Archives for September 2010

Fall Fest 2010: A Winter Squash Mini Tutorial

September 28, 2010 By

The easiest way to have a frugal but healthy kitchen is to buy produce in season. Right now that means squash. And lots of it. All different kinds, too: the basics like acorn, butternut, hubbard and spaghetti, with more unique kinds available now like kabocha, delicata and turban, to name just a few. And, of course, we can’t forget about pumpkin, my own personal favorite!

Since I’ve only started cooking with winter squash in the last few years, I’m still learning a lot about it, and I only have personal experience with the most common ones: acorn, butternut, pumpkin and spaghetti. I am pretty sure, though, that what holds true for those squash varieties holds true for all, except in some respects the spaghetti squash which has a much different texture than the others and is generally cooked in different ways.

First of all, why exactly is it called winter squash? “Winter” separates it from the “summer” squash like zucchini and yellow squash which are very different in many ways:

-Winter squash has a thick skin, while summer squash has a thin, easily peeled skin.
-Winter squash keeps up to a month or possibly more in a dark dry place at room temperature, while summer squash must be stored in the refrigerator or freezer and eaten within a week or two at the most.
-Summer squash has a high water content that yields a very different textured fruit.
-Winter squash has thick seeds that must be roasted before consuming, while summer squash has thin seeds like a cucumber that can be eaten raw. Winter squash seeds are almost always eaten separately from the squash itself, while summer squash seeds are eaten together with the fruit.
-Summer squash grows throughout the summer, while the natural growing season of winter squash starts in late summer and goes through the fall and the harvested fruit can last quite a while when properly stored (hence the old-timers considered it a winter fruit).

Most importantly, what can you do with it?! The short answer is: Lots! Squash has a mild flavor that is great on its own, but also makes it versatile enough to be featured in everything from appetizers to desserts. It can be baked, boiled, roasted or steamed, and can be served in halves, chunks or mashed. Squash puree is used in a variety of recipes, including baked goods (pumpkin pie, anyone?) and classic favorites like risotto. Because of the sturdy skin, squash halves can be filled with any number of delicious fillings and baked for a very elegant presentation. Truly, there is no reason not to include squash in your weekly menu throughout the season, because its varied presentation means you and your family will never get bored of it.

Think you don’t like squash? Think again! I did not grow up eating squash, and as such I am still acquiring a taste for it. I’ve realized that squash can be hidden in quite a variety of foods without significantly affecting their taste or texture. The best way to do that is to cook and puree the flesh and add it to baked goods, casseroles and side dishes. Never tried that before? Let this year’s crop of squash be your introduction! Follow these step-by-step instructions for preparing your squash to hide in a variety of foods that won’t offend your taste buds.

1. Wash the squash and pierce through the skin in several places with a sharp knife. Microwave for 2-3 minutes. This does not cook the squash (although you could cook it entirely in the microwave, which I do when I’m really in a hurry), but it softens the skin to make it easier to cut. Sharp knives and I have a love-hate relationship and I have a little phobia about them that makes me cautious. Feel free to skip this step if you don’t mind hacking through the tough skin of the squash with a super sharp knife.

2. Holding the hot squash in one hand with a towel or pot holder, remove the stem and cut the squash in half.

3. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and fiber from the middle of the squash. I like to remove as much of the stringy fiber as I can because its texture is not very pleasing. I also just discard the seeds and fibers, except for pumpkin seeds, which I like to roast.
4. Place the squash cut side down on a foil-, parchment-, or silicone pad- lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350F for about 45 minutes. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of the squash and how ripe it is. You will want to cook it until it’s easily poked through with a knife.
5. Allow the squash to cool until they are easy to handle, then scoop out the cooked flesh with a spoon.
6. Place the flesh into a blender and puree until uniformly smooth. You may need to add water a little at a time to achieve a smoother texture; or you can leave it slightly chunky if you prefer. I like to use my immersion blender.
7. At this point, you have some great baby food for any mamas who might be reading. Squash is a great first food for baby, and can be fed to him or her just like this, or mixed with breast milk/formula. For slightly older babies, you can add chicken broth or yogurt and spices to flavor (cinnamon or paprika for example). No baby? Okey dokey, on with the instructions.
8. Your puree is now read to be baked or cooked into something yummy. If you’re not ready to cook with it quite yet, you will want to freeze it. To freeze, all you have to do is scoop the puree in 1-cup portions into quart-size freezer safe bags. Squeeze all the air out and seal carefully. Label clearly and then smoosh the puree so that the whole bag and contents are flat.
(Yes, I am aware that it is not quite October yet. Brain freeze when marking the bags yesterday!)

This makes the bags super easy to store in the freezer without taking up too much space. Behold 2 squashes worth of puree taking up very little space in my very little freezer:
I used acorn squash in this example, but you can do the same with any type of winter squash, except spaghetti.
OK, so this is definitely not as QUICK as buying a box of frozen butternut squash puree, or a can of pumpkin puree. And trust me, I buy those myself, too. But if you want to partake of the local fresh harvest, this is the best way to go about prepping it and storing it for future use. Plus, you can avail yourself of the wide variety of squash available and not be limited to butternut or pumpkin.
It is EASY, aside from trying to cut through that tough skin, which requires a certain amount of oomph!
It’s CHEAP, too. This time of year, winter squash is typically $0.99/lb around here, which is an excellent price for produce.
It’s very HEALTHY. Pumpkin, in particular, is considered a “super food”, and all the winter squash varieties share in its qualities to one extent or another. The orange color is evidence of the presence of vitamin A, but they are also great sources of vitamin C, potassium, fiber and many other nutrients. Get your fill while they’re fresh!






4 Comments Filed Under: Basics, Home, Knowledge, On My Mind, On The Table Tagged With: ,

Fall Fest 2010: Pumpkin Biscuits, Perfect for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and Snack!

September 27, 2010 By

I made this recipe last week before I had gone to the grocery store and bought my first of the season’s pie pumpkins. I couldn’t wait, though: I was in such a mood to make something - anything - with pumpkins, and I was also seriously in the mood for some of my Grandma’s biscuits. Thank goodness I had some leftover pumpkin puree in the freezer from last year’s pumpkin crop - yay for freezers! - so I didn’t have to wait even one more day.

