Archives for September 2009

Pretty Much the Opposite of “QECH”

September 18, 2009 By Anne Simpson

So I promised in my last post that I would tell you about our dessert we enjoyed with our company on Monday night. Well, it’s taken me a while to get around to this (another one of those whirlwind weeks! Whew!) but here we are ! And surprise! There’s pretty much nothing Quick, Easy, Cheap OR Healthy about the dessert I made! OK, so maybe I can find some good qualities to it, but I may have to stretch things a little.

But it’s OK to cheat every once in a while, especially if you’re not in the habit of it. And having company is the perfect excuse to pull out all the stops and create something that’s Time-Consuming, Difficult, Expensive and Not-Exactly-Healthy. Another great excuse is holiday season and I’m already looking forward to that!

But back to my non-QECH dessert. For some reason, I’ve been on a peanut butter kick lately, so when I was thinking of what dessert to make, peanut butter pie kept coming to mind. Don’t ask me why, because I’ve never made (or even eaten, to my knowledge) a peanut butter pie before, so this was all new to me.

I searched online and found quite a few very different recipes, and for the most part settled on this one by Carol at Simply… Gluten Free. I liked that this recipe used real ingredients, not Cool Whip or instant pudding like so many other recipes. I actually made a different crust, because I’m not a huge fan of peanuts. Also, I was intending to drizzle some butterscotch sauce on the top, but I ran out of time and just sprinkled cocoa powder instead. It was delicious as it was: my DH gave it his hearty approval!

Still No Gluten Peanut Butter Pie

Crust:
1/3 cup butter
6 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
2 - 2.5 cups puffed rice

Chocolate Filling:
3 oz semisweet chocolate chips
3 oz peanut butter chips
1/4 cup whipping cream

Peanut Butter Filling:
¾ cups milk
¾ cups half and half
2 large eggs
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed and softened
¾ cups creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Whipped Cream Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
1 tsp powdered sugar

Cocoa powder for dusting on the top

Let’s start at the very beginning… with the crust. This is an easy pie crust that would also be great for an ice cream pie or a chocolate pie. Melt the chocolate chips and butter together over low heat (in the microwave or in a double boiler). Remove from heat and stir in the puffed rice (You can also use a crispy rice cereal, but I actually liked the slightly softer texture of the puffed rice… and it’s at least marginally healthier!). Press evenly into the bottom of your pan. I used a springform pan and didn’t bother going up the sides:

Freeze until firm, ten minutes or so.

To make the chocolate filling (more like a glaze), melt the peanut butter and chocolate chips together with the cream until smooth. Spread evenly over the frozen crust. (I could have sworn I took a picture of this, but I can’t find it.)

The hardest part is the peanut butter filling. Before you get started with it, prep the cream cheese, peanut butter and vanilla, because you’ll need to add them quickly and won’t have time to prep them then:

With a whisk, stir together, the milk, half and half, eggs, powdered sugar, cornstarch and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat:

Stir constantly until it thickens like pudding, approximately 5 minutes (mine took a little less than that). This is the tricky part because it won’t turn out quite right if you cook it too long or not enough. Generally speaking, it’s ready just before you think it is. (at least that’s how it is with me!)

Remove from the heat and immediately stir in the peanut butter, cream cheese and vanilla:

Stir until it’s smooth and creamy:

Spread evenly over the crust and chocolate filling. At this point, I put the pie back into the freezer, and I actually like the texture that freezing it gave. You could also put it in the refrigerator. If you do freeze it, keep in mind that you will need to defrost it for 20-30 minutes before serving. I (ahem) sort of forgot that little detail.

When you’re ready to serve, whip the whipping cream until soft peaks form and then add the powdered sugar. Continue whipping until stiff peaks form, and then spread the whipped cream topping over the pie filling. Use a mesh strainer to dust the top with cocoa powder. Alternatively, you could use chocolate shavings, crushed peanuts, or my original plan, butterscotch sauce (or chocolate sauce).

I guess it wasn’t as time-consuming as it seems, but I probably wouldn’t classify it as QUICK either. Each layer in and of itself was quick, but all of them added together took up some time.

