Dear Andrew, Addison Family and Friends,
Yes garlic does have a season and the season is now. Here are some facts you probably didn’t know about garlic.
Garlic is a vegetable, its in the onion family.
Garlic has been found to have antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial activity.
It dates back 6,000 years ago and it is believed to be from Asia.
Garlic is also claimed to have positive effects on high blood pressure, high cholesterol and certain cancers.
Don’t be lazy and buy the chopped garlic in the jars, that type of garlic taste horrible., your mom raised you better than that. Buy the real thing. You may see several varieties of garlic at the market. One variety is called Green Garlic. Green garlic refers to newly formed garlic heads still attached to their greens, usually a local specialty. Their cloves are milky and the flavor extremely mild and delicious. Green garlic should be refrigerated, but dried heads can be stored at room temperature on the counter or in a clay jar made for garlic. If you ever see garlic with the color purple at the tips buy that one, that is the French variety and it is very good, but it has a limited season too. At the market look at the garlic, if it looks too dry, don’t buy it, look for one that isn’t black, bruised or too dry. I buy at least 2 per week. One head of garlic I roast, then I cover it in olive oil and save it during the week to add to vegetables, salad and breads. The other head of garlic I add to meat,, sauces salads and soups.
Here is how to Roast a Whole Head of Garlic
Preheat the oven to 350*. Rub off the outer papery skin, but leave the cloves encased. (I love the way garlic is in little individual packages, its like a gift in every clove that you have to unwrap.) Set the head of garlic upright on a piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil. Wrap the garlic up well so the oil won’t leak all over your oven. Bake for about 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool. The cool thing about this roasted garlic is you can put this into your refrigerator just like it is and when you need some garlic, pull the head out and squeeze as much garlic as you need, then return the rest to the refrigerator for later use. This will remain fresh in your refrigerator up to 2 weeks, but I am sure it will be gone by then.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
A Midsummer Night Treat
Dear Andrew, Addison, Friends and Family,
Here in Texas we have had temperatures in the 100′s for quite some time now. It is so hot I don’t want to turn the oven on or even stand outside over the grill. So we have been living off of salads and quick stir fry‘s. Every Saturday morning I head to the farmers market and support our local farmers. I don’t know how their produce is withstanding these hot temperatures, my garden is dead, more on that later. So with my market basket full of fresh produce, here is a summer treat I think you all will enjoy.
Summer Fruit parfait
1 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup nonfat milk
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1/3 cup low fat plain yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons organic sugar
3 ripe peaches
2 cups of any fruit you like, I am using raspberries, blueberries and strawberries
2 tablespoons finely crushed gingersnaps
Directions:
A purée of cottage cheese and yogurt, makes a luxurious, low fat substitute for ice cream and whipped cream.
In a small pan, sprinkle gelatin over the milk, stir and let stand for several minutes to soften. In a food processor, combine cottage cheese, yogurt, vanilla, salt and sugar. Process until smooth. Place the saucepan with the softened gelatin over low heat and stir until the gelatin granules have dissolved, about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours. Slice peaches and combine in a bowl with berries or other fruit. Toss to mix. Assemble the parfait in glasses, alternating layers of the cheese and fruit mixture. Dust with crumbles of gingersnaps. You can refrigerate this until needed. Enjoy and stay cool.
Here in Texas we have had temperatures in the 100′s for quite some time now. It is so hot I don’t want to turn the oven on or even stand outside over the grill. So we have been living off of salads and quick stir fry‘s. Every Saturday morning I head to the farmers market and support our local farmers. I don’t know how their produce is withstanding these hot temperatures, my garden is dead, more on that later. So with my market basket full of fresh produce, here is a summer treat I think you all will enjoy.
Summer Fruit parfait
1 1/2 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
1/4 cup nonfat milk
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1/3 cup low fat plain yogurt
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
4 tablespoons organic sugar
3 ripe peaches
2 cups of any fruit you like, I am using raspberries, blueberries and strawberries
2 tablespoons finely crushed gingersnaps
Directions:
A purée of cottage cheese and yogurt, makes a luxurious, low fat substitute for ice cream and whipped cream.
In a small pan, sprinkle gelatin over the milk, stir and let stand for several minutes to soften. In a food processor, combine cottage cheese, yogurt, vanilla, salt and sugar. Process until smooth. Place the saucepan with the softened gelatin over low heat and stir until the gelatin granules have dissolved, about 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate about 2 hours. Slice peaches and combine in a bowl with berries or other fruit. Toss to mix. Assemble the parfait in glasses, alternating layers of the cheese and fruit mixture. Dust with crumbles of gingersnaps. You can refrigerate this until needed. Enjoy and stay cool.
All The Tea In China...Town
Dear Andrew, Addison, Family and Friends;
Jonathan and I are going back to San Francisco this weekend, I can’t wait! Jonathan is going for work and for me well I will see my publisher, then I’m off to the Farmer’s markets, and Chinatown. In Chinatown, we have discovered the most fascinating teahouses. On our last visit to Chinatown, Jonathan and I found this great teahouse and the owner was kind enough to spend an hour with us teaching us about teas. Did you know that tea is the most popular beverage in the world next to water! Some people believe tea was first used by herbalist for medicinal purposes, today Eastern doctors still prescribe tea for specific ailments. I drink tea because I know it is good for me and I like the taste of green tea. There are more than 1,500 types of tea to choose from because over 25 countries cultivate tea as a plantation crop; China is one of the main producers of tea. Just like wine, the diversity of tea is a result of the differences in soil, climate, elevation, and other factors. Basically there are three types of tea: black (or red), green, and oolong. Each type is distinguished by the amount of fermentation that takes place in processing it. Fermentation is necessary to enhance flavor of the tea leaf. The longer the fermentation process, the more caffeine it contains and the darker it becomes. Tea is also classified according to regions or smaller districts, such as Chinese, Japanese, or Indonesian or Assam (India), Uva (Sri Lanka), or Enshu (Japan). Tea is also classified by the size of its processed leaf. As you can see there is alot to learn about teas and many teas to taste. Green tea is thought to be responsible fro the long-life helth of Asian cultures, green tea is filled with powerful antioxidants which have been linked with many health benefits including weight loss. The powerful antioxidant that is specific to green tea is called EGCG. During the past 40 years, thousands of studies on green tea have been conducted around the world. This research has demonstrated that EGCG, could enhance the immune system functions by guarding against oxidants and free radicals that weaken the body’s natural defense system. Help regulalte chollesterol levels. Lower the risk of stroke by making blood platelets less “sticky”. Help control blood sugar levels, assist in weight loss, ward off viruses, fungi and food-borne bacteria, and slow the aging process down.
I am going to go back to the tea houses and I am going to try out a “herbalist” too, I will let you know what I learned.
