Looking forward to the New Year..

Well, some things have been on hiatus around here lately and sadly one of them has been my adventures in cooking.  It seems that no matter how hard I fight it, pregnancy has had a serious impact on my productivity and exploration in the area of food stuffs.  So instead of pulling out a tried and true recipe from my arsenal to share with you all today, I thought I would share some of my hopes and goals instead.  (Just because I haven't been able to produce much doesn't mean I haven't been longing after it!)  Let's see where the New Year takes us, and just how many of these I can accomplish with the first 4-5 months spent in pregnancy and the remaining 7-8 months with a new little one in our lives.  *fingers crossed*

Appetizers

• Bottom line - I need to learn more make ahead recipes with minimal cost.  I don't have any specific ideas yet, but I am searching...

Main Dishes

• My goal is to get back on track with make ahead meals.  This may be put on hold until my pregnancy based food aversions calm down, but I really miss having slow cooker dump recipes and individual serving recipes on hand for busy days.  It really helps us to eat healthier and cheaper when we have it available.
• This is currently my favorite website for this purpose, I have many things I have yet to explore on it: http://onceamonthmom.com/

Soups

• I'd like to look into making some more of my own soup bases.  One idea is a homemade alternative to those canned "cream of" soups: http://www.salad-in-a-jar.com/family-recipes/make-your-own-condensed-cream-of-mushroom-soup-in-less-than-5-minutes

Sides

• I'd like to venture further into the world of veggies and try out some new recipes for Summer Squash, Winter Squash, and to seek out some earlier season veggies for home canning options.  I will be happily scouting out canning books and sites for the latter and longing for Summer.
• I'd also like to try some new recipes for veggies I traditionally avoid, such as cauliflower: http://bigflavors.blogspot.com/2011/01/cavolfiore-impanato-fried-cauliflower.html

Desserts

• More uses for my bundt pan.  I love the buttermilk bundt cake recipe I posted on here, but I feel like the pan has so much more to give.  Apples may be a way to go:  http://gardenofeatingblog.blogspot.com/2009/02/grandma-frans-apple-bundt-cake.html
• A new make ahead pie or two.  It is always nice to have dessert done and out of the way before dinner has even begun.  Perhaps Banana Cream Pie: http://www.cookingchanneltv.com/recipes/kelsey-nixon/banana-caramel-cream-pie-recipe/index.html

General

• I would like to make and can and/or freeze baby food from the fresh veggies from our local Farmers' Market this Summer so that we have them on hand as our little one reaches that stage in the colder months: http://wholesomebabyfood.momtastic.com/stage1_homemade_baby_food_recipes.htm or http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/08/how-to-make-baby-food-in-your-crockpot.html
• I have a wonderful cookbook by James Beard that I am completely in love with, mostly I use it right now for bread, baking mix, and biscuit recipes.  I would like to try at least 2 new recipes from a different chapter in it this coming year.

Homemade with Help Calzone Rolls

or fake it 'till you make Italian food at home.

Ok, so these days between having a million things to do for the holidays and a general state of exhaustion my homemade meals have dissipated.  What has recently replaced them are largely significant contributions from my eternally patient husband along with semi-homemade meals.  It isn't quite the satisfaction that I get from making dinner for my wonderful husband and myself, but when I am able to at least pull something together I feel a pretty reasonable sense of accomplishment.  This week, relief came in the form of pre-made pizza dough.  

Ready made dough is a wonderful thing.  It provides the ease necessary to approach dinner when you feel that it is quite possible that you will collapse halfway through the process, and the rewarding experience of your own additions to the homemade fillings and/or toppings depending on how you use it.  The recipe below is a good base for a calzone type roll.  You can add other ingredients to the filling if you like (i.e. vegetables, cooked meats, etc) but I do not find it necessary since I like mine pretty straightforward.  The inclusion of the egg in the cheese mixture helps bind it together, you can use an egg substitute instead if you prefer, and it makes reheating an easier and less messy process.  This recipe is really a breeze, less than 30 min from start to finish.  Check it out:

pre-made pizza dough (from the store, your local pizzeria, or made from scratch if you have more energy than I do right now)

8-10 oz reduced fat ricotta

1 egg

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella

1/4 cup parmesan cheese 

Italian spice blend & garlic powder

Melted butter (about 2 tbsp) if desired

Marinara or pizza sauce for dipping

1. Mix together all of the cheeses and the egg until well blended.

2.  Roll out the pizza dough into a large rectangle and slice into thirds.  In the center lengthwise of each third, create a line of one third of the filling.  Then fold over lengthwise so that the long sides meet and seal the edges all around with a fork.  Roll over so that the long seam side is down.  Poke a couple holes in the top with a fork to let steam escape and line up on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. 