It was pretty EASY, though. I’m all about non-pastry crusts when it comes to pie, because a pastry crust CAN be tricky. And it’s a no-bake pie, too, which is a big plus on the easy scale.

As for CHEAP, well, there were a lot of ingredients, and expensive ones, too, like whipping cream and chocolate chips. Definitely an occasional luxury in my book.

And HEALTHY? Actually, the only really UNhealthy ingredient is the powdered sugar, and the sugar in the chocolate chips. All the ingredients combined are definitely a calorie overload, so keep that in mind! A small slice is more than enough. I do like that the ingredients are “real” and not processed (like Cool Whip or instant pudding), but then again, corn starch, chocolate chips and puffed rice are not necessarily good for you (although they are not as bad for you). By the way, use chocolate chips with as few ingredients as possible (cocoa butter, sugar and maybe milk) and the highest percentage of dark chocolate as possible. With all the sweetness of the pie filling, you may even be able to get away with 100% dark chocolate in the crust and/or filling, depending on your taste buds. I may try that next time.

2 Comments Filed Under: Dessert, On The Table Tagged With: pie

It’s a Salad! No. It’s a Casserole! No. It’s …. a … Baked Potato?

September 15, 2009 By Anne Simpson

I had company over for dinner last night, which was fun. I love company! I made arrangements for them to arrive at 6:30, forgetting until the day before that I have a piano lesson to give at 6:00. Oops. That meant I had to have everything at least prepped before 6:00 so that it would be ready as close to 6:30 as possible.

When having company over for a casual dinner or party, I like to do make-your-own meals and/or desserts. It’s easier for me, and my guests can fix their dish exactly the way they like it. This is easy to do with things like mini-pizzas, tacos, hamburgers and other things. This time I chose to do a baked potato bar.

I chose a baked potato bar because:
*It’s filling and requires less meat, so it’s less expensive than serving, say, boneless chicken breasts.
*It’s easy, so there’s very little danger of last minute “uh ohs” resulting in quick dashes to the grocery store. (Thankfully, I’ve never had to do that, but there’s always that fear!)
*It’s fun.
*It offers an opportunity to be creative (I love being creative!)
*I bought a bunch of potatoes on sale at the grocery store. (I confess, that is probably the #1 reason!)

Fully Loaded Baked Potato (es)

Start with some nice, large baking potatoes, approximately one per serving (assume 2 servings per person and then throw in a few extra). Scrub them and prick them with a fork. I followed the tip in this recipe for baking them. Slice off one end of the potato, like this:

Rub the potatoes all over with olive oil, sprinkle them with sea salt and then set them up on end in the oven like this:

Don’t they look like little potato soldiers? I had to use a pan, but if your potatoes are big enough, you can set them right on the rack. Just be sure to place a pan or foil underneath to catch the dripping oil. Alternatively, you can prop them up in a muffin pan (in that case, you don’t need to slice off the end).

Many people bake their potatoes wrapped in foil but I have read in multiple places that baking them in foil is counter-productive. The moisture is trapped inside the foil and makes the skins soft instead of crispy (and the crispy skin, to me, is the whole point of baking them).

Bake the potatoes at 400 for about an hour. I was able to set these going at 5:30 and go about my business (i.e. give a piano lesson) while they were baking, and they were ready when my guests arrived at 6:30.

You can do approximately a million things for topping the potatoes. I decided to have:

*seasoned ground beef
*a variety of cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, goat, parmesan)
*crumbled bacon
*pepperoni
*Ranch dressing
*BBQ sauce

I also provided some seasoned salt and freshly ground black pepper. Other seasonings and spices can be brought to the table as well for extra flavor.

I knew I wouldn’t be able to brown the ground beef before the guests arrived, so I cooked it all afternoon in the crockpot with some Grill Mates Roasted Garlic & Herb seasoning and enough water to cover the bottom:

Throughout the day, I did have to periodically break up the ground beef as it cooked. When dinner time came, I drained it in the colander, added back in about 1/4 cup of the juices and then mixed in a few tablespoons of plain yogurt (sour cream would also work well) just to make it a little creamier and add an extra tang of flavor.

