Tortilla Cream Cheese Roll Ups

A fast, yummy lunch or snack around here....and easy for the kids to join in on making. This recipe, like the chicken one I recently posted, is also a make-it-fit-you kind of recipe. I pulled out the veggies that sounded good, added some seasoning-in this case dry ranch dressing mix- and went with it. If I had it on hand, cooked, diced chicken or diced ham would have also been good, or some dried beef or crab meat. This time was an all veggie sort of day.

Put 8 ounces of softened cream cheese in your bowl...

Add your seasoning-around a 1/4 c ranch dressing mix, in this case.

Add and mix in your veggies and/or meat. You can personalize a lot here, if you want more substance, add more veg and meat, if you like it more cheesy, add fewer. We went with fresh cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers and onions this day. Dice them pretty fine so they don't bunch up your roll ups. I even shredded the carrots.

Spread on a tortilla, roll up, cut and eat!

Creamy Chicken Handpies

I used to make a version of these when Dad and I were first married that used canned chicken, cream cheese and canned crescent rolls. They were delicious, but we try to make things a little more from scratch these days, so I have been playing with the original recipe. I found one from Paula Deen that made a more Latin style pie, which was pretty good, but I think the thing with these little beauties is that they are so easy to change up and still taste great. The main players, chicken, cream cheese and the pie crust, can be mixed with any number of ingredients to form something delicious. I have done ones with Parmesan cheese, braised greens and mozzarella, and these had more taco flavor to them. I think we like the down-home savory style best with cheddar cheese, onion, and some sort of chopped veggie, like broccoli.

The basic formula is:
1 # chicken, cooked and chopped (or if you are really pressed for time, you can use canned chicken)
1 recipe of your favorite pie crust
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 c favorite cheese shredded
seasoning as appropriate with what you're going for: Italian and garlic, taco or fajita, fresh ground pepper and marjoram and parsley-just play with it a bit. You can taste it before you bake it!
Veggies-usually 1/4 of an onion, chopped, a couple cloves of garlic, minced, some chopped bell pepper, chopped greens, chopped broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, corn kernels, peas...really whatever sounds good

 

 

 

 

Mix all your ingredients together. 

Divide your pie dough into pieces slightly larger than a golf ball, roll them out into circles (try your tortilla press for this!) and put about 1/4 cup of filling into them. Seal with a little egg and bake in 400 degree oven until they are golden brown. They freeze beautifully for single serving meals, too!

Cream of Mushroom Soup Base (for the freezer)

Last week on our ad-based shopping list was white mushrooms. They were on sale for $1.00 a carton, which is a great price. The problem many people run into when fresh produce goes on sale is how to preserve or use it all before it ages out and you've wasted your money buying so much. So problem number one.

Problem number two: trying to make a recipe that sounds delicious only to get to the end and see that it calls for a can of cream of something soup, often cream of mushroom. In trying to eat food that we can identify all the ingredients in, cans of soup just doesn't fit in. It stinks though, as there are recipes that look and sound delectable except for that one ingredient.

The solution? Make your own! By doing so you can use up that great deal without letting it slip away, have easy food in the freezer that can be used in so many ways and try out some of those recipes that call for cream of whatever soup (most are pretty interchangeable).

This is my cream of mushroom soup base. I bought 4 cartons of mushrooms this last week, as I knew I didn't have tons of freezer space and we don't go through too many mushrooms, though 3/4 of the family loves them (Pony Gal can be pretty hit or miss). It is so simple and fast to do, buying those cans seems foolish!

(As a note: these pictures were taken during the fourth batch of soup base in the same pan, so the pan is getting rather crusty looking, lol.)

Cream of Mushroom Soup Base
1 carton (8 oz? the squarer version, not a larger rectangular one) mushrooms. Any will work, though in general the white button style are what goes on sale and are easiest to find
3 T butter
2 heaping T all-purpose flour
1 1/2 t thyme
1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
2-3 cups milk
salt to taste

Start by chopping your mushrooms to the size you prefer. We like ours somewhere between a dice and chunky. While you are chopping melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted add the mushrooms, thyme and black pepper.