3. Seasoned the top with Italian spice blend and garlic powder. 

4. Bake at 400 for 15 min.  Drizzle melted butter over top after baking if desired and serve with marinara sauce for dipping.

Bacon Makes it Better Pasta Salad

or a simple and salty salad for all to love.

Let's face it, bacon kind of makes everything better.  My husband, apparently born somehow with the pasta-salad-aversion-gene, was willing to give this recipe a shot due to the inclusion of the illustrious bacon and the mixed olives (though he remained a bit skeptical of the green ones at first).  We first brought this with us when we went to the beach with friends a couple Summers ago and it was a big hit all around.  The saltiness of the bacon and olives balances well with the sugar so it is not overwhelming.  A little kick from the cider vinegar and mustard give it a bit of flair, more or less depending on the type of mustard you choose to use.  It is a nice balance of flavors without being to intrusive for those that are cautious of pasta salads in general, a reasonable compromise in the world of food, and that makes it a nice addition to a pot luck style event.  I personally could toss in some whole cherry tomatoes, to lean more towards a BLT pasta salad, but my husband is not a tomato fan so they don't make it in very often.  You could even set up some addition prepped veggies in bowls alongside it so that guests can dress it up as they like.  It is, in general, a good base to draw from to create your own flavors with additions of different vegetables, diced hard boiled eggs, and the like.  Check it out:

Pasta - 8 oz (spirals or shells)

Bacon - 1/2 lb

Mayonnaise, reduced fat or olive oil - 1/2 cup

Sour Cream, reduced fat - 1/4 cup

Yellow Mustard - 1 tbsp

Sugar - 1/8 cup

Cider Vinegar - 1/8 cup

Green Olives - 1/4 cup

Black Olives - 1/4 cup

Nature’s Seasoning Blend or House Spices

Salt & Pepper - to taste

1. Cook bacon over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble and set aside.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

3. Whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl until the sugar has dissolved. Add the bacon, olives and pasta, folding in carefully until the salad is evenly covered with the dressing.

4. Store in refrigerator or cooler until served.

Simply Sweet Sugar Cream Pie

or heaven in a pie crust.

First with a disclaimer - there are practically no recipes for sugar cream pie out there that can claim to be completely original.  There are simply not enough ingredients to account for the individualization.  What I present here is simply, and humbly, my version of this delightful dessert.  It isn't terribly different than the base recipes that I have found, but I think the adjustments that I made add to the flavor and texture a bit.

I have often wondered, over the past couple years, where this amazing dessert has been my whole life!  It was brought to my attention by a friend of ours in Chicago and after seeing his success I set out to find the perfect recipe myself.  I can't call what I resulted in the "perfect" sugar cream pie recipe, but it works pretty darn well for us.  Switching out some of the heavy cream for milk makes this rich dessert just a tad lighter in regards to texture, and I like to think health-wise as well but there is no proof of that really - it just makes me feel better.  It is incredibly easy to make, but don't tell your guests that, and it can be made in advance so that dessert is taken care of long before dinner needs to be on the table.

I have made both full sized pies and individual pies from this recipe and both turned out great since the main batch amount for the filling doesn't change.  You can even dress it up more by doing a brulee on the top with coarse sugar instead of the traditional broiler style topping of cinnamon and butter.  So simple, so sweet, and so easily dressed up or down for any occasion - what more could you ask for from a dessert?  Check it out:

1 pie crust, 9 inch cooked (I prefer a shortbread or graham cracker style myself)

4 tbsp cornstarch

3/4 cup sugar

4 tbsp butter, melted

1 1/2 cups whipping cream

1 cup low fat milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp butter, melted

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat broiler to high.

