My Favorite Electronic Kitchen Appliance ~ Part I

First, I want to thank you all for the e-mails, information and comments about my Dad. The wonderful support means a lot to me.  Just a quick update.  Dad's blood sugar levels continue the up and down swings. Learning new concepts is challenging, and they are really trying.  My step-sister, who lives next door, is doing her best to help them.  Dad's leg pain is also preventing him from being as mobile as he could be. He is getting very weak.  I will be making trips to Ohio often. I have hope their quality of life will improve.

On to today's blog post!

iPad
Google Image Search
Venturebeat.com 

There were two iPads at Thanksgiving dinner. Well, not at the table. My brother-in-law's cousin brought the iPads for his two kids.  His four year old girl and six year old boy were astonishingly proficient at using it. Their dad is the comuuter guru at university, so they have a natural curiosity and a live in help desk. Their dad used it to keep up with the news, look at websites, you know the usual way we use computers to keep informed away from home.

   

MacBook Pro
Google Image Search
PRlog.org

MacBook Air
Google Image Search
Bloomberg Business Week

I had been researching what would best replace my six year old hand-me-down kitchen iBook.The iPad was the option the Apple Associate recommended the day before at the Apple Store.  Of course I was being seduced by the sleek, thin MacBook Air. I still had doubts the iPad could handle the web needs, e-mail and moderately complicated word processing and spread sheets. Great rationalization!

I believe in coincidences and life's little quirky moments. Remember this was Thanksgiving Day.  . . Computer Guru showed me how the iPad worked and I played with it awhile. It was easy to learn, fun to use, and it could manage the kitchen tasks fairly well.  Certainly the iPad was the least expensive option. Something to think about.

One day a year Apple discounts computers. The next day was Friday. Black Friday.  The Apple Black Friday Sale.   Coincidence? Yeah, that or I am a terribly impatient person once I make up my mind. I had these on my list to chose from: 16GB (without 3G) iPad was $449,  MacBook Air somewhere around $1,100, and the MacBook Pro in the $1,400 range.  Price won.





The iPad is a handy little gadget.  It's nice to check the news, e-mail, blogs and fourms in down in the Kitchen sipping a cup of coffee while sitting in the morning sun. Okay, it was a dark day when I took this picture. The sun streams in, I promise.














Electronic recipes are great. With the brush of a copule of fingers, the page zooms in to make it readable from across the room.