Saute until the mushrooms have changed to a darker brown and softened.
Once this happens, you will build a roux around the mushrooms, like if you were making a creamy breakfast gravy. Add the flour and cook for about 1 minute (otherwise you'll have a floury taste to the soup base. Yuck.)

Dump in your milk- I honestly eyeball this as I know with what pan I use how much I need. I err on the side of too much and let it cook back down to a creamy consistency, like that of a thick gravy, if it was too much. Stir the milk in and stir from time to time until your base reaches a nice creamy consistency.

Taste and add salt to taste-usually at least 1/4-1/2 t.

Let cool and put in labeled containers in the freezer.

We use ours for soup (add milk and more seasoning to taste and thickness), added to casseroles in place of canned condensed soup (comes out to about one can per batch of this recipe) or added to creamy, roux based gravies like what we use on chicken fried steak-oh my yumminess!

Peanut Butter Balls

I know my MIL used to make these, or at least something very similar to them, when her kids were young. They are super simple, nutritious and the kids can join in very easily. The last time we made them, they went FAST :)

Peanut Butter Balls
1/4 c honey
1/4 c peanut butter
1/2 c dry milk (more if the mixture seems too wet to easily roll into balls)
1/2 c add ins-chocolate chips, coconut flakes, nuts, seeds, dried fruit

Mix together, roll into balls and chill, if you can wait that long!

Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day Fried Tacos and Nutella Donuts

Ever since I was young, my grandma made the best tacos...if you are from around the Des Moines metro area and have had Tasty Tacos, like those, but far less grease. That fried flour shell was always delicious, stuffed with seasoned meat and then topped with any number of toppings: tomatoes, onions, sour cream, lettuce and cheese. As I grew to cooking on my own and m grandma got older and less able to do what she used to, I started asking for the recipe. She would try to show me, but every time it was a little different and I could never get mine just like hers.

Enter Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. First I started with just the easy baking of rolls and chewy breads on a whim, then graduated to experimenting with what else I can do with it. From pizza to naan to cinnamon rolls, I was on a roll. Then came the brilliant idea to try to use the dough for grandma's fried tacos. The chewiness of the finished boule lent itself to the same consistency of the tacos of my childhood. I apologize now for the lack of pictures; I am posting from my iPad and have yet to figure out loading pictures. I will try to load some later once the house is back to normal.

To make the tacos you need a batch of the artisan bread boule ready and chilled, as well as 1 pound of taco meat cooked up. Now, I have done this in the crockpot as of late, as it takes a while to fry all these puppies up, and honestly, this time of year recommend getting out the turkey fryer and doing it outside if you have the capability. Less heat in the house, the better.

You start by pulling off a lemon-size chunk of dough and using your hands flattening it. You might need to add some flour to make it workable. Won't hurt anything. You want to flatten to a circle (or something like it) about 1/8 to a 1/4 in thick. Continue by putting just a tablespoon or two of your filling in (vegetarians you can totally go beany here instead of meat, too) the center of half of the circle, then fold over so you have a half circle. Use your fingers to crimp the edges lightly, just so the filling is held in while you are frying.

You need your oil around 350 degrees, and then you can fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and keep warm until you are ready to serve. To serve, just gently pry the tacos open and fill with your favorite tacos toppings...fresh salsa, lettuce, cheese, tomato, onions, black olives, sour cream, peppers...you name it. These are great reheated for lunch the next day, too, IF you have any leftovers. This was a favorite at the AB in 5 class I taught several months ago.

Now, you have hot oil and bread dough, and a hankering for dessert? No problem! Next you can fry up some Nutella tacos. Yes, you read that right. Do the same thing as you did to get your dough ready for the taco filling, but this time put in Nutella instead, or my husband likes a sweetened cream cheese and strawberries in his. Fold over, press, fry, drain, but while still hot after draining, sprinkle with powdered sugar. So good. I came up with that quick donut recipe one day when I had just enough dough left after making tacos for just a few more, but no filling. Never one to waste bread, and always looking for new ways to insert Nutella into every meal, voila!