Love From Home,
Kim Wechsler
References:
Tea’s Wonderful History, L.K. Yee
Jonathan and I are going back to San Francisco this weekend, I can’t wait! Jonathan is going for work and for me well I will see my publisher, then I’m off to the Farmer’s markets, and Chinatown. In Chinatown, we have discovered the most fascinating teahouses. On our last visit to Chinatown, Jonathan and I found this great teahouse and the owner was kind enough to spend an hour with us teaching us about teas. Did you know that tea is the most popular beverage in the world next to water! Some people believe tea was first used by herbalist for medicinal purposes, today Eastern doctors still prescribe tea for specific ailments. I drink tea because I know it is good for me and I like the taste of green tea. There are more than 1,500 types of tea to choose from because over 25 countries cultivate tea as a plantation crop; China is one of the main producers of tea. Just like wine, the diversity of tea is a result of the differences in soil, climate, elevation, and other factors. Basically there are three types of tea: black (or red), green, and oolong. Each type is distinguished by the amount of fermentation that takes place in processing it. Fermentation is necessary to enhance flavor of the tea leaf. The longer the fermentation process, the more caffeine it contains and the darker it becomes. Tea is also classified according to regions or smaller districts, such as Chinese, Japanese, or Indonesian or Assam (India), Uva (Sri Lanka), or Enshu (Japan). Tea is also classified by the size of its processed leaf. As you can see there is alot to learn about teas and many teas to taste. Green tea is thought to be responsible fro the long-life helth of Asian cultures, green tea is filled with powerful antioxidants which have been linked with many health benefits including weight loss. The powerful antioxidant that is specific to green tea is called EGCG. During the past 40 years, thousands of studies on green tea have been conducted around the world. This research has demonstrated that EGCG, could enhance the immune system functions by guarding against oxidants and free radicals that weaken the body’s natural defense system. Help regulalte chollesterol levels. Lower the risk of stroke by making blood platelets less “sticky”. Help control blood sugar levels, assist in weight loss, ward off viruses, fungi and food-borne bacteria, and slow the aging process down.
I am going to go back to the tea houses and I am going to try out a “herbalist” too, I will let you know what I learned.
Love From Home,
Kim Wechsler
References:
Tea’s Wonderful History, L.K. Yee
Sunbutter
Dear Andrew, Addison, Family and Friends;
I know several of you have an allergy to peanut butter, well a friend told me about Sunbutter. I bought it and I have used it on toast, pb&j and even with granola, its great and it really taste good. Sunbutter is sunflower seeds not peanuts. Sunflower seed are roasted then ground into a spread as a replacement for peanuts. It is peanut-free, tree nut-free, and taste really good. It available in natural, natural crunch, organic and natural with Omega-3. For 2 tablespoons there is 140 calories f rom fat, 16 grams of Fat; 0 mg of cholesterol, 120 mg of sodium, 7 grams of total carbohydrates. The shelf life is a lot shorter than most peanut butters, so be sure to look at the expiration date. I bought this jar from Kroger in the Organic section of the market.
I will bake with it this week and let you know how it stands the test.
Try it you may like it.
Love From Home,
Kim Wechsler
I know several of you have an allergy to peanut butter, well a friend told me about Sunbutter. I bought it and I have used it on toast, pb&j and even with granola, its great and it really taste good. Sunbutter is sunflower seeds not peanuts. Sunflower seed are roasted then ground into a spread as a replacement for peanuts. It is peanut-free, tree nut-free, and taste really good. It available in natural, natural crunch, organic and natural with Omega-3. For 2 tablespoons there is 140 calories f rom fat, 16 grams of Fat; 0 mg of cholesterol, 120 mg of sodium, 7 grams of total carbohydrates. The shelf life is a lot shorter than most peanut butters, so be sure to look at the expiration date. I bought this jar from Kroger in the Organic section of the market.
I will bake with it this week and let you know how it stands the test.
Try it you may like it.
Love From Home,
Kim Wechsler
Tilapia With Cucumber Relish
Dear Andrew, Addison, Family and Friends;
Tilapia is one of the mildest tasting fish. It is a pretty fish too, check out the picture. Therefore it is easier to get kids to eat this fish than salmon. Tilapia can be prepared in so many ways, earlier I gave you my fish taco recipe with tilapia and today I want to share with you Tilapia with Cucumber Relish. Its quick and easy to make and I saw tilapia on sale at the market for $5.99 a pound. Usually it runs around $7.99-8.99. You can buy several pieces and freeze the fish for later use. Or buy tilapia from the frozen food section. Remember if you freeze fish, and you let it thaw, it will have a slight fishy smell to it, but if you let it soak in milk or squeeze lemon over the fillet it will reduce the smell of fish.
Lesson from Home: Checking to see if the fish has been cooked enough.
Typically a good guideline is 8 minutes per inch of fish. But tilapia is less than one inch so you have to check by using a knife. Using the tip of a knife, poke at the thickest part of the fish, you want to look at the interior part of the fish. Raw fish has a translucent appearance, (think of the color of sushi) that turns opaque during the cooking process. You should see that it is slightly firm and opaque throughout. Remember fish like other meats will continue to cook 1-2 minutes after you take them from the heat.
I decided on sharing this recipe with you because I saw on the Dr. Oz show, he was talking about the benefits of cucumbers and vinegar and it reminded me of this recipe.
Ingredients
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained and coarsely chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 green onion, minced
1 Tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 1/4 pound tilapia
Directions:
Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; stir well. Cover relish, and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
Place fish on a lightly greased rack; place rack in broiler pan. Brush 1 Tablespoon liquid from relish over fish. Broil 3 minutes from heat 3.5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Transfer fish to plates and spoon relish over fish. This makes about 4 servings.
p.s. This relish is good on chicken too!
Love From Home,
Kim Wechsler
Tilapia is one of the mildest tasting fish. It is a pretty fish too, check out the picture. Therefore it is easier to get kids to eat this fish than salmon. Tilapia can be prepared in so many ways, earlier I gave you my fish taco recipe with tilapia and today I want to share with you Tilapia with Cucumber Relish. Its quick and easy to make and I saw tilapia on sale at the market for $5.99 a pound. Usually it runs around $7.99-8.99. You can buy several pieces and freeze the fish for later use. Or buy tilapia from the frozen food section. Remember if you freeze fish, and you let it thaw, it will have a slight fishy smell to it, but if you let it soak in milk or squeeze lemon over the fillet it will reduce the smell of fish.
Lesson from Home: Checking to see if the fish has been cooked enough.
Typically a good guideline is 8 minutes per inch of fish. But tilapia is less than one inch so you have to check by using a knife. Using the tip of a knife, poke at the thickest part of the fish, you want to look at the interior part of the fish. Raw fish has a translucent appearance, (think of the color of sushi) that turns opaque during the cooking process. You should see that it is slightly firm and opaque throughout. Remember fish like other meats will continue to cook 1-2 minutes after you take them from the heat.