The picture does not do these biscuits justice. To be honest, I was more in the mood to eat them than I was to photograph them, so I was in too much of a hurry to bother taking the perfect picture. Trust me, though: they’re delicious! The pumpkin and cinnamon add just a hint of fall flavor, so they go well with any meal and can be served with sweet or savory accompaniments (omit the cinnamon if you wish for more of a savory bent). I think I’m going to be making these a lot this fall, because I just ate the last one at breakfast this morning and I’m already craving another!

Grandma’s Biscuits with an Autumn Twist
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
1/4 cup raw sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3 heaping 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup cold butter
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2-1 cup milk

Whisk together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut in butter, until mixture is crumbly. Mix pumpkin and 1/2 cup milk together until well blended, then gently stir into biscuit mixture. Continue adding milk until dough forms a ball. Place dough on floured surface and gently knead 10 times. Roll into 1/2″ thick rectangle and cut out biscuit shapes. Bake at 400F for 10-12 minutes or until tops are lightly browned. (I like to bake them on a stone.)

Serve warm with butter and jam or honey. These also freeze perfectly and are easy to double, so they’re great for batch cooking and for baking ahead.

Homemade biscuits are seriously just as QUICK as using Bisquick, but much tastier and much better for you. I made these in less than half an hour (about 20-25 minutes) start to finish one morning last week.

They are pretty EASY, although I will admit that biscuit dough can be tricky. I’ve made my fair share of hockey pucks and in the process I’ve learned a few tricks that help me turn out fluffy biscuits almost every time: don’t overwork the dough (cannot be emphasized enough!); don’t overcook the biscuits; and don’t cut them out too thin.

These are CHEAP enough that my mom (who had 11 children and cooked on an extremely tight budget) made them for breakfast probably weekly. I have very fond memories of our biscuit-and-egg breakfasts!

They are also very HEALTHY, if you use the ingredients as listed. Use at least half whole wheat flour, and real butter for the healthiest finished product. The pumpkin, of course, adds some nutritional value, as does even the cinnamon. Now if you slather it with all kinds of sugary jam, that’s not my fault!

This post is linked up at Tasty Tuesday and Tempt My Tummy Tuesday.

5 Comments Filed Under: Bread, Breakfast, Home, On The Table

Slow Cooker Apple Ginger Chicken

September 23, 2010 By

Today is the Autumnal Equinox, otherwise known as the first day of fall, although you wouldn’t know it, because around here the temps were in the upper 80s, low 90s. That’s OK, though, it happens every year - in a short time, it will definitely be autumn weather that will last…. who knows how long?! Weather around here is kind of unpredictable in some ways.

At any rate, the harvest proceeds no matter what the weather, and that is one of my favorite things about autumn anyway: pumpkins, squash, apples, and more, but especially the pumpkins. You’ll be seeing a lot of pumpkin around this fall, provided I can buy it! (Apparently, last year there was a canned pumpkin shortage that is just now hitting our area. However, I noticed that Harris Teeter has pumpkins - real live pie pumpkins - on sale 2 for $3, so I’ll get at least a couple pumpkins in! ) Throughout the autumn, I will be sharing with you all the various fun things I’ll be doing with all this marvelous autumn produce. I’ll try new recipes, share my favorites, show you how to prepare them, and more! I’ll also be browsing the blogosphere and bringing you some of the best ideas as I find them.

Right now, all I have are 2 acorn squash that I haven’t had time to deal with because I have been fighting the mother of all sinus infections. Thank goodness they last a long time! (The squash, not the sinus infection, although that has certainly outstayed its welcome!) I will deal with them soon, trust me, but in the meantime, I’ll share with you this recipe I concocted the other day that features a great autumn classic, the apple.

Apples are so flexible: they shine in the foreground or provide a steady background; they star in desserts, main meals, and side dishes alike; they range from sweet to sour and soft to crunchy. And what’s more, this time of year, they are very inexpensive, which is perhaps the most compelling reason to take advantage of them.

In this particular recipe, the apple plays a supporting role, but is essential nonetheless. It adds flavor and moisture to the main ingredient, a boiler/fryer chicken. I cooked it with potatoes and carrots so that I had a whole meal in one pot, but you can cook it on its own. In that case, you may consider propping up the chicken in the slow cooker with some balls of foil or a small metal cooling rack.

 

Apple Ginger Chicken
3-4 medium potatoes
4 medium carrots
1 2-3lb boiler/fryer chicken
1 small-medium apple
2 cloves garlic
1 1″ knob ginger
salt and pepper

Wash and cut the potatoes into wedges and place them in the bottom of a slow cooker. Wash, peel and cut the carrots into thick sticks about 2-3″ long; place in slow cooker. Wash and rinse chicken and remove innards. Pat dry and place breast side down (I find it is more moist this way) in slow cooker on top of vegetables. Core the apple and cut into wedges to fit into cavity of chicken. Peel and chop the ginger into chunks, then place apple, garlic and ginger into chicken cavity. (If you can fit celery in there, a stalk or two would be the perfect addition.) Sprinkle the top of chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Set slow cooker on High for one hour, then switch to Low for 6-8 hours.

 

 

4 Comments Filed Under: Dinner, Home, On The Table Tagged With: ,

Better than the Box: Pizza Bites

September 17, 2010 By

The box I’m thinking about this time is found in the freezer section. It’s filled with the following ingredients:

Tomato(es) Puree, (Water, Tomato(es) Paste), Flour Enriched, (Flour, Niacin, Ferrous Sulfate, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Cheese Mozzarella Low Moisture Part-Skim, (Milk Part Skim, Cheese Culture, Salt, Calcium Chloride, Enzymes),Soybean(s) Oil Partially Hydrogenated, Sugar, Cornstarch Modified, Salt, Soy Flour, Whey Dried, Spice, Water, Onion(s) Powder, Methylcellulose, Natural Flavors(s).