We've also made breakfast fried tacos-same procedure, but change out the taco filling for scrambled eggs, meats, veggies and cheese. Delicious! You can easily make up the eggs the night before and just store them in the fridge for easy work the next morning.

That Artisan Bread dough is amazing stuff, isn't it?

Spaghetti Casserole

Freezing pasta and making it come back to life is not the easiest thing to pull off. We've had some attempts with the Make Ahead Mamas group I host, and it has been hit or miss. With the addition of a lot of flavor and binder to the pasta in this recipe, though, it works very nicely. I made my casserole with rice linguine, everyone else's with whole wheat spaghetti noodles. I thought it was delicious; unfortunately the husband doesn't like pasta, so we end up cutting it into smaller sizes and freezing it for use at lunch. I started with a recipe from southernfood.about.com and tailored it to my preferences.

Spaghetti Casserole
 (also called spaghetti pie, but this, by no stretch of the imagination, forms a real "crust")

Mix together in a large bowl and then line a casserole dish like a crust with:
1 package spaghetti noodles (12-16 oz), cooked according to package and drained
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 c grated Parmesan cheese

Meanwhile, brown:
1 pound ground beef, or half ground beef-half Italian sausage. For the recent Make Ahead Mamas meeting I actually slow cooked beef short ribs in a tomato broth then pulled the meat and excess fat off the bones, shredded it and added the sauce and veggies to it and let it slow cook in the roaster oven overnight. For everyday use, I use ground beef. You ladies just got lucky ;)

Add to your ground beef and saute until softened:
1 small onion, chopped
4 ounces mushrooms, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, shredded
1/2 c greens (I used frozen collards), chopped

Add:
1 quart, more or less-use your better judgment-spaghetti sauce to the meat filling, then top your noodles with that.

Top the casserole with more:
Parmesan cheese and shredded cheese to cover. I like using blends, or you can use just Mozzarella. Havarti melts very nicely with a mild flavor, Cheddar has a wonderful flavor. I think I used a blend of all four cheeses mentioned the last time we had it.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes, or until the top is nice and browned and bubbly. I baked for the freezer just until the top was thoroughly melted but not browned, then let it cool and covered the pan with foil and put in the freezer. To reheat, let thaw in the fridge then bake at 350 until it browns and is bubbly with melted cheese again.

Gluten Free Flour Blend and Banana Bread Recipe

(This posted is part of the Raising Homemakers Homemaking Blog Hop)
My foray into gluten-free baking has been interesting. There are a lot of different flour blends out there, some good, some not so good. I think a lot of your perception depends on how well you liked to eat before having to forgo chewy, delicious wheat based breads. All is not lost, though. I have yet to find a yeasty bread I really like (though I have a few on the table to try), quick breads like muffins, pancakes and waffles, have been pretty easy. I can substitute my blend of choice (coming in a few lines) 1:1 for regular flour, plus add 1 t xanthan gum per c of flour used. The key to a good flour blend, I've found, is the starchy flours. They make a world of difference. Using just rice flours gives you a grainy texture-in order to get a nice light crumb you really need some starch in there. Something as simple as corn starch is a game changer. In my blend I use a lot of tapioca, since I have a ten pound bag right now, but you could easily sub corn starch in for half of what is called for, or for the potato starch. They do behave a little differently, but for quick breads it isn't as big a deal.
Here is my version of several different blends I have tried on the net:
2 c sorghum flour
2 c brown rice flour
1 1/2 c potato starch
1 c white rice flour
1 1/2 c tapioca starch

I make big batches of this and keep it in my flour bin to use for just about anything that calls for a couple cups of flour or less. Like banana muffins and bread. A favorite around here-here's how we do it.

