Has it really been a year!

I know it's been a long time since I posted anything, But, I did not realize it's been a year! there have been several recipes that I thought to share, but there were camera issues, etc.....
So here is a new one: I'll get a pic up on this soon.

Chicken hand pies or chicken pasties

You may use leftovers and shorten the cooking times. This is a good recipe to make a day or two ahead for quick prep before serving.

Pastry dough

2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
1 stick (4oz.) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (May substitute half with shortening or coconut oil.)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/3 cup ice cold water

1. In a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, pulse together the flour, salt, and sugar. Add in the butter, and pulse a few times until the mixture is crumbly and resembles coarse meal. Combine the egg and water in a container (remove all ice pieces). While the processor is running, pour the water/egg mixture in and pulse until mixture just comes together.

2. Pour mixture out onto a floured board and knead a few times to bring all the ingredients together. Dough can be rolled out immediately, or it can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated for up to 2 days.

Filling

1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon olive oil, or coconut oil
1 small onion, finely diced

1 stalk celery, finely diced – OR ½ tsp. of Celery seeds

2 large carrots, chopped
1 tablespoon butter

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour
1 14 ounce (400mL) can low sodium chicken stock
1 bouillon cube (I actually prefer Better than Bouillon–just use a tablespoon)
salt and pepper or poultry seasoning to taste
pastry dough (recipe above), puff pastry or ready-made pie crust
1 egg, plus a teaspoon of water, beaten

1. Place potatoes in a medium saucepan, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cook until potatoes are tender to the point of a knife. Drain and set aside. While the potatoes cook, set a large skillet over medium low heat and add in the olive oil, onion, celery, and carrots. Cook until onions are very tender, about 12-15 minutes. Remove the vegies to a bowl but leave the drippings behind.

2. Add the butter to the pan and sauté the cubed chicken. Then remove the chicken to the bowl with the vegies.

3. Stir the flour into the pan drippings. Let cook for 2 minutes or so, just to let the flour taste cook out. Pour in about half of the can of chicken stock and mix until smooth. (If you can’t get it smooth and it is getting thick, add more stock, then pour through a sieve to get the lumps out.) Add the bouillon, the chicken and the vegies. Let simmer a few minutes and taste for flavor. Add salt and pepper if needed. The mixture should be thick, but not too dry. Add more chicken stock until you achieve the desired consistency (You may need to use the whole can). Store mixture in refrigerator until ready to use (the pies are easier to make if the filling is cold).

4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place a piece of parchment paper in a baking sheet and set aside. Roll out the pastry dough on a floured board into an 18×22 inch rectangle (don’t measure! just guess). Cut in half, and then cut each half in thirds, to make 6 equal smaller rectangles.

5. Spoon 1/4 cup (about 4 tablespoons) of the chicken mixture onto one of the rectangles of dough, placing it slightly off center. Wet the edges of the dough with a pastry brush and water, and fold the longer end of the pastry up and over the filling. Press the dough down to seal it, and then crimp with the edges of a fork. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Make two incisions in the top of the pastry with a sharp knife, and brush with the beaten egg and water. Repeat with remaining 5 pastries. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown and puffed.

Cranberry Trifle

1 package of lady finger cookies or vanilla wafers (you might not need all of them)
2  3 ounce packs of cranberry gelatin (Other flavors will work, too)
1 cup boiling water
2 cups cold water
2 8 ounces packages of mascarpone or cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon of pumkin spice or cinnamon ( up to 1 tablespoon if you like it spicier)
1 16 ounces tub of whipped topping mostly thawed
1 jar spiced apples (or a large can of pears) chopped into half inch pieces

Use the cookies to line the bottom and sides of a glass 9x13x2 dish or other fancy glass bowl.
Prepare the gelatin with 1 cup of boiling water until completely dissolved then ass the rest of the water.
Carefully pour the gelatin on the side cookies so they are soaked but do not fall down
Pour the remaining gelatin over the bottom cookies. Do not Refrigerate !!!!!