Yummy, huh?! Well, it does taste pretty good, but as you can see, it’s hardly good for you. If you’re anything like me, it’s probably one of those things you never even thought of attempting to recreate at home, thinking it way too complicated and messy and totally not worth it.


Think again!

My friend posted this recipe on her blog almost a year ago, and the minute I saw it, I wanted to try it. For some reason, it’s taken me this long to actually get around to it, but it was worth the wait. These yummy little bites, or “blobs” as she calls them, really don’t take that long to make and are far from complicated. And the best part is, they provide some great competition for the contents of that box in the freezer. (Oh, and side note: you can freeze them yourself and save them for later!)

This recipe’s traveled a bit around the blogosphere, and as far as I can tell, it started more or less here. Everyone who’s tried it makes it a little differently based on their needs and preferences, so you can feel free to do the same and tweak it to meet your own desires.

It starts with a bread dough like pizza dough. My friend used ready-made pizza dough from Trader Joe’s, which is a great idea. You can also quickly make your own batch of pizza dough in no time at all (The good thing about many pizza dough recipes is that they don’t require much, if any, rise time.). I used my Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day bread dough because it was easy! It was a slightly different texture than a pizza dough would be, but it worked well.

If you’re curious to try it for yourself, here’s how I did it:

Pizza Rolls
2 batches pizza dough
8 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced into bite-size pieces
1 pkg pepperoni
Fresh basil leaves - sliced to fit
Butter
Garlic salt
Parmesan

Roll the pizza dough out into a rectangle. Using a pizza cutter, cut the dough into individual squares. You’ll want the squares to be large enough that the pieces of pepperoni can fit squarely in the middle with a generous 1/2″ margin (Not all of mine managed to be this way as you will see… maybe you can learn from my mistakes!).

Place a slice of pepperoni, a slice of mozzarella, and a piece of basil on each square. (If you have small basil leaves, a whole one will fit. I chopped mine up because I only had a limited amount of large basil leaves on hand.)

Fold up the corners of the square around the filling.

Pinch the open edges to seal them. Seal them as tightly as you can.

Place seam-side down in a well-greased round pan or pie plate.

Bake in a 400F oven for about 15 minutes. Brush with butter and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and garlic salt (optional). Serve hot with pizza sauce.

It’s not as QUICK as warming up that box full of junk, certainly. But perhaps it doesn’t take as long as you thought it might: mine were done in less than an hour, start to finish.

It’s pretty EASY, too. Yeah, you have to roll out the dough and cut it and all that, so I suppose it’s more complicated than other recipes. But it’s still not that difficult.

It’s probably not any CHEAPer than the boxed variety to be honest. The dough is cheap, but mozzarella and pepperoni are not. However, both of those items I bought on sale with coupons, so I actually ended up paying very little for them. This time around, anyway. I probably won’t make these again unless I find myself in the same situation.

These are one HEALTHY step above the frozen box. Pepperoni is far from the healthiest food available, but you can certainly find healthier versions (for a price). Of course, you can make these without the pepperoni. Either just make them cheese pizza bites, or replace the pepperoni with any other meat of your choice. Other than that, they’re a HUGE improvement over the list of ingredients at the top of this post.

4 Comments Filed Under: Home, On The Table, Snacks

Good for What Ails You

September 15, 2010 By

Note: If you’re joining me from the Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom, Welcome! So glad you stopped by! If you like what you see here in this post, check out my “Fall Fest 2010” celebration with lots of great recipes, tips and other fun things to celebrate autumn.

Cold and flu season have hit our home a little early this year. I’ve been knocked out practically for two days now with some serious head congestion that causes a raging headache. Imagine combining that lovely feeling with the need to keep going, if only to keep up with a very fast almost-two-year-old (who, by the way, had this cold, too, but for far shorter and far less severely!). Yeah, it’s been fun around here.

Consequently, I’ve been craving chicken noodle soup. Last night I sufficed the craving with a can (shameful, I know, but hey, it’s cheap this time of year!) because I didn’t have the energy to make it myself. Today, however, I managed to drag myself into the kitchen to put all the ingredients in the slow cooker … before I went and took a nap! The nice slow cooker took over from there, and a delicious easy dinner was nearly ready at dinner time. All I had to do was add in the noodles, slice some crusty homemade bread and slice some fresh apples, too.

Bookmark this page and keep it handy, because trust me, at some point this fall and winter, you’re going to need it! Chicken noodle soup not only tastes great when you are feeling yucky; it also has healing properties. There’s some debate about exactly why it helps, but the fact remains that it does help, whatever the reason.

Thankfully, it’s blessedly easy, too, so you can, like me, even make it in the middle of a congested fog of the worst sort! Ignore those recipes (for this purpose at least) that call for a whole fryer or boiler chicken and lots of water. That will make some great chicken soup, but it’s too much work when you’re sick. All you really need is some broth, cooked chicken, veggies and noodles. Add a little seasoning and voila! Chicken Noodle Soup!

Let’s start with the broth. You can get it 3 different ways, starting with the cheapest:

*Homemade broth or stock. This is super cheap, made with leftover bones and veggie parts. I make some in the crock pot every couple weeks and store it in a pitcher in my fridge. I either use it within the two weeks or throw it out (doesn’t really matter; didn’t cost much to start with) and make a new batch with the bones and/or veggies I’ve collected in the meantime. This means I {almost} always have chicken broth on hand for recipes like this.

*Bouillion cubes, granules or base. This is certainly not the healthiest option, but it’s my emergency back-up plan. If I don’t have enough homemade stock for whatever recipe I’m using, I’ll supplement with this. If you don’t make a habit of having homemade stock around, this is your cheapest option.

*Canned or packaged ready broth. This is the most expensive option, and may or may not be healthy, depending on the brand. Generally speaking, the healthier it is, the more expensive it is. A lot of these have way too much sodium and most of them have MSG. If convenience wins out for you over nutrition and budget, then this is the option for you.