Banana Bread (or Muffins)
In a bowl blend well:
3-4 ripe bananas, mashed up really good
1/3 c melted butter
1/2 c honey
1 egg, beaten
1 t vanilla

Sprinkle over that mess:
1 t baking soda
pinch of salt

Make sure your oven is preheated to 350 degrees. I should have mentioned that earlier. Oh well.
Add 1 1/2 c gluten flour blend. Mix well and pour into your loaf pan or muffin pan. Grease if you need to-for stoneware I rarely do, but it just depends. Sometime GF stuff tends to stick a little more, so it may be a good idea. For the bread, bake about an hour. For the muffins, 35-40 minutes should suffice. Just keep an eye on everything. I topped mine with a pecan to make them look nice, but it isn't required. Very good stuff, they are...I adapted this recipe from one I found at the Kitchn.
****Edited to add :I made these this morning and left out the xanthan gum and they were still wonderful. I also added 1 t Brewer's Yeast just to up the nutritional content and add a bit more flavor. I think both of these will be permanent changes. The brewer's yeast is optional, but I recommend it. You can add a bit more than a teaspoon, but I wanted to take it easy the first few times I tried it out. I don't want to overpower the banana. YuM!

Gluten Free Peanut Butter Cookies

When we have family dinners on Wednesday, we usually involve dessert. I do not believe there is shame in enjoying, in moderation, some sweet treats now and then, especially when enjoying special time with the ones you love. I have made a variation of this cookie for years, but it really came to the forefront when we discovered I couldn't tolerate gluten. The house (and the Reid's household, for that matter) loves these cookies, and the best part is they are so simple. This particular variation I found in a recent Penzey's catalog. It makes a lighter, less dense cookie than the recipe I had used for years and actually blends the chocolate chips in rather than placing just a few on top.

Peanut Butter Cookies (with chocolate, without gluten)
Preheat your oven to 350.
In a bowl mix together well:
1 c peanut butter, creamy or chunky-whatever you like. I got some chocolate hazelnut peanut butter from an Amish store we just visited, and I can't wait to try it out in these.
1 egg
1 c brown sugar, not packed is fine
1 t vanilla
1 t baking soda

Once you've got that well blended add in
1 c chocolate chips
and mix them in well. Then use a 1 T dishing tool/scoop and dish them onto a cookie sheet. I use a baking stone, so I don't grease them, but if you use a different type of sheet, use either a little grease or a silicone baking mat. Bake at 350 for around 10-13 minutes, depending on your oven. We use the 13 minutes here. Pull out and let them sit on the sheet for a few minutes before moving to wax paper to cool. They are brittle when hot (um, but like a little piece of heaven in your mouth if you sneak a couple. Not that I do that. Because I don't. Okay, I do.) but will firm up as they cool. Easy, peasy!

Tortilla Chicken Soup

 

This soup is so very simple, and terribly tasty. Perfect for busy weeknight dinners. It also cans well, just follow the same directions as you would for regular chicken soup.

In a large stock pot combine:

2 qts chicken stock or broth

1 # chicken, I like to use thighs and legs

1/4 c salsa

Boil this until the chicken is cooked and you are able to remove it easily from the bone. Remove all the chicken from the pot and bone/skin it. You can use the bones and skin to make stock later. Chop the chicken up and put it back into the pot, along with:

1 c corn kernels

1 pt diced tomatoes

salt and pepper to taste

Bring back up to a boil and cook only long enough for everything to be heated through. Remove from heat and serve with any selection of garnishes (which add a lot of flavor! I use a little of them all :) )-