Put the cheese and the powdered sugar and the spices in a bowl and whip together until smooth. Sometimes mascarpone clumps, but mix well and move on.
Carefully fold in the whipped topping then the fruit.  
Spoon this mixture over the cookies.
Now refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Hints:
If you use soft lady fingers they will not have much texture.
Serve with extra cookies.
Try this with Mandarin orange slices and orange gelatin.

30 minute rolls

This sounded like such a great recipe for a quick and easy batch of homemade rolls. Imtook it from http://www.yourhomebasedmom.com/30-minute-rolls 

1 C plus 2 Tbsp warm water

1/3 C oil

2 Tbsp yeast

1/4 C sugar

1 tsp salt

1 egg

3 1/2 C bread flour (seems to work better but all purpose flour will also work)

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

In your mixer bowl combine the water, oil, yeast and sugar and allow it to rest for 15 minutes.  Using your dough hook, mix in the salt, egg and flour.  Knead with hook until will incorporated and dough is soft and smooth. (Just a few minutes)

Form dough into 12 balls and then place in a greased 9 x 13 pan and allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees or until golden brown.

Fairy Gardens

 Today I spent a few hours at the local greenhouse store.  Friends of mine run the place and they maintain a beautiful nursery.  They had a class about fairy gardens.  The teacher told a cute story about the things garden folk like to see when they are looking for a place to settle down.  She talked about the shiny things and miniature items to help make a container garden enticing.  Turns out they seem to prefer re-purposed items as this is so good for the environment.  Of course, there were plenty of doll sized chairs, arbors, tools and such available for purchase just in case we had cleared our homes of such items after our kids had grown.  There were a few kids there, too.  They brought a few of their favorite things as garden themes.  A little boy had his tractor and he said he wanted to have a garden that he could share with his Mom when Mother's Day came along.  Some of the girls were more interested in the four week old kittens that were supposed to be in the other building and wondered if they could make kitty gardens.  It was fun to see how each garden went with the personality of its creator.

I used an old Tupperware container that had been left out through a few winters.  The base of it is cracked, rendering it useless.  Or, so I thought.  I drilled a few more drainage holes in the bottom and took it to class.     I have loved gnomes since I was little so this little guy became an easy first addition to the container.  I love  Thyme (I was told so do fairies) and I selected three varieties; Lemon, Woolly, and miniature.  To add color, I selected a mini rose, brass buttons, coleus, and sweet alyssum.   A wire vine for the arbor and  several elephant foot palms for vertical appeal and the plant selection was complete.The hardscape included gravel, the arbor and a few sparkly things. Since I did not use all of my supplies I made another dish when I got home.  I'll upload a picture in a few weeks to let you know how it goes.

Why did I include this on this blog?  I think this could be a cute way to grow a few herbs for your kitchen.  Thyme, chives, oregano, and several more go well in container gardens.  Just go to a small owner operator nursery and ask them to help you group some together.  Fairy gardens are supposed to have plants that are kept neatly trimmed, so you can use the trimmings for your dinner!

Mom's Mountain of Meatballs

This makes a large batch so you can use a few and freeze the rest for later.

You will need measuring cups and spoons, a small bowl (3 to 4 cups), a large mixing bowl, three 9x13 pans or two cookie sheets with sides that are at least ½ inch high, a fork (or whisk), a large mixing spoon, an ice cream scoop.

The Food

3 pounds of ground Meat. You may use just one type of meat but a combination seems to make a better meatball.  I usually use 2 pounds of lean ground Beef and 1 pound of ground Pork.  The pork really helps the flavor, so I think it is most important. You could also use lamb, chicken or turkey.

Dry Ingredients: In a large mixing bowl

1 cup dry bread crumbs

1/4 cup dry minced onions

1 tablespoon seasoned salt

1 teaspoon no-salt seasoning mix

1 teaspoon powdered garlic

 Wet Dry Ingredients: Mix in a small bowl

  3 eggs

  1 cup milk

Optional:  Adding 1 to 2 cups of shredded vegetables adds flavor and nutrition.  You can use left over rice (or quinoa) instead of the bread crumbs and decrease the milk by half for a gluten free option.  Try substituting Worcestershire sauce, BBQ sauce, Ranch Mix, or whatever for the seasonings and salt. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line pans with foil.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients in the large mixing bowl. 