As for the chicken, I happened to have plenty of leftover cooked chicken thighs from dinner the other night that worked perfectly into my soup. Whenever chicken (either whole chickens or parts) go on sale for less than $1/lb, I buy a large package. Then, when I cook it up for dinner, I cook the entire package and save the extras in the freezer for nights like this. Sometimes I also incorporate the leftover chicken into my weekly menu, in which case there’s nothing left for the freezer, but in either case, it saves time in the end.

You can throw whatever veggies you have into your soup (I saw a recipe today that called for sweet potatoes and broccoli in the chicken noodle soup. Totally not my thing, but it proves my point!), but traditionally, carrots and celery are used. As for seasoning, keep it simple. Chicken noodle soup was not meant to be elaborate (it certainly can be, if you want it to, but it definitely stands alone in simplicity, too.).

As for noodles, my favorite would definitely be egg noodles - they go so well with this soup - but I have used pretty much every kind of pasta in chicken noodle soup. Case in point: today, I had no egg noodles. I was not about to go and buy them, because for one, I was totally not feeling up to that, and for another, that would completely violate all my principles about shopping once a week and using what I have on hand! So instead, I used some farfalle noodles from a package that had previously been opened. I used a total of 4 cups of uncooked pasta, but you can use as little as half that much. I like my soup noodly.

Sooo… here’s how my chicken noodle soup ended up today:

Chicken Noodle Soup for the Cold-Ridden Soul
8 cups chicken broth
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
4 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 TBSP dried rosemary
1 TBSP dried parsley
4 cups uncooked pasta
salt and pepper to taste

Place the broth, chicken, vegetables and herbs in the slow cooker and stir to mix. Cook on low for at least 4 hours, preferably 6. Before serving, cook noodles separately according to package directions. Drain and add to soup. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To make it a complete meal, I served it with hearty bread and apple wedges (an apple a day keeps the doctor away, right?). Of course, you can serve it on its own for a light meal or a lunch.

Whether it’s QUICK or not completely depends on the ingredients you’re starting with, i.e., if your chicken is already cooked and your broth is already made or not. As it turned out for me today, it was very quick; all I had to do was throw the ingredients in the slow cooker, and then make the noodles closer to dinner time. I would recommend that you remember to turn on the burner when you go to boil water for your noodles. Then dinner will be ready at the time you intended and not half an hour later. Just sayin’.

It’s very EASY, too. Despite the fact that most people eat it from a can (me included on occasion!), chicken noodle soup is really very easy to make from scratch. In fact, it was part of my “home ec” curriculum in high school!

It’s certainly CHEAP, especially with homemade broth and leftover chicken. It can start to get pricey if you have to use store-bought ingredients, so homemade is definitely the way to go.

As we’ve already established, it’s very HEALTHY. Nobody knows why for sure, but certainly chicken noodle soup helps you feel better when you’re under the weather.

Find more soup and stew recipes at:


6 Comments Filed Under: Dinner, Health, Home, Lunch, On The Table Tagged With: ,

And Now for Some Real Fall Flavor

September 13, 2010 By

It’s kind of a strange time of year in my area right now: it’s not officially fall yet, but the temperatures are starting to cool down, especially in the mornings and evenings. Most trees are still green, but some are beginning to shed their leaves already. Cucumbers, zucchini and tomatoes are still being harvested, but so are apples, and winter squash - and soon, pumpkins! It’s been a record-breaking hot summer, so most people are eager to leave that season behind and head straight into fall.

It is only fitting, then, that my kitchen reflects this awkward transitional season. In my last post, I documented my cucumber sandwich recipe for posterity, and today, with the leftover bread from that recipe, I made a decidedly autumnal treat: apple bread pudding. If you are a fan of Quick and Easy Cheap and Healthy on FB, you may remember that last week I was able to buy some seconds apples very inexpensively at a local produce mart. I put them to good use today in some applesauce, some fruit salad for dinner, and then the bread pudding.

I also had some almond milk in the fridge, which you may think is strange, because, despite my Certain Little Someone’s allergies, he does not drink almond milk. Not yet, anyway. We’re staying away from tree nuts for a while! And trust me, both me and my DH prefer good old cow’s milk to any other available substitute, so almond milk is definitely an odd item to find in our fridge! However, when I was nursing my Certain Little Someone and still working through all his allergies, I found that almond milk was my favorite substitute for the above-mentioned beloved cow’s milk. Since then, I’ve noticed that it frequently goes on sale and there are frequently coupons available for certain brands. When I can get a box or carton of almond milk for cheaper than the cost of regular milk, I snap it up and use it in baking. It doesn’t really add a lot of almond flavor, so the only reason I do this is to save money on regular milk. When I can use something else in my baking, it really lengthens the amount of time a gallon of cow’s milk will spend in my fridge!

You may notice something else strange in the recipe - cornstarch. The reason behind that particular anomaly is that I haven’t quite finished my grocery shopping for the week yet (wow had a crazy busy weekend!) and I have absolutely no eggs in the house. I did a little googling on making a bread pudding without eggs and found that corn starch makes an acceptable substitute.

If you don’t have almond milk, but you do have eggs, don’t worry, this recipe is totally customizable. I’ll detail all the different ways you can change it up without sacrificing flavor and taste at the end of the recipe.