1 ripe avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

1 T lemon or even better, lime juice (or tiny wedges you can squeeze in as you want)

1 bag corn tortilla chips

2 c grated cheese-here a blend of Monterrey Jack and Cheddar is very good

1/2 bunch of fresh cilantro OR 1/8 c dried

Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

I'm going to be honest, I didn't think I'd be able to ever eat this favorite meal from my childhood again once I got the news that gluten and I didn't get along. Since marrying, I had converted my husband as well (especially since it meant mashed potatoes :)  ), and I thought I had better find *some* way to get this back into rotation. By some stroke of grace, I got it right on the first try. I admit it helps that I know my way around the kitchen pretty well and am very familiar with this particular recipe, but I still had my doubts. So much of what wheat based flours do well is due to their gluten content. I had too many fond memories of going to breakfast with my dad before class started when I was college and us both eating our chicken fried steak with gravy, eggs, hashbrowns and the only real way to eat breakfast, hot sauce. With him no longer around those memories are even more precious, and every time I take a bite of this, as simple as it seems, I am reminded of him and how much I miss him.
My way to make this is pretty simple. I wish I had taken step by step pictures for you-I may still the next time I make it-as I think when it comes to anything that has a roux involved, you are better off seeing. For now, here's what I did to make it safe for me to eat:
Start with your steak. I used good ol' Ebersole Cattle Compant beef minute steaks. Pounded them just a little. You don't want to do too much here as they are already tenderized. I just like them nice and thin. (At this point I already had potatoes boiling for the mash. Just drain, mash, add lots of butter, salt, pepper and sour cream and voila, you've got our mashed potatoes.)
Next you need your dredging station. I first season the steaks with just a little all purpose seasoning, or if shooting from the hip, salt, pepper, paprika and garlic. I first want to dip the steak in a seasoned flour blend-a good all purpose flour (gluten ap's work, too). The GF blend I am using now I really like. When I made this, though, I hadn't stumbled upon it and instead used a 3 part blend-1 part corn masa flour, 1 part rice flour and 1 part starchy flour like tapioca or potato. Blend them well and add some seasoning-salt, pepper, paprika, garlic, maybe a little sugar and definitely a little cayenne.
After that initial flour dredge, you'll need some wet. I went with an egg blended with a few tablespoons of milk. If you like your stuff spicy, you can sneak some hot pepper sauce in here. I didn't, as the kids had to eat this, too, but had it just been Dad and I, hot sauce gets inserted wherever I can find to sneak it in. Mind you, I DO NOT use hot sauce just for the heat. The heat is nice, but it is really the flavor that I like, which is why I have preferences on what I use. I like the smokey ones that do not taste as much of vinegar. I think heating something up to just heat it up is silly. There should be taste points being won there, not being burned off your tongue, you know?
So, once through the flour blend, once through the egg blend, THEN back through the flour blend. Now you're ready for the frying part. I fry in a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven. Here we are pan frying, just like they do in the South, so frying pan it is. You want around 1/2 inch or so of oil in the pan-I love to use coconut oil for this, but use whatever you do for your other higher temp frying. Bring the oil up to heat-it should be shimmering or water should dance on top of the oil if you drop in just a few drops, then add your steaks, being careful not to crowd. For me, this means only 1-2 at a time. Fry one side until crispy and golden brown, and then the other, being careful not to burn. That means you need to be right there with it. If it seems like they are burning fast, your oil is too hot, and you may need to take down the temp or just take the pan off the fire for a bit to let it cool. It happens-don't worry. Better to take your time than to burn through them.
As you take them out of the skillet place them on a towel lined baking sheet or a cooling rack over a baking sheet and put them in a warm oven to keep them crisp until it is time to eat. With the GF flours you must be gentle with them-this flour does not form bonds with your meat the way a glutinous flour will.
Fry all your steak, then move on to the gravy. Drain all but a couple tablespoons of the frying oil out of the pan, being careful to try to reserve as many of the drippings-the little bits of the steak and coating-in the pan. Turn your heat back down to low, as your pan should be plenty hot at this point, and add flour-GF all purpose blend worked well here, too. I use the leftover dredging flour for this. I hate to waste anything, and it is already seasoned. Don't just dump a bunch in, but start by adding 1/4 c then 1 tablespoon at a time until the flour soaks up all the oil. Here you want to cook the flour a little. Too many people rush in and get a flour-y tasting gravy. Yuck. Stir it around in the pan a bit until you can smell it starting to cook and it starts to turn brown. This is where the magic happens. Starting adding milk in a slow, steady stream, and whisking it in with the flour in the pan. What should be happening is a roux is being formed-the flour, nice and hot, starts to blend with the milk and thicken. As the milk heats up, the flour mix will continue to thicken the gravy. You just keep adding milk to keep it at what consistency you want. Once you reach that consistency, taste and add seasoning. For this gravy I use salt, black pepper and cayenne, with a real emphasis on the black pepper. Black pepper gravy is a mainstay with chicken fried anything. Once you've got that gravy tasting great, you race with your potatoes, steaks and gravy to the table and devour while everything is nice, fresh and hot. We serve green beans with ours, and they mix in so well with the gravy that covers everything else on the plate.
And all without any gluten-based flours. YUM-O!