I put all the potatoes and toppings into bowls that more or less matched and coordinated to make a nice presentation for my guests. I have a large set of Corningware so that came in handy for this purpose. Unfortunately, I completely forgot to take pictures at that point, you’ll have to imagine it!

For sides, I served Watermelon Mint Salad (that’ll have to be a recipe for another post!), Mixed Vegetables, Dinner Rolls and Homemade Cinnamon Applesauce. Check the next post for the dessert menu!

There is a potato under all that!

Whether you’re entertaining or just preparing a family dinner, this is a QUICK option. You do have to account for the 45 min to an hour that the potatoes require for baking, but you can shorten that time by pre-cooking them for a few minutes in the microwave. You can bake them entirely in the microwave, but they won’t have that yummy baked potato taste. As far as the toppings go, if you are smart and freeze grated cheese, all you have to do is pull it out of the freezer. I also cook an entire package of bacon at one time and keep it in the freezer to pull out for dishes like this. Crumbled goat or feta cheese takes a few seconds to prep and adds a lot of nice flavor. Healthy bottled versions of Ranch and Blue Cheese dressing are great as well. All of these things take minimal time.

EASY, too. Once the potatoes are baked, and the sauce and/or meat (if you choose to have them) are cooked, all you have to do is set everything out on the table and let your family or guests help themselves. When I serve this to my family, I don’t worry as much about sides either, I figure we can just have 2 or 3 different kinds of loaded potatoes and call it a meal!

Since potatoes are the base of the meal, rather than a meat, it’s very CHEAP, also. I totaled up the cost of what I used:

1.5 lbs ground beef @ 4.47 for 3 lbs = roughly 2.25
3-4 lbs potatoes @ .99 for 5 lbs= .75
4oz of cheddar cheese @ 1.00 for 8oz = .50
a portion of mozzarella cheese @ 5.00 for 2 lbs = let’s say 1.00
for small portions of Ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, parmesan cheese, goat cheese = .75-1.00

Apart from the sides, this meal cost around $5.50 and served 4 adults and a baby for one meal, and then 2 adults and a baby for lunch the next day. Not bad, eh?!

Hmmm…. without the BBQ sauce or Ranch dressing, I would describe it as a HEALTHY and well-balanced meal. The potatoes provided carbohydrates, the meats provided protein and iron, and the cheese provided all the goodness of dairy. The Ranch dressing was a healthier kind without any high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, or other additives, so that’s not bad either. The BBQ sauce had HFCS but I didn’t have time to make my own, so…. Oh well! I think it’s probably pretty high in calories, though, so I think one serving with a side or two of fruits and/or vegetables would suffice for a good, healthy meal.

Leave a Comment Filed Under: Celebrations, Dinner, On The Table Tagged With: entertaining, potato

Better than the Box – Flour Tortillas

September 11, 2009 By Anne Simpson

Some people have mistakenly thought that I cook a lot from scratch because I consider myself a great cook or want to show off my amazing skills, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. I am under no illusions as to my abilities in the cooking department! I cook from scratch, not because I’m good at it, but because it’s CHEAP and it’s HEALTHY. For me, it’s worth a (little) extra time and a (little) extra effort.

But the truth is that it doesn’t take that much extra time and effort to make cheap and healthy foods from scratch. I don’t have anymore time in my day than any other stay-at-home-mom. Even a working mom can prepare healthy food for her family with some short-cuts and forethought.

My point is: it’s not hard. I will demonstrate that with flour tortillas. As I mentioned in my flatbread post, I spent a good portion of my childhood making tortillas. My mom had received an authentic tortilla recipe from a Mexican friend, and it was her favorite go-to recipe for feeding large crowds. We fed large crowds a lot, or at least it seems like it, because I remember spending what seemed like hours rolling out those stinkin’ tortillas.

It wasn’t really hours I spent, though, I have realized! It took me less than an hour today to whip up a batch, so I think my memory was exaggerating things a little. So if you have about 45 minutes or less, you can make your own batch of tortillas, too. Better yet, make a double batch and freeze some for later to save even more time.

This recipe is actually half of my mom’s recipe, because, like all my mom’s recipes, it makes enough for approximately a jillion servings.