Autumnal Bread Pudding

5 cups bread cubes
2 medium apples, shredded
2 cups almond milk
1/4 cup honey
1 TBSP corn starch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup melted butter (optional)
additional 1/4 cup raw sugar (also optional)
Place the bread cubes and shredded apple in a 1.5qt casserole dish. Mix remaining ingredients, except butter and additional sugar, and blend well until sugar and honey are dissolved into the milk. Pour over the bread and apples, and mix well until thoroughly coated. Allow to soak for about 15 minutes. Bake at 350F for about 30 minutes, covered. Remove from oven and remove cover. Mix melted butter and sugar together and drizzle over the pudding. Return to oven and continue to bake for another 5-10 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.
Substitutions and Customizable Options
-Instead of almond milk, use the same amount of any other kind of milk. If you want to go for a more pronounced almond flavor, replace the vanilla extract with almond extract.
-This recipe makes a very moist pudding, which is the way I like it. If you like your bread pudding more dry, reduce the liquid by half a cup.
-Add raisins and walnuts for extra texture, crunch and flavor.
-Omit the sugar/butter topping, and serve plain or with maple syrup.
-Use 1 egg in place of the cornstarch, which will result in a more custard-like bread pudding.
-I personally do not like the texture of cooked apples (blech!) so when I do bake with them, I shred them so I can have the flavor without the nasty texture. But if you like that nasty texture, just chop the apples instead of shredding them.
-Use pears instead of apples. If you do this, consider adding some powdered ginger or candied ginger into the recipe. Pears and ginger go great together!
This is a very QUICK weeknight dessert idea, as it all comes together in less than an hour.
It’s very EASY, too, nothing complicated or involved.
It’s also CHEAP, thanks to the main ingredient being leftover bits of bread!
It’s a very HEALTHY dessert, too, especially if you have a good whole-grain bread as the base. Combined with the fruit and spices, it makes for a very nutrient-rich dessert option that doesn’t have a great deal of sugar or other sweeteners. 

Get some more ideas for all those fall apples at:

 

2 Comments Filed Under: Bread, Breakfast, Dessert, Home, On The Table, Waste Not

Spring Into Fall

September 12, 2010 By

Cucumber sandwiches may seem an odd choice for a social function this time of year, when it’s almost fall. However, it’s technically still summer, cucumbers are still readily available at farmer’s markets around here, and they’re so delicious, they make great little nibblers no matter the season! Have I convinced you? Well, at any rate, I convinced myself! I made them for a ladies’ event at my church this afternoon, the perfect excuse to pull out a dainty little recipe like this.

These cute little sandwiches are particularly perfect for ladies’ events, at least according to my DH, who considers them “frou-frou” food. I don’t know exactly what “frou-frou” food is, but apparently it is not manly enough for him to even consider consuming, even if he could eat cucumbers. Lucky for him, I wouldn’t even consider putting this on the menu for dinner, but it’s the perfect choice for a “frou-frou” social function: it’s inexpensive but elegant, easy to make, and quite delicious!

I’ve had all kinds of cucumber sandwiches in my life: they vary tremendously depending on the type of bread that’s used and the spread, as well as the way the cucumbers are sliced and/or presented. They’re always tasty little morsels, no matter what, but I’ve settled on the following method because I like it and it works for me! Other people seem to enjoy them too, and I think it’s the flavor in the cream cheese spread, which, incidentally makes a great spread for bagels or wraps, too! For the freshest and most delicious flavor, use fresh herbs, but don’t be afraid to use dried if that’s all you have. I forgot to pick up some fresh dill when making these, so I just use dried and they were still very good.

You can use any bread for this recipe, including strong flavored bread like pumpernickel or rye. I used a freshly baked loaf of artisan bread in the ones I made today, but pretty much anything except store-bought sandwich bread will work.

Frou-Frou Cucumber Sandwiches
1 loaf bread
1 medium cucumber, sliced fairly thin
4 oz cream cheese
2 TBSP plain yogurt
2 TBSP chopped spring onion
1 TBSP fresh dill (or 1 tsp dried)
1 TBSP fresh chopped parsley (or 1 dried)
1/2-1 clove garlic, minced (adjust to taste)

Slice the bread and cut into small shapes (bite-size or a little larger - I used a small biscuit cutter). Soften the cream cheese and blend it well with the yogurt, using an electric mixer. Add onion, garlic and herbs and mix until well blended. If you have time, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight to blend flavors. Assemble the sandwiches by spreading a small amount of the cream cheese spread on each piece of bread (about a teaspoon should do it). Cut the cucumber to fit on the bread and press lightly into the cream cheese spread. Top with a sprig of dill or parsley for an extra-special elegant touch. These are best served right away, so assemble them as close as possible to serving time.

There are a lot of things you can do with the cucumber, depending on the size of your cucumber and the size of your bread pieces. Simple rounds or half moons work well, and my personal favorite is the twist, which you can see here. As you can see in the picture above, I made little bow ties, or “butterflies” as my DH called them (still on the frou-frou kick…). Check out this link for some super innovative and creative cucumber garnishes.

Unless you make the bread from scratch, this recipe comes together very QUICKly. Even if you do make the bread, each separate item in this recipe (bread, cucumber, spread) can be made in your spare time during the days ahead of your planned event. For example, I made the bread one afternoon and sliced it, then one night before I went to bed I mixed up the spread and sliced the cucumbers. I kept the spread and cucumbers in the fridge and then assembled them just before leaving for the gathering.

I love EASY recipes that still look elegant and taste delicious, and this is one of them! You don’t have to be a gourmet chef or know your way around the kitchen blindfolded to be able to make these tasty little nibbles.

It’s very CHEAP, too, IF you buy the cucumber in season and buy the cream cheese on sale. I’ve found that Trader Joe’s has the cheapest regular price ($1.50/8oz) for cream cheese in the area, so if it’s not on sale and I don’t have any on hand, that’s where I buy it. Considering I only used part of the cucumber and part of the cream cheese, and the rest of the ingredients came from my pantry, I would say I spent a dollar or less on the entire platter of appetizers. Pretty cheap!

It’s HEALTHY, too, if the bread is a healthy whole-grain bread. Cream cheese is not high on the list of healthiest foods, but it’s not high on the list of evil foods, either, at least in small quantities like this. The cucumbers and fresh herbs and vegetables certainly add some nutritional benefit as well, so you don’t have to feel guilty about eating a few of these little morsels.

Cucumber Sandwiches on Foodista

3 Comments Filed Under: Celebrations, Home, Lunch, On The Table Tagged With:

More True Confessions

September 9, 2010 By

Almost a year ago, I made some soul-baring confessions. Pretty deep stuff. I thought maybe it was time to open up a little more and reveal yet another shocking truth. Are you ready? You might want to sit down.

I can’t cook rice.


There. I said it. Whew! I hope you still follow my blog in spite of it!