I decided on sharing this recipe with you because I saw on the Dr. Oz show, he was talking about the benefits of cucumbers and vinegar and it reminded me of this recipe.
Ingredients
1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained and coarsely chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 green onion, minced
1 Tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 1/4 pound tilapia
Directions:
Combine first 5 ingredients in a small bowl; stir well. Cover relish, and let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
Place fish on a lightly greased rack; place rack in broiler pan. Brush 1 Tablespoon liquid from relish over fish. Broil 3 minutes from heat 3.5 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Transfer fish to plates and spoon relish over fish. This makes about 4 servings.
p.s. This relish is good on chicken too!
Love From Home,
Kim Wechsler
Chicken Salad Dinner
Dear Andrew, Addison, Family and Friends;
Spring is almost here, and spring is my favorite season. So just like the change in seasons my menu changes according to the season. So here is an easy, healthy and a quick dinner to make.
1 Roasted Chicken (buy from the market or roast a chicken)
Reduced fat mayonnaise
3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
small onion, finely chopped, (optional)
any chopped vegetable (peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots…)
dill weed
salt and pepper
Remove all the meat from the chicken, yes this is a messy job but in the end it is worth it. Add only enough mayo until the chicken holds together. Start with a little bit, you can always add more. Add the chopped celery and onion, a few shakes of dill, salt and pepper. That’s it! This is such a wonderful dish because it makes a lot too and you can have it for lunch the next day. You can add cooked pasta to this dish, hard-boiled eggs, lettuce, you can serve it by itself or add a slice of multi-grain bread, tortilla, english muffin, bagel, crackers…the possibilities are endless.
Enjoy,
Love From Home,
Kim Wechsler
Spring is almost here, and spring is my favorite season. So just like the change in seasons my menu changes according to the season. So here is an easy, healthy and a quick dinner to make.
1 Roasted Chicken (buy from the market or roast a chicken)
Reduced fat mayonnaise
3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
small onion, finely chopped, (optional)
any chopped vegetable (peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots…)
dill weed
salt and pepper
Remove all the meat from the chicken, yes this is a messy job but in the end it is worth it. Add only enough mayo until the chicken holds together. Start with a little bit, you can always add more. Add the chopped celery and onion, a few shakes of dill, salt and pepper. That’s it! This is such a wonderful dish because it makes a lot too and you can have it for lunch the next day. You can add cooked pasta to this dish, hard-boiled eggs, lettuce, you can serve it by itself or add a slice of multi-grain bread, tortilla, english muffin, bagel, crackers…the possibilities are endless.
Enjoy,
Love From Home,
Kim Wechsler
Eat Tortellini Soup Tonight!
Dear Andrew, Addison, Family and Friends;
Yesterday we talked about tomatoes, having them for breakfast. This morning I am making a fried egg, toasted English muffin with a slice of tomato. This makes for a great lunch too.
I love when I receive recipes from friends. Everytime I prepare their recipe, I think about them and how thankful I am to have such good friends. The following recipe a friend gave to me many years ago. It is a great quick and healthy meal. If you serve this with a salad or some roasted vegetables its a complete meal.
Tortellini Soup
Extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
Small onion
Peeled carrots, sliced thin
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
One large can or box of chicken broth
1 package of tortellini, you will find this package in the refrigerated section of the market
A handful of fresh spinach, chopped
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
I always try to use as few of pots and pans as possible. So take a saucepan, cover the bottom of the pan with evoo. Saute onion, carrots and garlic until tender. Pour the chicken broth into the pot, add your chopped spinach. When the broth begins to simmer, add the tortellini and let the tortellini cook in the chicken broth according to the package which is about 12-14 minutes. Pour into your soup bowls and enjoy!
Love From Home
Yesterday we talked about tomatoes, having them for breakfast. This morning I am making a fried egg, toasted English muffin with a slice of tomato. This makes for a great lunch too.
I love when I receive recipes from friends. Everytime I prepare their recipe, I think about them and how thankful I am to have such good friends. The following recipe a friend gave to me many years ago. It is a great quick and healthy meal. If you serve this with a salad or some roasted vegetables its a complete meal.
Tortellini Soup
Extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
Small onion
Peeled carrots, sliced thin
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
One large can or box of chicken broth
1 package of tortellini, you will find this package in the refrigerated section of the market
A handful of fresh spinach, chopped
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
I always try to use as few of pots and pans as possible. So take a saucepan, cover the bottom of the pan with evoo. Saute onion, carrots and garlic until tender. Pour the chicken broth into the pot, add your chopped spinach. When the broth begins to simmer, add the tortellini and let the tortellini cook in the chicken broth according to the package which is about 12-14 minutes. Pour into your soup bowls and enjoy!
Love From Home
Aromatic Slow Roasted Tomatoes
Dear Andrew, Addison, Family and Friends;
One of my personal goals for this blog is to change your mindset about cooking and meal planning. My mindset about meal planning for breakfast changed when my husband, Jonathan and I visited Italy last year. They serve tomatoes at breakfast! Tomatoes were served freshly sliced, or oven roasted. You can add them to a breakfast sandwich or eat them on their own. As I thought about this, it makes sense to eat tomatoes for breakfast, while its botanically a fruit, for culinary purposes we think of a tomatoe as a vegetable. Either way they are delicious. Tomatoes contain lycopene which is thought to have beneficial health effects. There are so many varieties of tomatoes but today I am going to tell you about Italina plum tomatoes. When you purchase tomatoes, think first about when you plan on having them in a meal, this will depend on how ripe you should buy your tomatoes. Since its only March, tomatoes are imported from warmer climates or are grown in a greenhouse. Tomatoes should be allowed to ripen on the kitchen counter, not in a refirgerator. When you put a tomatoe in a refigerator, it changes the texture and the flavor of the fruit. The shelf life of a tomatoe is 3-4 days, so be sure to use it within this time frame.
Slow roasting is one of the best uses for winter tomatoes because it intensifies their sweetness.
Slow Roasted Tomatoes
Just a sprinkle of sugar
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Tiny pinch of basil
Tiny pinch of dried oregano
Freshly ground pepper
Plum Tomatoes: Buy 12, so you can use these tomatoes in a sauce or for breakfast or in a panini. Cut the tomates in half lengthwise.
Cooking Spray
Preheat your oven to 200*. Combine the firsst 7 ingredients in a large bowl, tossing gently to coat. Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Roast at 200* for 5 hours.
You can use these tomatoes on a English Muffin for breakfast maybe add a little of your favorite cheese. You can now put these extra tomatoes in your refrigerator up to 4 days. Be sure to wrap them well.