The iPad sits in a very readable position on the detachable keyboard. A touch of any key wakes it up if it has gone to sleep.  Editing while using the recipe is easy with the keyboard. It would be messy using the built-in keyboard.

~~~~~~~~~~~  I highly recommend the iPad as a kitchen appliance.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's all for now.  Y'all come back. :-)  In Part 2 I'll discuss ways to use the Web and iPad! 

Comfort Food

Weather is unpredictable this time of year. Traveling in January is just a bad idea.  My car has very low ground clearance, so although it has snow tires, it can't clear more than a few inches of snow.  I planned to go to my Dad's three weeks in a row and couldn't make it because of snow or ice or both.  I finally made it last week and decided to stay longer than usual.  After being away from home all week, I was ready for comfort food.
Mr. C had eaten all the frozen dinners. He was ready for a home cooked dinner, too.  Bread is sparse on Dad's diabetic diet; that is what I was craving.  I decided to make buttermilk biscuits.  Ah, warm, buttery bites of goodness.

As you can see, I had plenty of help.

Buttermilk Biscuits

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbs baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

5 tbs unsalted butter

1 cup buttermilk

Directions

Combine all the dry ingredients.

Grate butter into dry ingredients and toss to coat.

Pour in buttermilk and toss to combine.

Turn out on flexible mat. 

Compress dough lightly by folding mat over dough.

Pat dough into a 1/2 - 3/4 inch high circle or square.
Cut out biscuits with cutter the size of your choosing.

Place biscuits on a try lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 500 F for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.

Dinner

Refried Beans with Monterey-Jack cheese

Buttermilk Biscuits

Broccoli

Browned New Potatoes

I am glad to be back home. I've missed you! 

See you again, soon.

Broccoli and Rice with Chicken

Inspiration for Broccoli and Rice with FriChik came from this thread on the Garden Web Cooking Forum:   Anyone have a good broccoli-rice casserole recipe?

Ingredients

6-8 large broccoli florets
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
1-2 stalks celery, thinly sliced
2 Tbs butter
2 Tbs flour
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup powdered milk
2 Tbs sour cream
1/2 tsp dill
salt and pepper
1 cup cooked rice (optional)*
3 pieces Worthington canned FriChik, small dice, reserve liquid

Directions

1. Clean broccoli florets and cut into small stems.  Boil for 2 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking.
2. Saute onions and celery in butter until clear but not browned.  Add garlic and saute 30 seconds.
3. In a measuring cup combine water, reserved liquid from the chicken, powdered milk and sour cream. Mix well.
4. Coat skillet mixture with flour.  Cook and stir 1 minute.  
5. Add liquids to the skillet all at once and stir until combined.
6. Sprinkle dill, salt and pepper (to taste) over the sauce.
7. Add chopped FriChik, cooled broccoli and rice*.  Combine well.
8. Can be served over a variety of things: whipped potatoes, biscuits, english muffins...
   We had it over buttery fresh herb croutons.  

Recipe made enough for supper. We also had carrot and raisin salad.

*If not using cooked rice, I would increase the amount of chicken and broccoli by half.

The Sweet Potato Gnocchi Coincidence

I am a disaster at meal planning. When we are entertaining or having family in, I write out a menu and shop specifically for that/those meal(s).  Otherwise, I never plan meals.  My pantry is stocked with all kinds of rice and pasta as well as dried beans. Almost all the vegetables are store-fresh, whatever looks good that week. Wish I had a big garden!   Having protein sources on hand is easy because we are vegetarian. About the only perishable (refrigerated) protein I use is tofu. The rest is frozen or canned.  Meals are inspired by the GardenWeb cooking forum, a cooking show once in a while, or something I concoct in a hurry.

Yesterday Trader Joe's had samples of sweet potato gnocchi that was so good.  Lots of butter, onion, sage, thyme, and sweet potato. By coincidence, the frozen sage and thyme herb bread dough I had given up rising was ready to bake about bedtime last night. Ugh!  I stayed up and baked it.  A coincidence tasting the gnocchi, but inspired by it none the less, we had sweet potato-herb bread-sausage stuffing for supper.




Then there are the nights, last night for example, when I plan to be home by afternoon, but I am still away when Mr. C gets home. A quick call to tell him to make his own supper.  Frozen pizza - his life saver.  :~) Thankfully there were a few pieces left when I finally got home.

SWEET POTOTO DRESSING*


2 medium sweet potatoes, peel and cut sweet potato into 1/4-inch cubes
6 Tbs. butter
1/4 large onion, small dice
2 celery stalks, small dice
3 cloves garlic, mince
1/4 - 1/2 tsp. sage
1/8 - 1/4 tsp thyme
About 2 cup  Herb bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 MSF Breakfast patties, thawed and crumbled
3/4 cup chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

1. Boil sweet potatoes 2-3 minutes to slightly soften.
2. Melt 3 Tbs. butter in non-stick skillet.  Saute onion and celery until soft. Add garlic and saute about 30 seconds.
3. Add sweet potatoes to skillet.  
4. Melt 3 Tbs. of butter in the same skillet and add cubed bread. Coat bread with butter and cook until just beginning to brown.
5. Sprinkle herbs to taste.
6. Pour chicken broth over mixture. Warm through. Add additional chicken broth as needed.
7. Add crumbled breakfast patties to the skillet mixture.
8. Salt and pepper to taste.

Made enough for 2 servings and a little left over for lunch.

*I did not measure ingredients when making this dressing. This recipe is a starting point. Use as a guideline and adjust to your taste. 

Sweet Girl's Baking Bliss

                                                                               What to give neighbors and friends at Christmas is always a quandary.  Sweet goodies are tempting and everywhere during the holidays. Most of our friends are dog people, and our dogs are all friends with each other.  I wanted to make something a little different and decided to make treats for gifts that are good and good for dogs and humans.  

A local church's women's group has an auction every November to raise money for their projects.  I've been going for 20 years.  The luncheon is prepared by the church women. Very yummy food! They need to make a cookbook of luncheon recipes. At the last auction I bought dog treats made by a friend's daughter, Jenna.  Now, let me tell you, Jenna has serious love for her dogs. Daisy and Lucy were both in her wedding. I knew dog treats Jenna made would be healthy and good.  Sweet Girl agreed!


 I couldn't find a recipe for Jenna's dog treats, so I made one from common ingredients of many treat recipes I found online. Sweet Gril is a cupboard-lover. She comes running with the crinkle of a butter wrapper or the first whiff of cheese. She is my loyal companion anytime I am working in the bakery. First thing every morning, she checks the floor for goodies she missed the day before.  (She rarely finds anything!) 






I know this is a dog treat recipe, but I just had to try it. Surprisingly, it is very good. Not sweet, a hint of cinnamon, just the right texture, and cute. I'll admit I reach into the treat jar occasionally when I am dying for something to eat, but don't have time to fix lunch. Here is my recipe. I hope you and your pooch enjoy them!

Cotehele's Doggie Cookies

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup flax meal
1 cup organic/natural peanut butter (I used creamy.)
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1 cup skim milk
1 tbsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon (I used a little cinnamon and sugar mix left over from making sweet rolls)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Mix flours, cinnamon and baking powder in a medium bowl.
3. In a separate bowl mix the peanut butter and milk until smooth. (I added a little milk and peanut butter at a time.)
4. Combine the dry and wet ingredients and mix well.
5. Knead the dough until it is well combined.
6. Roll to about 1/4 inch for large cookies and a little thinner for small cookies. 
7. Cut with any shape of cookie cutter
8. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Cookies are firm, but not crunchy.
9. If you prefer crunchy cookies, turn off oven and leave cookies in the oven until they are as crunchy as you like.