Moroccan Chicken Stew

 Moroccan Chicken Stew
(adapted from a recipe found in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine)

1 t salt
1 t ground cloves
1 t ground turmeric
1 t ground ginger
1/2 t crushed red pepper
1/2 t ground black pepper
2 1/2  # chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin removed or a whole, smaller chicken will work, too

Rub half of those first spice ingredients on to your chicken.

1 med onion, cut into wedges
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 lg butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
1 qt chicken stock

Place your veggies into the crockpot, along with the other half of the spices. Then add the stock and put the chicken on top of everything. Cook on high until the veggies are nice and soft and the chicken is falling off the bone. Remove the chicken carefully, and take it off the bone, adding the meat back to the pot. The bones can now be used (and the skin you removed earlier, if you kept it) to make chicken stock, and the discarded.

1 c pitted kalamata olives
1/2 c dried apricots, coarsely chopped
hot, cooked rice or couscous

Serve over hot rice or couscous, and top with apricots and olives. Delicious :)

Sweet Chili Salad Dressing

I realized I had never posted here one of my personal favorites for homemade dressing. I made this up while experimenting with making a creamy parm like a local Italian place. I never achieved their dressing, but rather ended up with something completely different, and completely awesome. I do end up buying the mayo and the sweet chili sauce, but you can easily, easily make both those things. Google for recipes and you'll come up with plenty to choose from. I just feel that I can't spend all my time in the kitchen, no matter how fun that would be :) Enjoy!

Sweet Chili Salad Dressing

1/3 c sweet chili sauce (look for it in the Asian food section)
3/4 c mayo
milk to thin
1/2 t fresh ground black pepper
1/4 c grated parmesan
1 t onion powder or grated onion (yes grate the onion, and make sure to do it over the bowl so you catch the juices)
1 t granulated garlic or 2 cloves grated garlic (same as the onion folks)

Whisk this all together until it is well blended, and use the milk to thin to your desired consistency.

This stuff only gets better with time, developing a great bite by the next morning. Make sure to refrigerate!
Posted over at Homestead Revival's Homemade Dressing Exchange:

Beef Stroganoff Stuffed Potatoes

I found this recipe while searching for something different to do with some simple ingredients I had on hand and ready to go-potatoes, veggies and ground beef. Originally from Rachel Ray, I have tweaked it to add some more "health" to it and find that when it comes to adding the seasonings, you need to be very, very liberal. We're talking Nancy Pelosi liberal here (don't get your undies in a bunch. When it comes time to season conservatively, I'll pick someone to pick on then from that side of the aisle). So, here is my take on what seemed like a simple recipe, but is so good, warming and filling! You could easily throw all the ingredients in the crockpot for the day, and let them cook that way to have it ready when you get home (even the potatoes can be baked in the crock pot-just a separate crock from your filling). You could also easily substitute ground lamb here, or just leave the meat out and add some other veggies to make up for space. Super yummy!

Beef Stroganoff Stuffed Potatoes
(adapted from a recipe by Rachel Ray)

Start by baking 4 potatoes until good and soft. Cool just a little, so you can scoop out a lot of the innards. Dice this up and throw in with your finished filling, later. Leave the potato shells, for now.