It’s really the truth. I stink at making rice: it’s either sticky or crunchy. Or worse, burned! I even bought a really cool microwave rice cooker from Tupperware that actually works great and turns out perfect rice (no thanks to me!). The problem is that I can’t use anything but straight water to cook the rice in, and I prefer to cook my rice in broth so that it actually has a little flavor. I’d try an electric rice cooker, but I really don’t need one more appliance in my teeny tiny kitchen.

On top of that, I mostly cook brown rice because it’s significantly healthier than white, but it’s a little more complicated than white, too. But that’s coming from me, who struggles with any kind of rice no matter what, so you might want to take that with a grain of rice. I mean salt.

Rice pilaf, however, is another story. Rice pilaf I can do. I’m not sure why, but I’m guessing it’s because the rice is typically browned before cooking in water. I’m not sure how that helps, though: perhaps the little bit of pre-cooking helps it to continue cooking more evenly? I’m not a scientist, so maybe somebody can explain this phenomenon to me. Whatever makes it work, I’m not complaining. If that means rice pilaf is the only way we eat rice for the rest of our lives, I’m cool with that. It’s pretty tasty, after all.

Even he thinks so! He loves rice pilaf!

So here it is… perfectly cooked rice every time. Or at least almost every time.

Perfect Rice Pilaf
1 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP chopped spring onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup brown rice
2 1/4 cups chicken broth

Heat the oil in a pan over med-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, stirring and sauteing for 30 seconds to a minute. Add rice, cooking and stirring until lightly browned (yeah, I know it’s already brown…). Add water; bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer about 40 minutes or until rice is softened.

I won’t lie (in the spirit of true confession): brown rice is not exactly QUICK. It takes white rice a long time to cook, and brown rice takes even longer. There’s really no good short-cut, either, to be honest. I have used pre-cooked rice and simply sauteed it in olive oil with seasonings, which makes a fair facsimile.

It is the EASY-est way I’ve found to cook rice, though. OK, I suppose the boil-in-bags are easier, and I do make use of those on occasion, but I’m always suspicious of how much nutrition has been stripped from them.

It’s CHEAP, especially if you use homemade chicken broth and plain old brown rice.

If you’re using brown rice, it’s very HEALTHY. The World’s Healthiest Foods website says this: The complete milling and polishing that converts brown rice into white rice destroys 67% of the vitamin B3, 80% of the vitamin B1, 90% of the vitamin B6, half of the manganese, half of the phosphorus, 60% of the iron, and all of the dietary fiber and essential fatty acids. By law in the United States, fully milled and polished white rice must be “enriched” with vitamins B1, B3, and iron. But the form of these nutrients when added back into the processed rice is not the same as in the original unprocessed version, and at least 11 lost nutrients are not replaced in any form even with rice “enrichment.”


I would highly recommend everyone to switch to brown rice from white, for those very reasons. Be prepared, though, if you’re not used to it, it’s different in several ways:


-It has more flavor.
-It has a different texture, being somewhat chewier than white rice, which is very soft.
-It definitely takes longer to cook.

5 Comments Filed Under: Home, On The Table, Sides Tagged With:

Top Ten at Trader Joe’s

September 3, 2010 By

If you happen to live near a Trader Joe’s (if you don’t know, you can find out), you are one lucky ducky. If you already shop there, then you already know that. But maybe you are not quite as familiar with this quirky grocery store and are perhaps even put off by the smallish size (when compared to today’s giant grocery stores), unfamiliar packaging, and lack of brand names.

When I first married and moved to this town, one thing disappointed me: the serious lack of grocery stores! In our town itself, Giant and Safeway have a major monopoly and most stores seem to consider it pointless to even try to overcome it. I came from a town that had every grocery store known to mankind, at least on the East Coast, so it was a big switch for me. I learned to go farther and wider for my grocery shopping, which turned out to be actually a good thing!

However, I was thrilled beyond belief when I learned that one of my favorite grocery stores ever - Trader Joes - was coming to the next town over, which was really just the same as being in my own town, as close as it was. In no other grocery store can you find as many high-quality, minimally processed, healthy foods for such a great price as at Trader Joe’s. I shared my enthusiasm with everyone I knew, but was often met with blank stares. This was the first Trader Joes anywhere in the area and most people were not familiar with it. “What’s it like?“, they would ask. “Why do you like it so much?” And the big one I got most often: “What do you buy there?”

This last one came even more often after Trader Joes arrived and people had paid a visit out of curiosity. More than one person was confused and distracted by the store itself and not really sure what the whole deal was. I can understand: there are very few brand name packages, as Trader Joes sells most of their food under their own private label; plus, it’s rather a small store as groceries go. On top of that, it’s laid out a little differently, and doesn’t have your typical “Deli”, “Seafood”, “Bakery” and other departments.

If you’ve never been to a Trader Joe’s, but you have one within 10-20 minutes, then GO! If you’ve been, but you walked away confused and disappointed, Read ON! I’ll help you sort through the confusion by listing my personal top ten favorite things to buy at Trader Joe’s. These items I almost always purchase there, unless I find them significantly cheaper elsewhere for the same quality (usually not likely). These are, of course, only the items I personally find useful for me and my family - if you spend some quality time there like I do, you’ll have your own list of things you love!

*As far as I know, the prices are accurate.They do occasionally fluctuate, but this is what I usually pay.

Trader Joe’s trademark humor shines through in all their advertising, even on their bags.

1. White Whole Wheat Flour, $2.99
This is a relatively new item to hit the grocery scene, I think even within the past decade, and I usually only see the King Arthur brand available in typical grocery stores. While I like King Arthur flours, they cost a lot more than I like to pay, so either I buy them on sale (doesn’t happen very often, usually around Christmas time)… or I buy the same flour at Trader Joe’s! Why do I like white whole wheat flour so much? It has all the same nutrients as regular whole wheat flour, but it’s softer and considerably less whole-wheaty. I still mix it most of the time with unbleached AP flour, for my DH’s sake, but a lot of people use it on its own in all their baking.

2. Organic Carrots, 1 lb., $0.89
Carrots are on the “Dirty Dozen” list, the ones you should buy organic when possible. Trader Joe’s makes it easy because their organic carrots are the same price as other stores’ conventional carrots. I only ever buy carrots there anymore.