Enjoy a healthy breakfast,
Love Mom
One of my personal goals for this blog is to change your mindset about cooking and meal planning. My mindset about meal planning for breakfast changed when my husband, Jonathan and I visited Italy last year. They serve tomatoes at breakfast! Tomatoes were served freshly sliced, or oven roasted. You can add them to a breakfast sandwich or eat them on their own. As I thought about this, it makes sense to eat tomatoes for breakfast, while its botanically a fruit, for culinary purposes we think of a tomatoe as a vegetable. Either way they are delicious. Tomatoes contain lycopene which is thought to have beneficial health effects. There are so many varieties of tomatoes but today I am going to tell you about Italina plum tomatoes. When you purchase tomatoes, think first about when you plan on having them in a meal, this will depend on how ripe you should buy your tomatoes. Since its only March, tomatoes are imported from warmer climates or are grown in a greenhouse. Tomatoes should be allowed to ripen on the kitchen counter, not in a refirgerator. When you put a tomatoe in a refigerator, it changes the texture and the flavor of the fruit. The shelf life of a tomatoe is 3-4 days, so be sure to use it within this time frame.
Slow roasting is one of the best uses for winter tomatoes because it intensifies their sweetness.
Slow Roasted Tomatoes
Just a sprinkle of sugar
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Tiny pinch of basil
Tiny pinch of dried oregano
Freshly ground pepper
Plum Tomatoes: Buy 12, so you can use these tomatoes in a sauce or for breakfast or in a panini. Cut the tomates in half lengthwise.
Cooking Spray
Preheat your oven to 200*. Combine the firsst 7 ingredients in a large bowl, tossing gently to coat. Arrange tomatoes, cut side up, on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Roast at 200* for 5 hours.
You can use these tomatoes on a English Muffin for breakfast maybe add a little of your favorite cheese. You can now put these extra tomatoes in your refrigerator up to 4 days. Be sure to wrap them well.
Enjoy a healthy breakfast,
Love Mom
Eat Beef Short Ribs Tonight!
Dear Andrew, Addison and Friends;
Since we have been talking about beef I want to share a recipe with you that we have had many times while you were growing up. But it requires searing the beef. You can sear beef, chicken, pork or fish. To begin allow the meat to become close to room temperature, (this allows for more controlled cooking throughout the meat) so let the meat sit on a plate for about 30-60 minutes prior to searing. Okay back to searing meat, basically what this means is to add oil to your pan, turn the pan on a high temperature then add the meat. You cannot walk away once you add the meat. It only takes seconds to “brown” the meat. Once one side is browned then you flip the meat and sear all sides. This produces a carmelized effect on the meat and seals in the juices. It is a step, that is well worth doing. Just a word of caution, the oil will splatter out of the pan, to avoid such a huge splatter, use your splatter guard.
I know we all have busy weekends, so this is a great weekend recipe , its one of my favorite recipes of all times. Its great for guests and it makes plenty for leftovers. It is a hearty, full-flavored dish to be served with egg noodles, rice or best of all mashed potatoes. The unexpected touch of orange, cinnamon and chile adds character and warmth. You can serve this with a bottle of Russian River Valley Zinfandel or your favorite red wine.
Get a pan to sear the meat, a clean plate, (never put cooked meat back on to a plate that had raw meat) s small sauce pan
Bring out your slow-cooker too.
2Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds of beef short ribs, English cut (about 2 inches long) ask the butcher at your gracery store.
1 large white onion
2 carrots pooled and cut into medium dice
2 cups of Zinfandel or a red wine
1 cinnamon stick, do not add cinnamon powder, it won’t taste the same.(you will find in the spice aisle at your market)
1 dried ancho chile, seeded and toasted in a hot dry pan (you will find in the spice aisle of your market)
2 cups of beef stock
zest from one orange, I only use about half the zest from an orange.
Fresh ground salt and pepper
Salt and pepper the ribs. Put vegetable oil in a large pot, enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Turn up the heat, within seconds you will see smoke then immediately add ribs in a single layer. Sear meat on both sides. Remove to a clean plate and reserve. Finish the rest of the ribs. Once all the ribs are done, throw onions in the pot and turn down the heat, watch the onions until they become limp then remove. Get your slow cooker out, and turn the dial to 4 hours or 8 hours depending on your day. Add carrots, onions wine, cinnamon stick, orange zest, beef stock and ribs. Now go on with your day and when you are ready for dinner, prepare your starch, (rice, risotto, pasta or potato) Remove the meat from the pot and put in on a platter. Strain the sauce and place the strained vegetables in to your blender, make sure the blender is clean from your last margarita party. Pulse the vegetables so they look like mush. In a small sauce pan boil the sauce, (wine and beef broth) and to reduce it, this will take about 5 minutes on medium high, remove the cinnamon stick and then add the the pureed vegetables back into the pan to reheat and pour over the ribs.
Just throw together a salad and you now have a “perfect meal”.
Have a great weekend,
Love Mom
Since we have been talking about beef I want to share a recipe with you that we have had many times while you were growing up. But it requires searing the beef. You can sear beef, chicken, pork or fish. To begin allow the meat to become close to room temperature, (this allows for more controlled cooking throughout the meat) so let the meat sit on a plate for about 30-60 minutes prior to searing. Okay back to searing meat, basically what this means is to add oil to your pan, turn the pan on a high temperature then add the meat. You cannot walk away once you add the meat. It only takes seconds to “brown” the meat. Once one side is browned then you flip the meat and sear all sides. This produces a carmelized effect on the meat and seals in the juices. It is a step, that is well worth doing. Just a word of caution, the oil will splatter out of the pan, to avoid such a huge splatter, use your splatter guard.
I know we all have busy weekends, so this is a great weekend recipe , its one of my favorite recipes of all times. Its great for guests and it makes plenty for leftovers. It is a hearty, full-flavored dish to be served with egg noodles, rice or best of all mashed potatoes. The unexpected touch of orange, cinnamon and chile adds character and warmth. You can serve this with a bottle of Russian River Valley Zinfandel or your favorite red wine.
Get a pan to sear the meat, a clean plate, (never put cooked meat back on to a plate that had raw meat) s small sauce pan
Bring out your slow-cooker too.
2Tablespoons vegetable oil
2 pounds of beef short ribs, English cut (about 2 inches long) ask the butcher at your gracery store.
1 large white onion
2 carrots pooled and cut into medium dice
2 cups of Zinfandel or a red wine
1 cinnamon stick, do not add cinnamon powder, it won’t taste the same.(you will find in the spice aisle at your market)
1 dried ancho chile, seeded and toasted in a hot dry pan (you will find in the spice aisle of your market)
2 cups of beef stock
zest from one orange, I only use about half the zest from an orange.