1. In a medium pot mix the cornstarch and sugar. Add 4 tablespoons butter, cream, and milk.

2. Cook, stirring constantly preferably with a wooden spoon, over medium heat until thick and creamy. This will happen quickly when it changes but may take some time to get to that point. It's kind of magical, really, so don't get discouraged and worry that you missed it - you really can't, it goes from liquid to gel-like very clearly.  You will know it is coming when you start to feel a little resistance in the bottom that seems almost gooey when you are stirring.  Once it does change completely, remove from heat immediately and stir in the vanilla.

3. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Drizzle 2 tablespoons melted butter over top and sprinkle with cinnamon.

4. Put under broiler until the butter bubbles--watch it carefully as it doesn’t take long, maybe 30-45 seconds.

5. Refrigerate at least an hour, until set.

Stove-top Applesauce

or a better than store-bought can be a breeze, homemade treat

This little recipe is popping up now because I first made it a couple years back for the Thanksgiving holiday.  Every year we have this wonderful, well now that I am grown it seems more wonderful, tradition of making dutch apple pies with my parents the night before Thanksgiving.  My mom always makes between ten and twenty pies depending on the year and how many friends and relatives we are sharing with.  The memories of this event range from exciting and then exhausting as a child, exasperating as a teenager, and a sense of happy nostalgia and appreciation as an adult.  I can't wait to share all these emotions with our own child as we continue the tradition throughout the years, even though they may not truly appreciate it until they are my age themselves.

Well, to get back on track, this recipe originated during one of these annual events.  We finished up all the pies and still had a fair amount of apples remaining (both cut and uncut).  I was struggling with what to bring to our family gathering the next day and my mom suggested making applesauce.  I thought she was crazy, but as it turns out she was not!  It is surprisingly easy to make, results in the house smelling amazing, and is easily customizable to your own desired sweetness, thickness, and supplemental flavors.  And now on top of the delicious homemade applesauce flavor, I also get that small amount of emotional warmth that comes from happy nostalgia when I make it.  I highly recommend making this in happy moments while creating memories of your own because that feeling is priceless.  If you use all sweeter apples you may find no need for sugar, but a little extra sweetness doesn't hurt.  I like to cook everything down until it dissolves itself, but as you will see in the directions there are other options for those with time constraints.  It's so easy you'll wonder why you haven't tried it before, check it out:

Apples - 7 MacIntosh, 3 Gala

Sugar - 1/3 cup 

Vanilla - 1/2 tsp

Cinnamon - 1/4 tsp

1. Peel and core apples. Cut into small pieces, the thinner the chunks the quicker they will cook.

2. Pour into a deep pot and add enough water to just cover the apples.

3. Bring to a simmer and cook for 2-4 hours stirring occasionally (ever 30-45 min).

4. If cooking for 2 hours, mash the apples with a potato masher and then run through a food mill or potato ricer. If cooking for 4 hours, mash after three hours and again after the last hour (the apples should break down enough to not need the other step).

5. In the pot with the apples stir in the sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon. Cook gently for at least 5 minutes. Add more cinnamon or sugar to taste.

(all dressed up with a little cinnamon sugar sprinkled over top and a dollop of whipped cream)

This is a great base recipe to customize your own flavors, I hear that crystalized ginger is pretty good if tossed in at the beginning with the apples.  And I have used this for everything from family gatherings to home canning, both for personal use and as part of holiday gift baskets.  The only thing I can say is be sure to cook it down to the consistency that you like.  It may take an extra half hour, but it will definitely be worth the effort!

Holiday Leftovers Hearty Turkey Soup

or all your comfort foods in one over-sized bowl

Soon it will be my favorite holiday of the year - the only one that seems to truly revolve around food and family - Thanksgiving.  I love feeding people.  Well, that may be an understatement.  So, as it stands, there is no better holiday for me to host then one where I can show everyone how much I love and appreciate them by providing a buffet of enticing dishes.  And of course left overs are a must, it may be assumed that part of the reason of the excessive spread of food this holiday is to ensure leftovers exist after everyone has had their fill and are then comfortably reclined in the living room.  The other reason is that I somehow still have absolutely no concept of how much people will eat.  But that is beside the point.

