by jphilo | Dec 2, 2010 | Recipes
Comfort food is one of the best perks of winter. (Some people might say it’s winter’s only perk, but I’m only in that camp on stormy days.) And one of our family’s favorite comfort foods – with the exception of Anne who made a PBJ whenever it was on the menu – was homemade macaroni and cheese. The recipe came from the Betty Crocker cookbook my grandma gave me as a wedding shower gift.
During my last visit to with Allen and our new daughter, they said they tried the new mac and cheese recipe from Betty Crocker’s most recent edition which they received from Grandma Dorothy. They gave the new recipe, which adds zing with ground mustard and worcestershire, two thumbs up. They added onion, a nod to the old recipe.
I tried the recipe Monday night, and it received two thumbs up at this house, too. So here’s the recipe. This dish freezes well, so you may want to make a double batch and freeze one for later.
Betty Crocker’s New Mac & Cheese
2 cups elbow macaroni
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
2 cup milk
2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup onion
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pasta according to package directions. Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Stir in flour, salt, pepper, mustard and worcestershire sauce. Stir until smooth, bubbly. Stir in milk gradually, heat to boiling, stirring constantly for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in cheese until melted. Put half the cooked macaroni in a 2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle with half of onion and pour 1/2 of cheese sauce. Repeat with remaining pasta, onion, and cheese sauce. Bake 20-25 minutes on 350.
by jphilo | Nov 26, 2010 | Recipes
Lately, Hiram and I have been enjoying free veggies, one of the perks of being parents of an organic farmer. First, our new daughter stir fried kale, one of the main crops produced on the farm where Allen works, during a recent visit to their house. Once they saw I liked it, packed a big grocery bag full for me to take home the next day.
Not being the most adventurous vegetable eater around, I was surprised at how delicious kale is. Allen said it’s very nutritious, which a quick trip to Wikipedia confirmed. Their entry says,
“Kale is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties; kale is considered to be anti-inflammatory. Kale is very high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin, and reasonably rich in calcium. Kale, as with broccoli and other brassicas, contains sulforaphane (particularly when chopped or minced), a chemical believed to have potent anti-cancer properties. Boiling reduces the level of the anti-cancer compounds; however, steaming, microwaving, or stir frying do not result in significant loss.[2] Along with other brassica vegetables, kale is also a source of indole-3-carbinol, a chemical which boosts DNA repair in cells and appears to block the growth of cancer cells. Kale is also a good source of carotenoids.
I left in all the links partly so you could check all the scientific words out for yourself, but mostly because I’m too lazy to take them out. And because laziness provides the perfect segue into how to stir fry kale, which is really, really easy. Here’s the recipe, which we enjoyed as part of Thanksgiving dinner with our daughter and new son yesterday.
Stir Fried Kale
Six cups kale
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
salt
Wash kale and set in a strainer to drain. Pat dry, if needed. Pull leaves off the center rib. Throw away ribs and tear or chop kale leaves into bite-sized pieces. Heat oil in a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. When oil heats to a glossy sheen, add kale and stir constantly with a spatula for 3 – 5 minutes. (Allow it to cook down only a little.) In the last minute or two, add garlic. Continue stirring until garlic is mixed in. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt, if desired. Serve immediately.
Like I said, the recipe is easy enough for a lazy person like me. Though the same can’t be said of finding kale. Anybody seen it in the supermarket lately?
by jphilo | Nov 17, 2010 | Recipes
Is the mix of tart and sweet, the bright red color, the distinctive fruity flavor, or the tune from “Can you bake a cherry pie, Billy Boy, Billy Boy” rolling around in my head that makes cherry pie my number one pie pick? Whatever the reason, homemade cherry pie made with real sour cherries, not the canned filling, is my absolute favorite.
Thanks to our neighbor’s generosity, our freezer is stocked with pie cherries galore. Which means they need to be used. Which means I baked a cherry pie. Which means it’s time to share the recipe with you.