Not-Quite-A-Jillion Flour Tortillas
1 1/2 cups regular unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, coconut oil, or non-hydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup or so hot water

Begin by mixing the dry ingredients together. I’ve found that 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour is really the most I can use and still have the texture I’m looking for, but more would certainly be healthier. Add whatever fat you are using (I usually use butter, but today I tried coconut oil and it worked very well! I think it has a texture more like shortening, so it makes it a little softer), and mix it with a fork until crumbly:

Begin adding the hot water, a little at a time, until you’ve achieved the right texture (pliable but not too soft). I have found that I can only determine how much more water I need if I mix with my hands. However, I don’t want the dough to be tough, so I wait until I think it might be enough water, then I gently mix with my hands to find out for sure. Usually at that point, I have to add just a little more water for the perfect texture:

Turn the dough out onto a flat surface and knead approximately 15 times. I don’t remember my mom doing this, at least not in this exact way, but I think it helps:

You should have a nice soft, yet firm ball of dough:

A tip I read recently was to let the dough rest for a few minutes before rolling out, which is very helpful. Cover the dough with a warm wet towel and let it sit for a few minutes. Then separate the ball of dough into two equal portions:

Divide those portions in half:

and then in half again. This is the easiest way to make sure you have evenly sized tortillas:

For each tortilla, form a nice round circle in your hand and then pat it flat:

Place it on a lightly floured surface, and dust the top with a little flour. Without flipping it over, roll the dough into a circle, as round as you can. (It helps to move the rolling pin in a clock wise motion, for example, imagine you’re rolling out to touch the one and then two and then three o’clock.) Growing up, we used to joke about the “amoeba” shapes we would make. It doesn’t really matter what shape it is, as long as it tastes good!

Fry the tortilla in a dry pan (no oil) over low heat until you see bubbles on the top:

Flip it and cook very briefly on the other side. The second side doesn’t take long at all, a few seconds really.

Your finished tortilla should look like this:

Perhaps not as QUICK as grabbing a package from the grocery store, but maybe not as time-consuming as you would have thought?

Once you get the hang of it, it’s EASY. I mean, I made these when I was ten years old, so I think you can do it!

No question: much CHEAPer than the packaged version at the store. You can’t get anymore basic than these ingredients.

It’s definitely HEALTHY when compared to the store-bought variety, which often has high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils. Homemade tortillas also have more flavor and are not as tough or chewy as the store-bought kind.

I’ll show you what I did with my tortillas today. I was inspired by this recipe, which I actually followed more or less. I cooked the steak in the crockpot (what a great idea - it was nice and moist, even though it was a cheap cut of beef) with seasoned salt, freshly ground black pepper, and some broth to keep it moist. I let it cook on High for 4 hours, but it was ready a little sooner than that. You can use spicier seasonings, but I chose not to because my DH is sensitive to spicy things.

I sliced the steak into thin strips and then into pieces, grated some cheddar cheese, and crumbled some goat cheese. I also made a quick “guacamole” by mixing up some avocado, olive oil, black pepper and cilantro. I put all those ingredients close at hand so I could prep the quesadillas quickly, because they don’t take much time at all to fry up in the pan.

For each quesadilla, I buttered one side of the tortilla, and then spread some guacamole on one half of the other side. On top of the guac, I placed a spoonful of steak, cheddar cheese, and goat cheese. I sprinkled the black pepper and cilantro on and then folded the other half on top of the fillings. I placed it in the pan to heat through and melt the cheese:

I cut each quesadilla into half so it was easier to eat. You can get super creative with the fillings. Some other ideas:

*chicken
*ground beef
*sliced/chopped peppers
*tomatoes (remove the juicy/seedy part first so the moisture doesn’t soak through the tortilla)
*shredded zucchini (my DH swears I put that in everything)
*just cheese
*garlic, onion

You can serve them with different kinds of salsa, or black beans, guacamole and plain yogurt or sour cream.

8 Comments Filed Under: Bread, On The Table Tagged With: tortillas

PB & … M?