Fresh ground salt and pepper
Salt and pepper the ribs. Put vegetable oil in a large pot, enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Turn up the heat, within seconds you will see smoke then immediately add ribs in a single layer. Sear meat on both sides. Remove to a clean plate and reserve. Finish the rest of the ribs. Once all the ribs are done, throw onions in the pot and turn down the heat, watch the onions until they become limp then remove. Get your slow cooker out, and turn the dial to 4 hours or 8 hours depending on your day. Add carrots, onions wine, cinnamon stick, orange zest, beef stock and ribs. Now go on with your day and when you are ready for dinner, prepare your starch, (rice, risotto, pasta or potato) Remove the meat from the pot and put in on a platter. Strain the sauce and place the strained vegetables in to your blender, make sure the blender is clean from your last margarita party. Pulse the vegetables so they look like mush. In a small sauce pan boil the sauce, (wine and beef broth) and to reduce it, this will take about 5 minutes on medium high, remove the cinnamon stick and then add the the pureed vegetables back into the pan to reheat and pour over the ribs.
Just throw together a salad and you now have a “perfect meal”.
Have a great weekend,
Love Mom
Beef Gets A Grade
Dear Andrew, Addison and Friends;
I have received a lot of good feedback from my grass-fed beef so I would like to continue teaching you about beef. I will tell you about pork and poultry at a later date. When you go to the meat department in your grocery store, read the labels. You will find that the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service operates a voluntary beef grading service to give beef a grade. It is a pretty good system to use when selecting a type of beef. Just like when you were in school, there are standards for grading. This grading system depends on the maturity of the beef, firmness, texture, color of lean, amount of marbling. Marbling is the intramuscular fat that you will find in beef. Beef can be from cows, bulls, heifers or steers, not horse. In very simple terms there are basically two types of meat, tough and tender. Both are good and have their purpose but it all depends on what part of the animal that particular cut came from. The tough meats contains more muscle, you must braise or cook it for a longer period of time. The more tender cuts of meat have marbling and are for quick cooking. When you go to your grocery store, you may find three to five grades of meat, Prime, Choice and Select are the most desirable. There are other grades but they are used for commercial purposes, believe me we wouldn’t want to eat these meats, they are for processors and canners.
US Prime: Is typically sold in butcher shops or sold to restaurants and hotels. You typically won’t find this in your grocery store. It is your more expensive meat, it is juicy and tender. This type of meat will be used for dry heat cooking, like grilling, oven or quick cook method on the stove top. When using this grade of beef all you need to do is to rub it with olive oil, salt and pepper.
US Choice: Less expensive than Prime and is quality cut of meat. You will find this grade of meat in the grocery store or at your butcher. It is juicy and tender and may be cooked with dry heat or by adding just a little liquid. The difference between US Choice and US Prime is the amount of marbling.
US Select: Is the most popular grade of meat, sold in grocery stores. It is economical. It is still juicy and lean. This type of meat needs marinating or cooking, like in your slow cooker for a longer period of time.
US Standard: You may find this grade of meat in the grocery store. It may be sold under the store brands name. It has very little marbling, it lacks juiciness and flavor. So this grade of meat needs marinating and cooked for a longer period of time to become tender.
You may see packaging in the meat department that will tell you what type of cattle the beef came from, like Black Angus, which is known for its flavor and tenderness.
Tip for the day:
When you buy US Select, take it out of the packaging place the meat in a zip lock baggie and pour your favorite marinade like a terriyaki, ginger and garlic sauce into the bag. Now you can freeze this meat up to one month or save it in your refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you ready to prepare, just remove meat from marinade and grill or pan fry. The marinade will have made the meat more tender and flavorful. I use this recipe when I buy London Broil. After I grill the London Broil, I slice the meat cross grain into thin strips this will make it more tender. Serve with some roasted vegetables and a salad and you”re in for a healthy and tasty meal. Good for leftovers too, try using the extra beef in a Panini sandwich.
Love Mom
I have received a lot of good feedback from my grass-fed beef so I would like to continue teaching you about beef. I will tell you about pork and poultry at a later date. When you go to the meat department in your grocery store, read the labels. You will find that the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service operates a voluntary beef grading service to give beef a grade. It is a pretty good system to use when selecting a type of beef. Just like when you were in school, there are standards for grading. This grading system depends on the maturity of the beef, firmness, texture, color of lean, amount of marbling. Marbling is the intramuscular fat that you will find in beef. Beef can be from cows, bulls, heifers or steers, not horse. In very simple terms there are basically two types of meat, tough and tender. Both are good and have their purpose but it all depends on what part of the animal that particular cut came from. The tough meats contains more muscle, you must braise or cook it for a longer period of time. The more tender cuts of meat have marbling and are for quick cooking. When you go to your grocery store, you may find three to five grades of meat, Prime, Choice and Select are the most desirable. There are other grades but they are used for commercial purposes, believe me we wouldn’t want to eat these meats, they are for processors and canners.
US Prime: Is typically sold in butcher shops or sold to restaurants and hotels. You typically won’t find this in your grocery store. It is your more expensive meat, it is juicy and tender. This type of meat will be used for dry heat cooking, like grilling, oven or quick cook method on the stove top. When using this grade of beef all you need to do is to rub it with olive oil, salt and pepper.
US Choice: Less expensive than Prime and is quality cut of meat. You will find this grade of meat in the grocery store or at your butcher. It is juicy and tender and may be cooked with dry heat or by adding just a little liquid. The difference between US Choice and US Prime is the amount of marbling.
US Select: Is the most popular grade of meat, sold in grocery stores. It is economical. It is still juicy and lean. This type of meat needs marinating or cooking, like in your slow cooker for a longer period of time.
US Standard: You may find this grade of meat in the grocery store. It may be sold under the store brands name. It has very little marbling, it lacks juiciness and flavor. So this grade of meat needs marinating and cooked for a longer period of time to become tender.
You may see packaging in the meat department that will tell you what type of cattle the beef came from, like Black Angus, which is known for its flavor and tenderness.
Tip for the day:
When you buy US Select, take it out of the packaging place the meat in a zip lock baggie and pour your favorite marinade like a terriyaki, ginger and garlic sauce into the bag. Now you can freeze this meat up to one month or save it in your refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you ready to prepare, just remove meat from marinade and grill or pan fry. The marinade will have made the meat more tender and flavorful. I use this recipe when I buy London Broil. After I grill the London Broil, I slice the meat cross grain into thin strips this will make it more tender. Serve with some roasted vegetables and a salad and you”re in for a healthy and tasty meal. Good for leftovers too, try using the extra beef in a Panini sandwich.
Love Mom
Grass-Fed Beef
Dear Andrew, Addison and Friends;
Well its been a week since my last post, but I have a good excuse my son Addison was visiting from Montreal and we were so busy I didn’t have a chance to write. But I am always thinking of my two blog sites, this one and Loveyourworkout. wordpress.com While my son was here I prepared as many of his favorite meals as I could. Some of them are, Shrimp Creole, (the last recipe I shared), homemade bread, homemade cinnamon rolls, meatloaf, mashed goat cheese potatoes, lots of grilled vegetables a variety of salads and homemade tomato soup. If you read my posts you know my husband and I try to eat only in season, (organic when possible )fresh produce.