~~~~~May 23, 2011 ~~~~~


These doggie cookies can be made a even more people friendly with a few additions.  I have not measured the quantity, experiment a little!  Here some additions you may enjoy:


Shredded carrots - adds moisture and sweetness
Chopped dates
Dried cranberries
Nuts
Chocolate or peanut peanut butter chips 
Sugar and cinnamon to taste
Orange peel

Gift of Wild Rice

Just after Thanksgiving a GardenWeb cooking forum member generously sent hand harvested Minnesota lake wild rice to a few lucky members. I was thrilled to learn my name had been drawn because I had not eaten wild rice before (Uncle Ben's Original doesn't count).  I thought wild rice was as thin, hard and black as no. 5 pencil led.  This wild rice is brown and  larger diameter.

Along with the rice, Teresa sent her recipe for wild rice soup and instructions on how to prepare the rice: it is baked.  One cup raw rice yields 4 cups cooked rice.

The cooked wild rice resembles little wiggly, damp creatures straight out of a sci-fi movie. The luscious flavor quickly trumped any hesitation to eat creepy crawlies. 

Mr. C was not up to eating just anything after a post-Thanksgiving bout with a virus, so I did not add the cream. Anyone who know me will be surprised I passed up this opportunity to use cream! The soup was delicious without the cream. It had nice body and yummy flavor.

Teresa's Wild Rice Soup
Yield: about 6 cups

• 6 tablespoons margarine or butter 
• 2-3 tablespoons minced onion 
• 1/2 cup flour 
• 3 cups chicken broth 
• 2 cups cooked wild rice 
• 1/2 cup finely grated carrots (I use more) 
• 1 cup minced ham or leftover cooked chicken 
• 3 tablespoons (or more!) chopped slivered almonds (you can put them in the soup OR toast and top as a garnish) 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1 cup half and half (I used Fat Free. I have also used low fat evaporated milk) 
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry (I used Holland House cooking sherry) 

Directions:

1. In large saucepan, melt margarine; saute onion until tender. 
2. Blend in flour; gradually add broth. 
3. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil; boil and stir 1 minute.
4. Stir in rice, carrots, ham, almonds and salt; simmer about 5 minutes. 
5. Blend in half and half and sherry; 
6. heat to serving temperature. 
7. Garnish with snipped parsley or chives. 

 

Fresh Cranberry and Crystalized Ginger Scones

Winter holiday season is always filled with programs and concerts, enough to fill more free time than anyone has.  Last week was the community band's 10th Annual Christmas Spectacular. We are a collection of amateur  musicians and music teachers who enjoy making music and giving back to the community. All of our concerts are free.  The Mississinewa Valley Band Christmas Spectacular is our best-attended concerts. Community folks attend as well as vans full of people from retirement homes. 

I needed to make some last minute cookies for the Christmas concert, something different than the usual homemade cookies most of us bring.  Christmasy red cranberry scones were perfect.

 Scones are always a favorite, especially with fruit.  We have been on a blueberry and orange scone binge since fresh blueberries were available this summer.  Mixing in frozen blueberries into the dough makes it an almost unworkably stiff dough. I was ready for something easier to make.

When I saw Gena's recipe at A Bluebonnet in Beantown for scones using fresh cranberries, I knew I had to try them. The recipe notes the dough is sticky. It is. A scoop rather than a biscuit cutter worked fine.  The two-bite scones were perfect for a cookie tray.  Of course, we wanted some too. The bigger scoop was about the size of the small biscuit cutter.  

They are so yummy, one must have two, with coffee or tea!

 These Cranberry and Crystalized Ginger Scones keep better than any other I have made. The fresh cranberries must absorb some of the moisture, the crystalized ginger gives a little kick, and the flavors meld to yield a buttery scrumptious flavor.  Gena's recipe goes into my 'keep' file.

Savory Bread Pudding

I am enticed by all things British. Lush landscapes, perfect gardens, historic churches, little villages, narrow lanes, and manor houses. Of course we learned to love tea the first time we were in England.  The meals we had were wonderful. I don't understand why British food is panned. A quick supper Mr. C  loves is Beans on Toast.  I always keep a can of Heinz Vegetarian Beans in the cupboard for when I need a quick 5 minute meal.  The U.S. version. The British version of doesn't have enough vinegar to suit.