Break the meat into smaller chunks and add to the mixture. Work this all together but don’t squish it too much or the final meatballs will be rubbery.

Use an ice cream scoop to get even amounts of the mixture to create the balls.  Arrange the balls 1 to 2 inches apart on the foil.

Place the pans in your oven on the two racks.  Switch the pans half way through the baking cycle.  

Bake 30 to 40 minutes until the meat is light brown and the internal temperature is 160 degrees. 

This recipe works well for meatloaf also.  Use 1 ¼ cups of milk to make a looser mixture.  You can form a loaf on a flat pan or use 2 loaf pans.  Loaves will have to bake at 350 degrees for 90 minutes. Wrap leftover slices and freeze them separately for later meals.

Quinoa! It's a Grain. It's a Protein. It's Yummy.

Many people are becoming aware of gluten allergies or intolerance.  Because of this, there are many more alternatives available.

Quinoa is seed from a plant in South America.  It is high in protein compared to rice or wheat. It also costs more.  But if it is used along with other protein sources, quinoa can really boost your nutrition dollar.  It has a nutty flavor and a texture like caviar.  For awhile this may be as close as you will get to that delicacy.

SINGLE SERVING

1/3 cup quinoa, rinsed in a sieve.

1/3 cup milk

2 Tablespoon of water

Mix together in a small sauce pan with a lid.  Bring to a boil.  Stir occasionally.  Turn heat down to a simmer and cover it.  Be careful because the mixture will foam up and may boil over.  That will make a stinky mess.

Let simmer about 10 minutes or what ever the package says.

I like mine a little under done.  It never really fluffs up like rice.

Serve warm with butter and pancake syrup.  I prefer Lyle's Golden Syrup.

Alternatives:

Use broth instead of the milk and add a few sprinkles of an herb mix for a savory dish.

Adding sesame seeds add some more flavor and, if you use black ones, a bit of color.  Be careful when using the black variety and add them just at the end of the cooking or you will end up with a grey mass in your bowl.

Marinated Asparagus

Marinated Asparagus

When we lived in northwest Iowa and later in Minnesota, spring was a time to celebrate the arrival of wild asparagus.  The people guard their patches as if they were mother-loads of gold.  I even heard of a farmer using his tree spade to transplant a patch to a "safer" location closer to the house.  I think this is my favorite vegetable. It figures it would be so seasonal and some what expensive.  I have gleaned a few recipes to share with you so you can take advantage of the short burst of abundance each spring. This is the easiest of all my recipes for "grass" as they call it in eastern Washington.

Ingredients:
 1 to 3 bunches of Asparagus spears
1 pack. Italian salad dressing mix (or your favorite in a bottle)
1/4 white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cup of water
Ice

Instructions:

If you have a steamer, fill with water to the indicator line.  If not, fill a large pan with an inch of water and please a steamer basket in it.  If you don't have a steamer basket, suspend a metal sieve or colander over the water.  Turn on the heat.


Rinse the asparagus  and break off the bottoms off the stems.





Arrange the stems in the steamer.   Cover.  Steam for about 10 minutes.


Meanwhile, take a large bowl and add 2 to 3 trays of ice and fill about 1/3 with cold water.







While the vegies are steaming:
Mix the dressing ingredients as directed but double the amount of water.



When the steaming is done, cool the asparagus in the ice water.









When the spears are cold, place them into a gallon Ziploc bag and pour in the Italian dressing.





Set in the refrigerator for several hours or even overnight.  They will stay good for several days and the flavor will improve.



The person I heard this from first said their family kept a tall jar in the fridge that they continually replenished with the stalks that came up in their garden.



This works for green onion stalks, celery, carrots, cucumber and many other veggies.  This is a good item to prep on the weekend and enjoy through out the week for lunch, dinner, or snacks.

Don't forget to garnish with chopped scallions!