I love finding new ways to use leftovers from big family meals.  In college, I was mildly  obsessed with a "Thanksgiving" sandwich at the restaurant chain Friendly's.  It consisted of texas toast, turkey, gravy, stuffing, and cranberry sauce (which I omitted).  It was delicious.  It was all the wonderful parts of comfort food in an easy, handheld format.  Well, obviously I can't just copy that.  So I thought about what other forms of comfort food I love, and it came to me - soup!  I am a sucker for good soup.  A few years ago I decided that we needed to consume all of the leftovers before they went bad and started throwing things together in a pot, what resulted was beyond delicious.  My husband likes this so much that for the first two years I had to make a roasted turkey breast a couple times each year, in addition to Thanksgiving, just so he could have the soup.  Here's how it is done:

2 turkey legs or half breast & bone
celery - 1/2 cup diced

orzo - 1 cup

cream of chicken soup - 1 can condensed

turkey gravy - 1 cup prepared

processed cheese - 3/4 pound cubed

carrots - 1/2 cup diced

onion - 1/2 cup finely diced or minced

peas - 1 can or leftovers

chicken stock - 1 quart

Spices: celery salt, pepper, thyme, parsley

1. Place bone from turkey in a large stock pot. Add the stock and fill with water so that the pot is 3/4 full. If using a deep pot additional chicken stock may be added to reduce the dilution in water.

2. Heat until boiling and keep at a low boil for 1 hour to prep the stock.

3. Cut the turkey meat into bite sized cubes or pull apart to taste. Finely dice carrots and celery, mince the onion.

4. Remove the bones and skim off any fat when the stock is ready. Keep the pot half full, the extra stock can be removed and stored either in the refrigerator or freezer for future use.

5. Add the turkey to the pot of stock. Remove any extra meat from the bones and add into the soup as desired.

6. Add spices and onion; allow to come to a low boil for 10 minutes.

7. Then add the carrots and celery, keep at a boil for 5 minutes.

8. Add in the peas and orzo, continue to boil for 10 minutes.

9. Stir in cream of chicken soup, gravy, and cubed cheese. Cook over medium-low heat until cheese melts, stirring often.

This can be adjusted to your tastes and leftover options, but this is where I started.  The processed cheese, aka Velveeta, was actually a leftover for us because we use it in a chili cheese dip that is generally among our appetizers and we don't use the whole "brick."  It isn't something I often cook with, but it smooths out nicely in soups so it does make it in once in a while.  Keep an open mind about it, it won't bite.  You can also omit the orzo if you want when pouring it over mashed potatoes or stuffing, though leaving it in does create a "turkey stew" feel that is quite a yummy take on the dish.  As always, give it a try, make its tastes your own, and enjoy!

Dark Chocolate Chip Blonde Brownies

or pour and go cookie bar treats

I love cookies.  I am not normally a huge fan of traditional candy type treats and sweets, but when it comes to cookies - I am a pushover.  And when you get that craving for cookies, you want them now - not in an hour, or after the next shopping trip, but right now - fresh out out of the oven.  The great thing about these is that they are not only fast and easy to make, but they use mostly what you already have on hand.  I use dark chocolate chips because my husband loves them, but in the picture below I also tossed in a couple handfuls of butterscotch morsels for the holidays.  I've also tried cinnamon chips, white chocolate chips, and chocolate mint bits.  All have been delicious!  One batch makes one square dish or one round pan dish of cookie bars, so you don't have an excessive amount laying around the house after to tempt you, just enough to satisfy that craving when you have it.  Check it out:



1/2 cup Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg
1 cup Flour
1/4 tsp Baking Powder
1/8 tsp Baking Soda
A pinch Salt
1 cup Dark Chocolate Chips


1. Cream together the butter and brown sugar; then beat in the egg.

2. Add the flour, baking powder, and salt mixing well. Stir in chocolate chips until well blended.

3. Pour into a greased 8x8-inch pan and gently pat even with a greased spatula (greasing the bottom of the spatula makes all the difference here, that way there is no cookie dough sticking to it while you try to flatten).

4. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes. Check at 20 min (done when toothpick comes out clean when pierced in center).