In a large skillet saute 1# mushrooms, sliced; one small onion, diced; 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced; 1 cup diced greens-I used frozen collards, but kale, spinach, swiss chard-any would work here-and 4 cloves of garlic, minced, until softened. Either put in a separate bowl or start in a separate pan, browning 1# ground beef. Once you have that done, add 3/4 cup water and 1/2 cup heavy cream to one of your skillets of filling. Simmer and reduce a while, and season with plenty of salt, pepper, more granulated garlic and paprika. Season the ground beef the same-taste everything to make sure you've got enough! Add 1/2 cup sour cream and combine well.
Mix all your filling parts together, do one last taste test, and put a pat of butter inside each potato. Add the filling to each, and top with fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

This post is also being listed at the Raising Homemaker's Link Up.

Coconut Macaroons

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In your stand mixer, or have your hand mixer ready to go, beat 2 egg white and 1/2 vanilla or almond extract on high until soft peaks form. Gradually 2/3 c honey, drizzling in just a little at a time , beating until stiff peaks form. Fold in 1 1/3 c coconut flakes or shreds.
Drop by teaspoon full onto a baking sheet, either lightly greased, lined with parchment or silicone, or a stone sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake 20 minutes, or until lightly browned. Transfer to wax paper and let cool.
(adapted from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook)

Flourless Chocolate Cookies

These are a house favorite. A little delicate to make, as they come out of the oven still pretty gooey, but simple, and already gluten free, which makes them awesome in my book.
Flourless Chocolate Cookies
Parchment paper
If using nuts, 2 1/2 c nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds)
3 c confectioner's sugar
2/3 c cocoa powder
1/4 t salt
2 eggs
1 t vanilla, almond or cherry extract (I used cherry this time)
1 t ground coriander

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
Mix together your dry ingredients, and in a separate bowl mix very well your wet ones. Combine them all, and mix just until moistened. It is a very sticky dough.
Drop by tablespoonful onto parchment paper lined cookie sheets and bake about 20 minutes. I used the convection feature, which helped these along a lot. If you do not have it, I would recommend maybe going 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, but not from the paper. Pull the paper off the sheet and line with new paper for your next batch. Let cool on the paper then peel off and eat!

(adapted from Self Magazine Newsletter)

Garden Tomato Soup

This stuff is so good. I love tomato soup anyway, but once you make it from scratch, it is so simple! It is also a fast preserve in the pressure canner. I made a batch big enough for 5 families to have three quarts on their shelves in the roaster yesterday and canned it all today. Very good and very good for you! This will make the number of tomato plants we need this coming summer raise substantially. I will be eating this for lunch a lot...I used to buy the little drinkable tomato soup cups from Campbell's when I was in college and would have them for lunch with a veggie burger each day in the commuter lounge. This would be easy to make just as accessible by canning it in half-pint portions. You pop the lid off and you can totally reheat in the microwave. Here's what I did: 

In a stock pot combine (or you can do this in a crockpot all day, if that is easier):
8 cups roughly chopped or canned diced/crushed tomatoes, with juices
1 large onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, thin sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 c summer squash, sliced
6 c meat stock
1/2 t fresh ground pepper
1 T dried basil
salt to taste (it will need some, at least)
Simmer until all your veggies are soft, then blend or puree it to make it smooth. Right before serving add a T or so of heavy cream to the bowl of soup for a creamier version.

To can this, prepare your jars, lids and rings, then fill. Process 25 minutes at 10 pounds pressure for pints and 30 minutes at 10 pounds pressure for quarts.

The croutons are simply grilled cheese sandwiches (For my personal croutons, I use the gluten free boule recipe from Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day, which worked out okay, but is pretty dense. Looking for other make at home options.)I cut into crouton size. Toast in the oven when you're ready to eat them, until they crisp up a little.

This post is also in conjunction with A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa's Simple Lives Thursday Blog Hop. Check it out!