3. Organic Celery Hearts, 1 lb. $2.29
Ditto for the celery: it’s one of the dirty dozen, and Trader Joe’s has the organic version available for the same price as a sale price of conventional at other stores. Once again, I only buy celery at TJ’s.

4. Organic Raw Honey, 16oz, $5.99
I used to buy raw honey at Giant, the same size for $6.99. Recently Trader Joe’s started carrying the organic kind, which thrilled me to no end: I could get organic for cheaper than conventional! It’s important to use raw honey when you’re not cooking or baking it because it has a lot more nutritional value than pasteurized or heated honey. Also, if you use it medicinally (for sore throats, on bug bites, etc.), it’s almost pointless to use pasteurized honey because the healing properties simply don’t exist in as much a quantity as in raw honey.

5. Organic Turbinado Sugar, 24oz, $2.99
I could get a 2lb bag of turbinado sugar at Walmart for the same price, but I figure the organic is worth it for half a pound less. I prefer turbinado sugar because it is less processed than regular table sugar and retains more nutrients. (My research indicates that sucanat is even better, but right now, that’s out of my price range!)

Edited to Add (as of June 2013) - Trader Joe’s now carries even more healthy sweetener options at great prices, including maple sugar, maple syrup, and others. I don’t buy the raw sugar anymore, because I’ve switched to palm sugar or sucanat, but Trader Joe’s is still a great deal.

6. Rice Noodles, 16oz, $1.99
If you don’t have celiac disease or wheat allergies, then you probably don’t care as much, but it’s hard to find such a good price on rice noodles. I almost exclusively buy them at Trader Joe’s now, and make them for my Certain Little Someone, who is allergic to wheat and other things. If you want to try them out, either because you’re looking to cut down gluten or you just want a little variety, TJ’s is the place to go!


7. Raisins, 16oz, $1.99
I didn’t used to buy raisins nearly as much before I had my Certain Little Someone, but like most moms I quickly learned that as a go-to snack, it can’t be beat! I also throw it into his homemade granola and other baked goods, like muffins and cookies. I can sometimes find just as good a price or better at a conventional grocery store, but Trader Joe’s is consistent (at least with the raisins) so I pretty much always get them there unless I happen across a really stunning deal elsewhere.

8. Dried Cranberries, $1.99, 8oz
It’s a great deal for dried cranberries which are harder to find at a good price than raisins. I like to use them as a substitute for raisins (as a snack or in baking) because raisins can get really old after a while, and cranberries have such a lovely sweet-tart taste that’s hard to resist.

9. Fruit Leather, 2 strips, $0.55
Fruit leather is a much healthier alternative to fruit roll-ups, which are more sugar than fruit. Fruit leather is entirely made of fruit, so it’s a great healthy snack. Whenever we go to Trader Joe’s, I always buy one as a special treat for my Certain Little Someone and he LOVES them! They have a variety of flavors to choose from.

10.Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, 12oz, $2.29
I’m not so sure that Trader Joe’s’ chocolate chips are any healthier than anyone else’s, but they are cheaper. Unless I can get them on sale somewhere (which, coming up on Christmas and baking season, will be super easy), I buy them at TJ’s. An added benefit for me is that they are safe for my Certain Little Someone - no milk - and it’s a huge triumph to find a safe product for him that doesn’t cost more than its unsafe counterpart.

Edited to Add (as of June 2013) - Since I wrote this post, Costco has started carrying a 6lb bag of chocolate chips for $7.99, made with all natural ingredients and responsibly sourced cacao. Both TJ’s and Costco’s chocolate chips do have soy lecithin in them. The only readily available brand I’ve found that doesn’t is Enjoy Life, and theirs cost easily twice as much.

There are lots of foods and other products I could mention - like the watermelon that was consistently the cheapest or within $0.10 of the cheapest grocery store price all summer long - but check it out for yourself and find out why I love it so much! If you already go to Trader Joe’s regularly, tell me what you like to buy there - I always love to find new, exciting things when I shop there.

Oh, and one more thing - if you really depend on convenience foods, then hands down, Trader Joe’s is the best place to find them! They have the largest selection I’ve ever seen of pre-made or prepped foods that are free of preservatives, chemicals and other additives.

Find other ideas on how to build your pantry frugally at:

12 Comments Filed Under: Home, In The Budget, Save Much, Spend Wisely Tagged With:

What’s in YOUR Lunchbox? A Sweet Ending

September 1, 2010 By

To close out this series, I think it only appropriate that we end with the best part: dessert! Well, at lunch, it’s more of a treat, but still: it’s sweet! No lunch is complete without it.

“Sweet treat” doesn’t have to mean sugary and fatty, like Hostess Cakes or Little Debbie cakes, or even Oreos or Chips Ahoy. It doesn’t mean granola and carrot sticks either. Somewhere between the two is a nice balance, particularly if it’s kept within boundaries: only when the healthy food is eaten, and only a small portion.

Stumped? Don’t be! Let’s brainstorm and get creative about delicious treats that have some measure of nutrition as well (in other words, they don’t cancel out the goodness of that healthy lunch you just packed!) and also some time-saving tips to make it easy.

1. Bar Cookies
Bar cookies are some of the easiest to make: simply mix up the batter, spread it in a 9×13 pan and bake. You don’t have to deal with scooping out the dough to form the cookies, nor do you have to take the time to prepare and bake multiple pans. You can even whip up a quick batch on a weeknight, and portion them out to last for an entire week (depending on how many children you have!).

The biggest key here to keeping it healthy is portion control, which I discuss at length in my post about brownies. Also, some recipes work well with half or more of the oil replaced with applesauce. Many recipes also taste great with the addition of raisins or nuts for added nutrition. Try throwing in a little flax seed (extra fiber, Omega-3s) - no one will be the wiser.