September 9, 2009 By Anne Simpson

I’m not a huge fan of peanut butter, to be honest, but I do like it mixed with other things… especially chocolate! Now that is a great combination, despite the fact that Reese’s peanut butter cups are not my favorite candy. I don’t know why that is, but I do know that, generally speaking, the combination of peanut butter and chocolate is delicious and can’t-go-wrong!

I had so much fun making my pumpkin spice latte that I wanted to try some other at-home gourmet coffee shop drinks. I LOVE coffee shop drinks, but they’re so expensive to buy at a coffee shop, and they usually have artificial flavorings, and hydrogenated fats in the whipping cream. So I’m trying to be a good girl and make my own coffee shop drinks at home.

So what does that have to do with peanut butter and chocolate? Move over PB&J… make room for PB&M: Peanut Butter Mocha! I think I should sell it to Starbucks and retire in prosperity, it’s that good. If you like peanut butter and chocolate and coffee, you’ll love this drink.

PB&M
1 TBSP creamy peanut butter
2 TBSP chocolate chips
2-3 tsp honey
1/2-3/4 cup milk
1/2-3/4 cup strong coffee

To start with, melt the peanut butter (make sure it’s a smooth, creamy kind; not grainy) and chocolate chips in a small pot on low heat:

Keep stirring as the mixture melts so that it doesn’t burn, until everything is melted and smooth:

Still on low heat, slowly add in the milk while continuing to stir. At first the mixture will be grainy like this:

But if you keep stirring it as it heats, eventually it will all melt together to make a luscious creamy liquid like this:

Add the coffee and pour into a large coffee mug to enjoy. Top with whipped cream and a sprinkling of cocoa powder if desired.

Just as QUICK as a trip to Starbucks.

Maybe not as EASY as a trip to Starbucks, but they don’t make peanut butter mocha there, so it’s definitely worth it!

It’s pretty CHEAP, too, although as far as I know, none of the major coffee chains offer this on their menu, so it’s hard to compare. I can tell you it costs a little more than coffee and cream… but a lot less than a regular mocha at the coffee shop!

Peanut butter can be HEALTHY. You have to make sure there are no hydrogenated oils and beware of the salt content. As for chocolate chips, I like to buy ones that are at least 60% dark chocolate because the darker the chocolate, the more antioxidants and other good things. I buy chocolate chips without any preservatives, flavorings or additives; the ingredients are just chocolate, sugar, cocoa butter and sometimes milk (depending on the brand). Trader Joe’s and Safeway’s O Organics are some of my favorites. Of course, the sugar means this drink is not 100% healthy, but let’s call it a healthy indulgence. Also, keep in mind that there are plenty of calories in this drink, so don’t overdo it!

1 Comment Filed Under: Beverages, On The Table Tagged With: coffee

Crock Pot Greek Chicken

September 4, 2009 By Anne Simpson

This is one of my go-to recipes (if I have such a thing… that means I’ve made it more than once!) from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, that crockpot classic, “Fix it and Forget it“. All kinds of crockpot recipes and variations for everything from roast beef to mac and cheese to cake.

The one I picked today was called “Greek Chicken”. I don’t know what makes it Greek, except for maybe the oregano? At any rate, it’s a good basic recipe with few ingredients, but reliable, and, of course, tasty. Can’t go wrong with chicken, oregano and olive oil!

Note: You’ll want to use dried oregano in this recipe because it provides the most flavor. However, if you have fresh oregano from the garden, you can add a little extra of it (maybe 1 TBSP chopped) towards the end of the cooking time.

Recipe: Greek Chicken

Summary: an easy but delicious crock pot recipe

Ingredients

2-3 lbs red potatoes
2-3 lbs chicken pieces (quarters are best, but any kind will do)
1/2 onion, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
1 TBSP dried oregano
1-2 TBSP olive oil

Instructions

Peel the potatoes if desired. Chop them into quarters and place in the bottom of the crock pot.
Place the chicken pieces on top of the potatoes.
Sprinkle the chicken with onion, garlic, and seasonings.
Drizzle all with olive oil.
Cook on High for 4 hours or Low for 6-8 hours.

The potatoes are delicious all by themselves! They alone are reason enough to make this recipe.

This post was originally published in 2009. I’ve updated it and included a printable recipe card and made the instructions on this popular recipe a little more clear.