I am always searching for a healthy version all types of food. Last week I discovered a local farmer, who sells only grass-fed beef, pork, lamb, chicken and goat. A growing number of ranchers have stopped sending their animals to the feedlots to be fattened on grain, soy and other supplements. Instead they opt to keep their animals at home grazing on the local grasses and native diets with no hormones or growth-promoting additives. The animals grow at a more natural pace, with less stress so they are healthier and don’t need antibiotics. I was so excited to find this connection so I called him up and we met and I bought a little bit of everything including farm-fresh eggs.(Believe me there is a big difference in fresh farm eggs, that will be another blog later).
For dinner that night we opened up a Cakebread Cellars Cabernet, took the rib eyes out of the refrigerator one hour prior to grilling and massaged extra virgin olive oil, (evoo), freshly ground pepper and sea salt in each steak. Jonathan prepared a wonderful tomato and onion salad with a aged balsamic vinegar and evoo and I made a mushroom risotto. Jonathan grilled the steaks on high heat to about medium rare. I couldn’t wait for my first bite of this grass-fed beef. I carefully sliced my first bite and wow, it had a flavor I was unprepared for.
I can honestly say I wasn’t sure if I liked it at first. Matter of fact, I’m still not sure. Grass-fed beef tastes gamier than most beef you buy from a butcher or market. It was lean, moist and I could taste that this beef was raised on grass, you can taste the flavor of the grass. But wait this is meat is supposed to taste like! We have been raised on meat that is not raised naturally, and so it has less of an organic or earthy flavoring. So my brain is convinced that this type of farm raised cattle is better for me, now I have to convince my taste buds.
How to prepare Your Steak like a Grill Master
If you buy the best quality of beef, there is not much you have to do except for a little TLC.
Remove your steak from the refrigerator one hour prior to grilling time. This will the beef to cook more evenly throughout the grilling process.
Massage olive oil, freshly ground pepper and freshly ground salt onto all sides of the beef.
Prepare your grill to high heat and depending on the thickness, cut and personal preference of how well you like your steak cooked, that’s all there is!
Enjoy and tomorrow I will tell you how to shop for the best quality of meats.
Love Mom
Well its been a week since my last post, but I have a good excuse my son Addison was visiting from Montreal and we were so busy I didn’t have a chance to write. But I am always thinking of my two blog sites, this one and Loveyourworkout. wordpress.com While my son was here I prepared as many of his favorite meals as I could. Some of them are, Shrimp Creole, (the last recipe I shared), homemade bread, homemade cinnamon rolls, meatloaf, mashed goat cheese potatoes, lots of grilled vegetables a variety of salads and homemade tomato soup. If you read my posts you know my husband and I try to eat only in season, (organic when possible )fresh produce.
I am always searching for a healthy version all types of food. Last week I discovered a local farmer, who sells only grass-fed beef, pork, lamb, chicken and goat. A growing number of ranchers have stopped sending their animals to the feedlots to be fattened on grain, soy and other supplements. Instead they opt to keep their animals at home grazing on the local grasses and native diets with no hormones or growth-promoting additives. The animals grow at a more natural pace, with less stress so they are healthier and don’t need antibiotics. I was so excited to find this connection so I called him up and we met and I bought a little bit of everything including farm-fresh eggs.(Believe me there is a big difference in fresh farm eggs, that will be another blog later).
For dinner that night we opened up a Cakebread Cellars Cabernet, took the rib eyes out of the refrigerator one hour prior to grilling and massaged extra virgin olive oil, (evoo), freshly ground pepper and sea salt in each steak. Jonathan prepared a wonderful tomato and onion salad with a aged balsamic vinegar and evoo and I made a mushroom risotto. Jonathan grilled the steaks on high heat to about medium rare. I couldn’t wait for my first bite of this grass-fed beef. I carefully sliced my first bite and wow, it had a flavor I was unprepared for.
I can honestly say I wasn’t sure if I liked it at first. Matter of fact, I’m still not sure. Grass-fed beef tastes gamier than most beef you buy from a butcher or market. It was lean, moist and I could taste that this beef was raised on grass, you can taste the flavor of the grass. But wait this is meat is supposed to taste like! We have been raised on meat that is not raised naturally, and so it has less of an organic or earthy flavoring. So my brain is convinced that this type of farm raised cattle is better for me, now I have to convince my taste buds.
How to prepare Your Steak like a Grill Master
If you buy the best quality of beef, there is not much you have to do except for a little TLC.
Remove your steak from the refrigerator one hour prior to grilling time. This will the beef to cook more evenly throughout the grilling process.
Massage olive oil, freshly ground pepper and freshly ground salt onto all sides of the beef.
Prepare your grill to high heat and depending on the thickness, cut and personal preference of how well you like your steak cooked, that’s all there is!
Enjoy and tomorrow I will tell you how to shop for the best quality of meats.
Love Mom
Eat Shrimp Creole Tonight!
Dear Andrew, Addison and Friends,
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="KitchenAid 7-qt. Slow Cooker"]
[/caption]
My son Addison and his girlfriend, Hardial are coming to visit us next week. This happens to be one of his favorite dishes. I like to serve this dish with a green salad, a french baguette and Corona with lime. This recipe never fails me. I have made it for family dinners and when friends come over. Not only does it taste fantastic, it is so easy. So pull out your slow cookers and go away for a few hours. (Tennis friends, this is a good one to make while we are on the courts, our husbands will think we have been cooking for hours. Shhhh, its our secret.
Shrimp Creole
Directions
Preheat crock pot on high.
In fry pan, heat olive oil. Add peppers, onions and celery. Cook until softened. Add chili powder and sauté until caramelized. Remove from heat and pour into crock pot. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, a shot of Tobasco sauce, Worcestershire, white sugar, salt and pepper.
Cook for 3 hours. Add shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes. Serve over rice. Top with chopped green onions. Add a couple shakes of Tobasco sauce too, if you dare.
Enjoy.
Love Mom
[caption id="" align="alignright" width="300" caption="KitchenAid 7-qt. Slow Cooker"]
[/caption]Shrimp Creole
- tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced green bell peppers
- 1/2 cup diced onions
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 (14-ounces) can tomatoes
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Tobasco sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- Salt and pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds peeled and deveined shrimp; buy frozen shrimp. Or you can add any white fish too.
- Green onions, for garnish
Directions
Preheat crock pot on high.
In fry pan, heat olive oil. Add peppers, onions and celery. Cook until softened. Add chili powder and sauté until caramelized. Remove from heat and pour into crock pot. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, a shot of Tobasco sauce, Worcestershire, white sugar, salt and pepper.
