chicken.

3. In a large saucepan, melt 2 teaspoons of margarine, add chicken and salt. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, 4 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. With a slotted spoon remove cooked chicken from saucepan, set aside.

(Ok, take the poor, lonely leg of chicken and joint it between the thigh and leg. Put it in a pretty big pot with about a quart of water in it, and let it boil for a while. After a bit, the water will have cooked down, and the chicken will be all cooked. Take the chicken out, and let it cool until you can handle it. Pick the skin off, and the meat off the bones. Chop the meat up more, and throw the bones back into the broth. Keep it simmering while you make the rest of the dish.)

4. In the same saucepan, melt the remaining 2 teaspoons of margarine; add onions and pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, 5 minutes, and onion is softened. Add rice; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add wine; cook, stirring constantly, until most of the liquid is absorbed.

5. Add 1/2 cup hot broth to the rice mixture; cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is absorbed. Continuing to stir, add all but 1/4 cup (or so) of the broth , 1/2 cup at a time; cook, stirring constantly after each addition, about 18 to 20 minutes, until all broth is absorbed, rice is tender and mixture is creamy.

6. Stir cheese, zest (if you remembered it), broccoli, chicken and remaining broth into the rice mixture; cook stirring frequently, 2 minutes, until heated through.

Serves 4

Use-It-Up Week pt. 2 - Split Pea Soup

I was wondering what I put in the M&M tin at the back of the cupboard. Surely not M&M's?? of course not. It was a package of spit peas! What better for a cold night than Split Pea soup? Here is the recipe I use. It is from an old, very frugal cookbook called "Good Recipes For Hard Times" by Louise Newton. It is out of print, but has some great helps on stretching your food dollar.

This Split Pea Soup is the bare minimum. It is vegan (unless, like me, you throw in ham) and super easy and delish:

Split Pea Soup

1 pound dried split peas
2 qts. boiling water
bay leaf
3-4 cloves garlic
3 whole cloves
2 tsp. salt

Add peas slowly enough to the boiling water to keep it boiling. Add bay leaf, garlic, cloves and salt. Simmer, covered 1 to 2 hours. It is better with longer cooking. This soup is delicious just as it is, but you may add onion, carrots, and celery, first sauteed in margerine, 15 minutes before serving. And like I said, I throw in ham.

I'm serving it with some Foccocia Bread. Yum!

This Crust is So Easy

This is the easiest crust for lunches, quiches, and etc. Originally from the LLL Whole Foods For The Whole Family cookbook, as part of a recipe for "Mexican Dinner," I've decided that the crust itself deserves a separate entry.

Easy Crust

1/2 cup flour (may be whole wheat, or not)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 egg, beaten

Mix together the dry ingredients. Cut in the shortening until it is well combined, mix in the buttermilk and egg. Pour into a greased and floured 9 or 10-inch pie pan (or cast iron skillet!!).

That's it for the crust. It will support 1 lb. meat, or a regular sized quiche recipe, etc.

Crock Pot??

I love my crock pot. I love coming home after a day of running around, and having dinner DONE. No worry. I've found a new blog, "A Year of CrockPotting" I've seriously got to try this. Using my crock pot every day for a year. How cool. How very cool.

A Frugal Breakfast Just Became -- CHEAPER!

Pancakes are, I think, one of the most dirt-cheap breakfasts you can serve your family. Six ingredients, and they think they are getting a real good treat. Now I can go one better, instead of regular pancakes, how about Bread Crumb Pancakes? I don't know about you, but I have a hard time "selling" the heels of bread around here. So I stick them in the freezer. And I use them for ... nothing, actually. I get a big bag of crusts that I do nothing with, then I end up tossing them after a while, when they are all dried out and freezer burned.

But not anymore. I have found a way of using those bread crusts (mostly from my homemade bread, too!) in Bread Griddle Cakes. The recipe is from an old Fanny Farmer recipe book:

Bread Griddle-cakes

1¹/₂ cups fine stale bread crumbs (just swirl them in the blender)
2 eggs
1¹/₂ cups scalded milk (I just used it out of the fridge, no scalding)
¹/₂ cup flour
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
¹/₂ teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder

Add milk and butter to crumbs, and soak until crumbs are soft; add eggs well beaten, then flour, salt, and baking powder mixed and sifted. Cook same as other griddle-cakes.

Now for the $64,000 question, how do they taste? They taste like FRENCH TOAST!! Yum-O! (to quote Rachael Ray). Seriously, you could sprinkle a little powder sugar over them, instead of syrup, and really make it frugal. Or fresh raspberries from the brambles outside, or applesauce, you get the drift.

Good, cheap and easy.

Another Food Porn Site

Okay Michelle!

Now that I got your attention - another site to make your mouth water!!

Bake Or Break

I haven't investigated it thoroughly yet though... but as Michelle so nicely said "it'll make you want to lick the screen."

My only wish is that I knew how to make my own cooking look so good, even in pictures! Food styling lessons anyone?

Potato Bread

This is the bread I made today. It is a tall, soft loaf. Very delicious. The recipe is from the "Best Breads of 1987" - No idea what magazine, maybe Good Housekeeping, or BH & G.

Potato Bread

2 Tablespoons sugar
4 teaspoons salt
2 pks. active dry yeast (I used 4 tsps.)
about 8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cups water (I used the water I cooked the potatoes in)
1 1/2 cup mashed potatoes (about 2 medium)
1 1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter or margarine
2 eggs

In a large bowl, combine sugar, salt, yeast and 1 1/2 cup flour. In a 2 quart saucepan mix water, mashed potatoes, and milk; add butter or margarine; over low heat, heat until very warm (120 to 130 degrees F), stirring often. (Butter or margarine does not have to melt completely.) With a mixer at low speed (or a wooden spoon!) gradually beat liquid into the dry ingredients just until blended; beat in eggs. Increase speed to medium; beat 2 more minutes, occasionally scraping the bowl. Beat in 1 cup flour to make a thick batter; continue beating 2 more minutes. Stir in enough flour to make a soft dough (about 3 cups).

Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead about 10 minutes, until smooth and elastic, kneading in more flour (about 2 cups or so). Shape into a large bowl. Roll in oil so it is coated, cover, and let rise until about double.

Punch down, turn onto a lightly floured surface and cut dough in half. Put each half into a large loaf pan. (The original recipe had you putting each half into a casserole dish and slashing the top. I used regular large loaf pans and my bread was very good. You decide which you want to do.) Cut two parallel slashes on top. Cover, and let raise until double again, about 1 hour. Preheat oven to 4oo degrees, brush each loaf with milk, bake 40 minutes until loaves are well browned and sound hollow when tapped. Remove from pans and cool on a rack.