Pumpkin Pie-sicles

I found this brilliant idea in Family Fun magazine (Love free mags from the library cast-offs!). I love pumpkin anything. I love pumpkin pie. Pumpkins are so overlooked as food, unless it's Thanksgiving, because of that whole scary-carved-out-face thing that happens around Superboy's birthday every year. What's up with that? Anyhow, I love these, and what a way to sneak some serious orange vegetable (so, actually it's a fruit, but that is just a whole other discussion) into your kids' and your own diet. I must say the first time I made them was somewhat humorous. I was tossing everything into the blender and the stuff was super thick. There was no way it was going to pour into any container. So, I figured I'd add some more cream to creamy it up some. And as I was walking to get the cream noticed the measuring cup of milk and cream sitting on the counter. Where I left it. And obviously never poured it into the blender. I tell ya, that helps the consistency ten-fold. Silly mom. So, these are just, yum, yum, yum. I must say, not my best picture, but they went so fast, and usually in the evening, that it was kind of hard to get one :)

Pumpkin Pie-sicles

One large winter squash or one small pumpkin, baked, seeds and skin removed and cut into chunks (I use puree from the freezer that I processed out what we get in our garden's selection of pumpkins each year)

½ c pure maple syrup

2/3 c milk or half milk half cream

½-3/4 t pumpkin pie spices-I like cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg

Puree in blender, then fill popsicle molds and freeze for at least 6 hours (if you can wait that long…)

(adapted from Family Fun Magazine)

This post is posted in conjunction with Simple Lives Thursday over at the lovely Diana's blog, Spain in Iowa. On a side note, if any of you get the chance, Diana is up for moving on to a finalist round in Food Buzz's current food blog competition. Check out her post on the Lincoln Cafe and go vote for her!

Breakfast Smoothie

I have never liked smoothies. I take that back-the now closed Coffeehouse Hollander in Altoona sold one brand that I loved the mango in, but they aren't there. And I am sure it wasn't as good for me as just making one at home would be. I ended up trying one Alton Brown had shown in his diet episode. I wasn't looking for his diet, but his smoothie recipe sounded better than a lot I'd seen. No yogurt-I don't like yogurt much. No greens-though I think this summer when I have it available locally, I may try some spinach in it. I know green smoothies are all the rage, but for me food has to taste good. Drinking my greens doesn't compute to good. I like my greens, I just prefer them sauteed or in a hearty soup. So, this is what we came up with. I tweaked Alton's recipe a bit to compensate for the fact that I have a large variety of fruit in my freezer, buying it up when blemishes get clearanced.

Breakfast Smoothie

In a blender combine:

4 oz whole, raw if possible, milk

4 oz juice, preferably acai, grape or pomegranate (our grape juice from this summer we canned has been great for this!)

1 frozen banana

4 oz frozen mixed berries

4 oz frozen apples OR more mixed berries OR watermelon

4 oz frozen orange fruit, like mangoes, peaches, cantaloupe, etc.

½ palm-full flax seeds

This is easier to blend if you assemble everything in the blender pitcher the night before and sit it in the fridge. Doing this also softens the flax seeds and makes them a little bigger, so they end up more like little bits of nuts and do, in fact, impart a nutty flavor. Blend it in the morning. Makes 24 ounces-which for me lasts me breakfast and lunch or breakfast and all snacks for the day.

(adapted from Alton Brown’s Buff Smoothie)

Pie Crust Cookies

So simple, and yet so yummy. Take your favorite pie crust recipe. Roll out your dough. Let the kids cut two copies of each cutter. Put one copy down on a prepared baking sheet, top with a smudge of peanut butter and a few chocolate chips. Top with the other copy. Bake until golden. Gobble up!
 (This post is linked up with Raising Homemaker's Homemaking Link Up Here)

Peanut Butter Popcorn

 

I just want to warn you now-this stuff is addictive. Very, very addictive. I have to only make it on occasion or I'd go into a peanut butter caramel induced coma. That being said, here's the recipe :)

Peanut Butter Popcorn

1/2 c popcorn kernels, popped in your favorite fashion

3/4 c honey

1 c peanut butter

1 t vanilla

Melt the honey and peanut butter together in a saucepan over medium high heat. Bring to a boil and boil a minute or so. Add the vanilla. Dump over the popcorn and proceed to quickly stir to cover everything. Let sit at least thirty minutes, if you can which we never can, to set up, then eat. A lot.

(adapted from a recipe found at the Kitchn)