Cook for 3 hours. Add shrimp and cook for about 3 minutes. Serve over rice. Top with chopped green onions. Add a couple shakes of Tobasco sauce too, if you dare.
Enjoy.
Love Mom
Power Food: Oatmeal & Granola
Dear Andrew, Addison and Friends;
Today I want to talk about oatmeal and granola. It is another power food. My definition of power foods are nutrient dense foods that offer your body more than taste it contributes to good health and your healthy lifestyle. Oat grains are de-husked, and heated to stabilize the oat groats. This process brings out the nutty flavor that oatmeal provides. They are then milled to produce either fine, medium or coarse ground oats. Rolled oats are steamed then flattened. Steel cut are small broken groats that sometimes are steamed and flattened. Steel cut are said to be the best type of oatmeal for your body, but they do take longer to prepare. Quick oats are small pieces of oats steamed and flattened. Instant oats are precooked and dried and then sugars or artificial flavorings may be added. Oatmeal if consumed daily will lower your blood cholesterol because of its soluble fiber content. Oatmeal provides a high content of complex carbohydrates and water soluble fiber that encourages slow digestiopn and stabilizes blood sugars. This is why you feel full after eating oatmeal.
You know I am a big fan of slow cookers, well you can make your steel cut oatmeal in your cooker overnight and it will be ready for you the next morning. Or if you don’t have a slow cooker, just simmer the oats in the top of a double boiler for 5 minutes the night before, cover the pot and go to bed, (be sure to brush your teeth) next morning just reheat. Just follow the instructions on the back of your steel cut oatmeal add either low fat milk or water, set your slow cooker on low and go to bed. In the morning you can add any type of berries, banana’s, honey, chopped apples, a tiny bit of natural cane sugar or pretty much anything you think sounds good with oatmeal. Eat oatmeal every morning, so be sure to add it to your grocery list. And if you find it easier to buy the instant oatmeal thats fine, any oatmeal is better than no oatmeal.
When Andrew and Addison were little I used to bake them my recipe for oatmeal cookies, well they are more like granola bars instead of bar shape I made them cookie shape, but they would think they were cookies. With a glass of milk and a navel orange, it is a complete breakfast and the kids think they are having dessert for breakfast. I’ve included my recipe for oatmeal cookies. Okay, now lets talk about granola. I love granola, you can buy it in the cereal aisle, or the organic section of your market or you can make it on your own. I prefer to make it myself, because then I know how much sugar I put into the recipe. I eat ganola several times during the week, sometimes I put in on top of my yogurt, or I add skim milk to it for a cereal, or I keep a bowl of it on the counter as a healthy snack. You can package it in a zip lock baggie and take it with you.
The beautiful thing about granola you can add almost anything to it, here are some of my suggestions; nuts, seeds, flax seed, dried fruits,(be careful if you have diabetes, dried fruits are high in sugar), chocolate covered raisins or nuts, coconut, you can really experiment with anything. In Europe they serve Muesli, just so you know, muesli is a high-protein swiss cereal. It differs from granola in that the grains are not pretoasted or mixed with oil or sweetner.
Here is my Granola recipe:
Dry Ingredients:
6 cups of flaked or rolled grains
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon groaund cinnamon
tiny bit of salt
Wet ingredients:
1 cup dried fruit, I use cranberries or raisins
1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
1/2 cup honey, or maple syrup
Preheat the oven to 300*F. Toss the dry ingredients but not the dried fruit, then add the oil and honey toss again. Spread mixture on two cookie sheets, (those are the side flat sheets you have in your pantry), be sure they are clean, and bake until golden brown, but you have to turn the oats every 10 minutes so it cooks evenly, so use your big spatual, not the rubber one that will melt but the plastic one. Then after 30 minutes, add the dried food and let it cool. Then store in a tightly covered jar. If you want a more low fat granola, omit the oil and toast everything as suggested. You can even reduce the honey if you would like.
Here are the cookies I allowed my kids to eat for breakfast.
Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup whole wheat flour (a pinch more depending on the moisture of the mix)
Wet ingredients
Today I want to talk about oatmeal and granola. It is another power food. My definition of power foods are nutrient dense foods that offer your body more than taste it contributes to good health and your healthy lifestyle. Oat grains are de-husked, and heated to stabilize the oat groats. This process brings out the nutty flavor that oatmeal provides. They are then milled to produce either fine, medium or coarse ground oats. Rolled oats are steamed then flattened. Steel cut are small broken groats that sometimes are steamed and flattened. Steel cut are said to be the best type of oatmeal for your body, but they do take longer to prepare. Quick oats are small pieces of oats steamed and flattened. Instant oats are precooked and dried and then sugars or artificial flavorings may be added. Oatmeal if consumed daily will lower your blood cholesterol because of its soluble fiber content. Oatmeal provides a high content of complex carbohydrates and water soluble fiber that encourages slow digestiopn and stabilizes blood sugars. This is why you feel full after eating oatmeal.
You know I am a big fan of slow cookers, well you can make your steel cut oatmeal in your cooker overnight and it will be ready for you the next morning. Or if you don’t have a slow cooker, just simmer the oats in the top of a double boiler for 5 minutes the night before, cover the pot and go to bed, (be sure to brush your teeth) next morning just reheat. Just follow the instructions on the back of your steel cut oatmeal add either low fat milk or water, set your slow cooker on low and go to bed. In the morning you can add any type of berries, banana’s, honey, chopped apples, a tiny bit of natural cane sugar or pretty much anything you think sounds good with oatmeal. Eat oatmeal every morning, so be sure to add it to your grocery list. And if you find it easier to buy the instant oatmeal thats fine, any oatmeal is better than no oatmeal.
When Andrew and Addison were little I used to bake them my recipe for oatmeal cookies, well they are more like granola bars instead of bar shape I made them cookie shape, but they would think they were cookies. With a glass of milk and a navel orange, it is a complete breakfast and the kids think they are having dessert for breakfast. I’ve included my recipe for oatmeal cookies. Okay, now lets talk about granola. I love granola, you can buy it in the cereal aisle, or the organic section of your market or you can make it on your own. I prefer to make it myself, because then I know how much sugar I put into the recipe. I eat ganola several times during the week, sometimes I put in on top of my yogurt, or I add skim milk to it for a cereal, or I keep a bowl of it on the counter as a healthy snack. You can package it in a zip lock baggie and take it with you.
The beautiful thing about granola you can add almost anything to it, here are some of my suggestions; nuts, seeds, flax seed, dried fruits,(be careful if you have diabetes, dried fruits are high in sugar), chocolate covered raisins or nuts, coconut, you can really experiment with anything. In Europe they serve Muesli, just so you know, muesli is a high-protein swiss cereal. It differs from granola in that the grains are not pretoasted or mixed with oil or sweetner.