One dish I have never tasted is Bread Pudding.  It is a concoction of eggs, dry bread, cream, and most often made with fruit, vanilla and sugar. The bread that need using up was a few slices of frozen round herb bread. I am an adventuresome eater, but sage and thyme wouldn't make a very palatable bread pudding.  I found this recipe for Savory Bread Pudding with Mushrooms and Parmesan Cheese and adapted it for our Saturday afternoon meal.

Savory Bread Pudding

3-4 slices of crusty herb bread, cubed
a little olive oil for toasting
 
2 Tbs. butter
4 ounces fresh mini bella mushrooms, diced
4-6 Tbs. onion, finely chopped
4-6 Tbs.  celery, sliced
4 slices Morningstar breakfast strips, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely diced
freshly ground sea salt and pepper

1 1/4-1/2 cupa 1% organic milk
1/2 cup powdered skim milk
3 large eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
Cayenne pepper to taste
1/3 cup asiago cheese finely grated

Cut bread into small cubes.  Heat olive oil in wok. 

Put bread cubes in the wok and toss to coat with oil.  

Heat and toss until bread is toasted on several sides.

Prepare vegetables and breakfast strips.

Melt butter in skillet.

Saute mushrooms, onion, celery and breakfast strips in butter until soft.  

Add finely diced garlic to warm. 

Toss vegetables with toasted bread.  

Place in an oiled dish.

Mix together milk, eggs and salt. Add cayenne pepper to taste. 

Pour over bread-vegetable mixture covering most of the bread. 

Top with grated Asiago cheese.

I baked this at 350 about 15 minutes,  

turned down the temperature to 300 . . .

and went for a walk with Sweet Girl and Mr. C.  

The bread pudding baked about an hour total.  

It would normally bake at one temperature for about 45 minutes. 

Mr. C likes toasty food, 

but I would prefer a thicker layer of pudding baked a smaller dish. 

Sweet Girl was ready to eat too.

Dinner Inspired by Cuban Beans and Rice

 Our usual Sunday Colt's football lunch is frito salad, at least that is what I grew up in the mid-west calling it. In California it is called hay stacks. Friday Gena posted a recipe for Cuban Beans and Will's Mexican Rice on her blog A Bluebonet in Beantown. It looks scrumptious. I have not had the time to try it until today. Well, sort of. Not being much of a plan ahead kind of cook, I didn't have any black beans or enough tomatoes. I can't leave a recipe alone anyway. Sorry, I don't measure spices. It works better for me to add by taste.  Here is how I made it into a ond dish meal.

Start the rice.  

Wash 1-1/2 cups short grain rice until water is clear. 

Puree 1/2 large can organic diced tomatoes. (They were in the fridge.)

Add cumin, hot chili powder, bay leaf, pepper
and powdered veggie chicken broth (McKays) to taste.

Put all of the ingredients in the rice cooker. Add water to 2 cup line.

Push start.

While the rice is cooking, 

Chop 1/4 orange pepper (that's all I had), 1 celery stalk, 1/4 cup onion.

Slowly saute in olive oil. 

While the veggies are sautéing,
crumble 3 Morning Star Farms breakfast sausages.
(Thaw in warm water first.)

Finely chop garlic to your taste. I used 5 small cloves.

Add to skillet to warm just before other veggies are soft.

Season to taste with  chicken powder, salt, pepper.

Rinse and drain 1 small can of beans.
The Cuban Beans recipe specified black beans. 

I used pinto beans. Add beans to the sautéed veggies and 

cook until they just begin to brown. It gives the beans a nutty character.
Don't over brown or the beans will be tough.

Oops, for got the carrot. Run get 2 small carrots. 

Peel and shred. Add to the bean mixture. Cook until carrot is slightly soft.

The rice is simmering.

Add to the beans and vegetables, and a handfull of crushed oregano to the rice cooker. 

The mixture was a little too dry. I added about 1/2 cup of water.

The rice was nearly done.
The beans and veggies just needed to warm and flavors to meld.

I am terrible at cleaning as I go.
There's just enough time to tidy up,
grate the cheese, set the table, and get the drink
before the rice and beans are ready.

The rice and beans are ready!

Garnished with colby cheese, sour cream and cayenne pepper.

Thanks, Gena, for the inspiration. 

If I was changing my recipe adaptation, I'd add more tomatoes.

 Mr. C prefers it just the way it is. 

This would serve 2 big eaters or 3 smaller portions.

There is enough left for a side dish for tonight's supper.

I can't wait!