Cherry Pie
Pastry for a nine inch, two crust pie.
5 – 6 cups tart, pitted pie cherries (if you don’t have fresh, buy frozen ones at the market)
1/2 – 1 cup sugar (depending on taste)
1/2 cup flour or 3 tablespoons cornstarch (cornstarch makes the juice clearer than flour)
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 tablespoons butter
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line nine inch pie pan with bottom crust. In a medium bowl, blend sugar and flour or cornstarch. Add cherries and almond extract. Mix well. Pour into pie shell. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust and seal. Cut slits into top crust with a sharp knife. Dust with sugar.
Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 400 and bake for 30 – 45 minutes more, until fruit is hot and bubbly. (If crust gets too brown, cover top with a piece of aluminum foil.) Cool and serve warm with ice cream.
Heaven!
by jphilo | Nov 12, 2010 | Recipes
A year or two ago, I ran across a chili recipe in American Profile Magazine. Having been raised by a former cattle farmer whose motto was no meal is complete without meat, I viewed this no meat version with skepticism. But finally, my daughter and I tried it when she was home on a college break, and guess what? We loved it.
Now it’s part of my arsenal when the newlyweds – some of whom are partial or complete vegetarians – come home to visit. So it was on the menu last weekend and was pronounced a rousing success. To mollify Hiram, who isn’t a chili lover even when it has meat, I reduced the amount of beans (the original recipe calls for 3 cans of black beans). Even he conceded it was “pretty good” when sprinkled with shredded cheddar cheese.
For those of you who do love chili and are looking for a no-meat version, give this one a try. It makes a big batch, so you can serve half and freeze half for later.
Healthy Vegetarian Chili
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium carrot, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or crushed
2 cups whole kernel corn
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
2 (14-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (10-ounce) can diced tomatoes with green chilies, undrained
1 cup medium salsa
1/2 cup ketchup
1 (14 ounce) can reduced-sodium vegetable broth
1 (1-ounce) package chili seasoning
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
Heat oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic; cook until union is translucent, about 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Increase heat to high. Add remaining ingredients.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently, until vegetables are tender and flavors are blended, about 40 minutes. Serves 16.
by jphilo | Nov 4, 2010 | Recipes
Last Saturday, my new daughter made lunch for the family while I was at the women’s conference at our church. By my arrival around 1 PM, almost all that was left of the delicious quiche she made were the compliments. But I did snag this photo of the left overs and convinced her to share the recipe on this week’s blog.
Vegetable Quiche
Pastry:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, cut up
1/3 cup water
Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl and cut in the butter with a pastry cutter (or rub in with your fingertips) until the mixture resembles bread crumbs. Gradually stir in enough water to make a smooth dough. Shape into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Filling:
15 – 20 cherry tomatoes (or your combination of tomatoes, onions, peppers, fresh spinach, or broccoli to equal that amount)
4 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup fresh ricotta cheese, drained
6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 – 6 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 10 inch pie pan. Cut tomatoes in half. Chop other vegetables. Beat eggs, cream, ricotta, Parmesan, salt and pepper in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until well mixed. Stir in the basin and oregano.
Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured work surface to 1/4 inch thick. Line the prepared pan with pastry.
Pour the egg and cheese mixture over the pastry. Add the vegetables, pressing them into the filling slightly. Bake until golden brown and set, about 45 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.
by jphilo | Oct 29, 2010 | Recipes
You know what I like about chicken? It tastes like chicken.
If you like chicken that tastes like chicken, you’ll like this easy recipe from our Family Camp Cookbook. Make as much or little as you want. And while you’re at it, bookmark this page so it’s easy to find when your family requests it again.
Uthoff Chicken
chicken pieces
Corn Flakes
honey mustard
mayonnaise or Miracle Whip
Wash chicken pieces. Crush corn flakes. Mix equal parts honey mustard and mayonnaise. Dip chicken in mixture and then in corn flake crumbs. Place in a greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until done.