Here is my Granola recipe:
Dry Ingredients:
6 cups of flaked or rolled grains
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup wheat germ
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon groaund cinnamon
tiny bit of salt
Wet ingredients:
1 cup dried fruit, I use cranberries or raisins
1/2 cup safflower or canola oil
1/2 cup honey, or maple syrup
Preheat the oven to 300*F. Toss the dry ingredients but not the dried fruit, then add the oil and honey toss again. Spread mixture on two cookie sheets, (those are the side flat sheets you have in your pantry), be sure they are clean, and bake until golden brown, but you have to turn the oats every 10 minutes so it cooks evenly, so use your big spatual, not the rubber one that will melt but the plastic one. Then after 30 minutes, add the dried food and let it cool. Then store in a tightly covered jar. If you want a more low fat granola, omit the oil and toast everything as suggested. You can even reduce the honey if you would like.
Here are the cookies I allowed my kids to eat for breakfast.
Healthy Oatmeal Cookies
1 cup whole wheat flour (a pinch more depending on the moisture of the mix)
- 1 1/2 cups of Large Flake Rolled Oats (smaller flake is ok too)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Nutmeg
Wet ingredients
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup oil (corn, grapeseed or olive) * you can also use some applesauce to replace some of the oil if you wish*
- 1 Tablespoon Molasses
- 1 egg (beat with 1 Tbsp Water)
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup walnuts, be sure to chop
- In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.
- In a medium bowl, mix all the wet ingredients together. Hint: when measuring out the honey, spray the measuring cup with oil or baking spray–your honey won’t stick).
- Mix the wet stuff with the dry stuff. Add the raisins and walnuts and mix. If the mixture seems too wet, add a bit of flour. If it isn’t binding together very well, you may wish to add an egg white.
- COOL the mix for 20 minutes in the fridge.
- Preheat the oven to 335 degrees (lower temperature due to the honey in the recipe which will burn more easily).
- Drop by teaspoonfuls onto your baking sheet (I recommend lining the baking sheet with parchment paper). Press down with a fork to ensure even cooking.
- Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes or until golden on the bottom of the cookie. The cookies freeze well.
Going To The Market
Dear Andrew, Addison and Friends,
Keep a shopping list of all the items you need for your apartment. Keep the list in a place that you can find it easily so you can write down more items during the week. Think about what menu’s you are planning for the week, my suggestion is to look at my past blogs and write down the items you need from that recipe. Categorize your items so you can find them easier in the grocery store. For example, almost every grocery store has produce in one section, canned vegetable in another, meat and seafood department, cleaning supplies etc., When I go to the market, I shop the perimeter of the store first, that is where all the fresh produce, meat, chicken, seafood, deli department, cheese, olives…will be. Then I look at my shopping list and I only go down the aisles in which I have something I need from that aisle. This way it prevents me from shopping for items I do not need.
Here are other rules to shop by;
1. Never go to the market when you are hungry, you will buy food you do not need.
2. Look at the weekly flyers to see if any of the items you need are on that list. Don’t fall into their advertising hypnosis and buy stuff just because it’s on sale, you can waste a lot of money this way.
3. Go with your weekly plan of menu’s in mind.
4. Always take your reusable grocery bags with you, we don’t need to fill up our landfills with plastic bags, so keep your reusable bags in the trunk of your car or in your front hall closet so you remember to take them with you.
I hope this helps,
Love from Mom.
Keep a shopping list of all the items you need for your apartment. Keep the list in a place that you can find it easily so you can write down more items during the week. Think about what menu’s you are planning for the week, my suggestion is to look at my past blogs and write down the items you need from that recipe. Categorize your items so you can find them easier in the grocery store. For example, almost every grocery store has produce in one section, canned vegetable in another, meat and seafood department, cleaning supplies etc., When I go to the market, I shop the perimeter of the store first, that is where all the fresh produce, meat, chicken, seafood, deli department, cheese, olives…will be. Then I look at my shopping list and I only go down the aisles in which I have something I need from that aisle. This way it prevents me from shopping for items I do not need.
Here are other rules to shop by;
1. Never go to the market when you are hungry, you will buy food you do not need.
2. Look at the weekly flyers to see if any of the items you need are on that list. Don’t fall into their advertising hypnosis and buy stuff just because it’s on sale, you can waste a lot of money this way.
3. Go with your weekly plan of menu’s in mind.
4. Always take your reusable grocery bags with you, we don’t need to fill up our landfills with plastic bags, so keep your reusable bags in the trunk of your car or in your front hall closet so you remember to take them with you.
I hope this helps,
Love from Mom.
Beef Stroganoff Dinner
Dear Andrew, Addison and Friends,
Here is a great meal to put into your slow cooker in the morning and when you come home, just make egg noodles according to the package, rice or potatoes.
Beef Stroganoff
Sirloin steak either in strips or chunks,buy about 1lb. to 1.5lb.
1 can French Onion soup
1 can Golden Cream of Mushroom
1 cup Red wine or Marsala Wine,
5 peppercorns, or just add a few shakes from your pepper mill.
You can add carrots, onions and potatoes too.
Put all of the ingredients into your slow cooker, set the timer.
When its finished you can thicken the sauce by adding Wondra (Like a cornstarch or flour mixture, you find in the grocery store) You don’t have to, only if you want the sauce to be not so runny.
Serve on egg noodles, pasta or rice!
This is wonderful as a leftover as well.
Love from Mom.
Here is a great meal to put into your slow cooker in the morning and when you come home, just make egg noodles according to the package, rice or potatoes.
Beef Stroganoff
Sirloin steak either in strips or chunks,buy about 1lb. to 1.5lb.
1 can French Onion soup
1 can Golden Cream of Mushroom
1 cup Red wine or Marsala Wine,
5 peppercorns, or just add a few shakes from your pepper mill.
You can add carrots, onions and potatoes too.
Put all of the ingredients into your slow cooker, set the timer.
When its finished you can thicken the sauce by adding Wondra (Like a cornstarch or flour mixture, you find in the grocery store) You don’t have to, only if you want the sauce to be not so runny.
Serve on egg noodles, pasta or rice!
This is wonderful as a leftover as well.
Love from Mom.
Eat Fish Taco's Tonight
I had my first fish taco 5 years ago in Huntington Beach California, I absolutely love these! The great thing about fish taco’s is you can be creative with this dish. Here is an easy and yummy version;
Fish Taco’s
Any type of white fish, I prefer tilapia. I recommend about one fish per person.
Blackened Seasoning *tortilla’s corn or flour* salsa*avocado*lettuce*shredded cheese ( your choice)
Season each piece of fish with your blackened seasoning, place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Place in a 375* oven for approximately 7 minutes per side.
Prepare and assemble the tortilla, if you want to warm the tortilla, place in oven for 15 second, they get crispy quickly. Add cheese, lettuce, avocado, and any items of your choice, place the warm fish in each tortilla wrap and enjoy!
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