I recently discovered a great recipe for Monkey Bars, with lots and lots of banana in the batter (hence the name). Kids will love the fun name, and they’ll love the taste, too. The banana makes it plenty sweet, and you can choose to add in nuts, raisins or chocolate chips for an extra fun treat. I love that it uses whole wheat flour, and you don’t even notice it. Also it makes a LOT and it’s perfect for freezing so it’s perfect for lunches. Unfortunately, I dont’ have a picture, but here’s the recipe:

Monkey Bars
1 2/3 cup mashed banana (about 5 medium bananas)
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/4 cup oil (or melted butter)
1/4 cup milk
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup raisins/chocolate chips/nuts (I used raisins)

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a jelly roll pan with foil. Whisk bananas, sugar, oil, milk, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl until well combined. Whisk in flour just until it is blended, then gently stir in 1/2 of the raisins (or other substitutes). Spread batter in prepared pan, and sprinkle remaining raisins on top. Bake about 15 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.

When the cookies are cool, slice them carefully into 40 pieces, removing the foil as you go. These stay moist and delicious for several days in an air-tight container at room temperature. For longer store, it’s best to freeze them.

For a no-bake bar option, try these Peanut Butter Crispy Bars. They are a LOT healthier than rice crispy treats, but just as easy and just as delicious.

2. Drop Cookies
Drop cookies are the quintessential lunch time treat, but they also are more of a pain. Here’s a sweet trick: mix up the batter, then drop it by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet. Place the whole sheet in the freezer and when the dough has frozen solid, remove to freezer bags. Store in the freezer until you want to bake them up, then bake as normal. This way, you don’t have to make multiple pans at a time, and you can bake up just as many as you need, so there’s no waste.

Some great semi-healthy drop cookie recipes are:
Banana Cookies (these are super delicious and very addictive!)
Oatmeal Cookies (add raisins or chocolate chips if you like)
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Cookies (Yes, whole wheat!)

3. Mix It UP!
It’s so easy to make a trail mix or cereal mix with whatever you have on hand. It makes a great snack because it’s mostly healthy but you can throw in some fun, sweet treats to help end lunch on a sweet note. Any of the following can be mixed together to create all kinds of fun flavors. Trust me; your kids won’t mind the occasionally bizarre combination, especially if you call it something fun like “Mystery Mix” or “Crazy Concoction”.

-nuts
-seeds
-cereal flakes
-puffed rice or wheat
-any dried cereal (especially not-too-sweet kinds like Cheerios or Chex)
-raisins
-dried cranberries
-mini marshmallows
-chocolate chips
-M&Ms
-mini pretzels
-popcorn


4. Homemade Chex Mix
Along the same lines, it’s so easy to make your own chex mix. I will admit it’s not the healthiest food in the world, but I make it all the time for my DH because it’s at least healthier (and cheaper) than buying it at the store, and he loves the stuff. It’s so quick, too: go here to find all kinds of 15-minute recipes for Chex Mix that range from really pretty healthy to… well, not at all! Here’s a great one that has very little sugar but a lot of other healthy ingredients: Breakfast-To-Go Chex Mix. Another great benefit of making it yourself is that you can put whatever you want in it. At the store, you’re stuck with the flavors they have available, but at home, you can customize it to your family’s tastes.

5. Mini Muffins
In my opinion, most muffin recipes make better snacks than breakfasts, despite the fact that most people eat them for breakfast. To be honest, I actually DO make my Certain Little Someone muffins for breakfast, but I make them with very little sugar (one recipe only uses 2 TBSPs) and I always include fruits or vegetables (like zucchini). They make much better snacks, though, if they have a lot of fats and sugars and white flour. And it’s even better if you bake them in a mini-muffin tin. Remember: portion control! Another reason to make them mini-sized: they’ll bake up even faster!

Again, when choosing a muffin recipe, find one with minimal fats or replace unhealthy fats (such as vegetable oil) with healthy fats (like melted butter) or applesauce. Use minimal sugar as well, or better yet, honey. I also like to look for recipes that call for yogurt and whole grains (whole wheat flour, oatmeal, etc.) as well.

6. No-Bake Cookies
These are easy, quick, and often healthy. The typical base is made of peanut butter and honey mixed with some kind of grain such as oatmeal or puffed rice/wheat. Dry cereals and raisins are also often found in the ingredient list. You can find a whole list of no-bake recipes here.

Another slightly indulgent option I recently discovered is Chocolate Covered Corn Flakes. It sounds kind of, well, corny, but it’s actually pretty good! And certain very easy.


7. Edible Playdough
For the youngest - or the not-so-young who still like to play with their food - send along some edible playdough to school. You can find a whole list here, although the majority of them are not exactly healthy. Most of them require peanut butter, so make sure there are no allergy issues in the classroom, or use an alternative nut or sun butter.

8. Pudding
Pudding cups are a very popular snack in kids’ lunchboxes, but almost all store-bought varieties are full of yucky ingredients you don’t want in your child’s lunch. Thankfully, you have two options (besides avoiding pudding altogether):

-Purchase Kozy Shack pudding, which is the only brand I’ve found that makes pudding with real, whole food ingredients. It’s so delicious, too. However, despite the fact that coupons are often available, it’s still pretty expensive, especially compared to its practically inedible counterparts. That leads us to the other option.
-Make it yourself. Honestly, it’s really very easy. I have two different recipes right here on my blog: Chocolate Pudding and Yogurt Pudding. You can step it up a bit by turning either one into a trifle (with leftover cake/muffins/brownies/bar cookies/cookies) or a parfait (with granola and fruit).

9. Small Pieces of Chocolate
When I first started drastically reducing the amount of sugar in my diet, I found that I felt deprived without a small sweet treat at the end of lunch. What did the trick was including just a small piece of chocolate (Hershey’s kiss, mini Reese’s peanut butter cup, Lindt truffle, individual snack-size Hershey candy bars, etc.). It satisfied my craving without totally throwing me off the wagon. Find a small version of your child’s favorite chocolate candy and offer it occasionally as an extra special treat that says “I Love You!”.

Previous Post: Let’s Get Creative Pt 2

Find more great snack ideas at:


2 Comments Filed Under: At Home, Children, Home, Lunch, On The Table Tagged With: ,

Interesting reads